Advice required on tournament handicap issue

[tsajjad]

Hi all!
well a tornament is underway here at the local golf club and today an interesting but troubling issue came up. heres the summation.
a boy playing to a 7 handicap from the junior tees. his handicap was readjusted by his clubs handicap committee to a 10, but from the mid tees. (theres a difference of about 20 yards between the two tees, the junior tees are primarily for kids 14 and under. this boy is 14.)
what happenned is that he played the tournament today(one day event for the juniors) from the red tees, but with a 10 handicap. A complaint was lodged by one of the players in the field as to his handicap.
what i want to know is
i) which handicap is applicable?
ii) does he stand DQ if he did not have his handicap informed to the tournament committee following inclination he was to play from the red tees?
iii) can a player have a dual status as such ascertaining to handicaps, with reference to the tees u play?
iv) also what is SSS?

[martytilma]

I would say that he uses the 7 handicap. I'm pretty sure that a handicap committee can pretty much do as it pleases in a tournament. So they could make him use the 7 for that round. I'm not an expert though.

Had something somewhat similar happen to me. I played in a tournament and started with a 8 handicap. That was my USGA handicap. My first round was a 70. The committee decided to make my handicap a 4 and applied it to my first round, but didn't tell me until I was about to tee off for the second round. Needless to say I was furious and ended up shooting a 86 and lost by 2.

So you should definitely let him no sooner than later so he isn't surprised!

[tsajjad]

thanks, but the committee counted his score with a 10 handicap. however if he knew his handicap was a 7 from the red tees and the club also knew but did not notify or it slipped . plus he did not inform, knowing his handicap was 7 from the red tees. Should he be DQ?

[Fairway_CY]

It sounds to me like that handicap committee missed something here. With that said... if his official scorecard indicates he's allowed 10 handicap strokes from the tees to which he was assigned... he did nothing wrong. It's on the committee to correct their error... and, as has been pointed out... they are within their rights to do so.

If the committee told him he was to receive 10 strokes playing from the middle tees and 7 strokes playing from the forward tees... and HE wrote the 10 in the handicap portion of the scorecard and then signed for it... he's in the wrong and should be disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

CY

[tsajjad]

It sounds to me like that handicap committee missed something here. With that said... if his official scorecard indicates he's allowed 10 handicap strokes from the tees to which he was assigned... he did nothing wrong. It's on the committee to correct their error... and, as has been pointed out... they are within their rights to do so.

but morally, shouldnt he be telling th comittee, that theyve given him the wrong handicap on the card?

[James_Black]

I'm 14 and I've been playing off the back tees since last year....
Why doesn't he just play the same tees as the men if he's able to play off 7 from the reds? He'd be a 16 handicapper I'd say from the back.


EDIT: Sorry didn't see he was playing in a junior tournament.

He should have either played off 10 at the mid-tees or 7 from the juniors so I'd say it's a DQ

[tsajjad]

james, thats what i thought.
pls ivve played with the boy once from the back tees, im 17 and a 12 handicap, and he beat me by 3 strokes. 9 hole match. he played par and i played 3 over. so he is a 7 from the back tees according to me, but u know people . dont wanna lower their handicap so they can win matches on net. im sick and tired of the politics here. =S

[Fairway_CY]

Morally, yes... he's in the wrong and he SHOULD have turned himself in. However... if he was playing within the stipulated rules... then I still believe it was the committee's error and it's on THEM to take action.

I'm not 100% certain on how it would play out... but, based on what I know... this is how I would interpret it.

CY

[Fourputt]

Hi all!

The player is responsible for the accuracy of his handicap. Rule 6-2 tells us:

6-2. Handicap a. Match Play Before starting a match in a handicap competition, the players should determine from one another their respective handicaps. If a player begins a match having declared a handicap higher than that to which he is entitled and this affects the number of strokes given or received, he is disqualified; otherwise, the player must play off the declared handicap. b. Stroke Play In any round of a handicap competition, the competitor must ensure that his handicap is recorded on his score card before it is returned to the Committee. If no handicap is recorded on his score card before it is returned (Rule 6-6b), or if the recorded handicap is higher than that to which he is entitled and this affects the number of strokes received, he is disqualified from the handicap competition; otherwise, the score stands.

In this case he should be disqualified for returning a card with a handicap higher than that to which he is entitled. Had he been playing from the middle tees, then there would be no penalty as the 10 handicap would be correct. Once again, it is the

player's responsibility , not the committee's, to ensure that the handicap recorded on the card is correct.

[tsajjad]

The player is responsible for the accuracy of his handicap. Rule 6-2 tells us:

agreed. but the player can argue can he not that since the club allotted him the handicap? it would sound like the comittee wass covering up their mistake , by DQing him and saying that you did nto ensure the handicap we gave u was correct.

[Fairway_CY]

Once again, it is the

See... I told you I wasn't certain. Thanks for clearing this up, Rick!

CY

[Fourputt]

agreed. but the player can argue can he not that since the club allotted him the handicap? it would sound like the comittee wass covering up their mistake , by DQing him and saying that you did nto ensure the handicap we gave u was correct.

Doesn'tmatter what the committee does. If the player knows what his hadicap is supposed to be, and signs for a higher one, then he is disqualified. This is very clearly defined as a player's responsibility. There is no safety net.

He does it right or he faces the consequences. If the committee doesn't react to this breach correctly then, in my opinion, then entire tournament is suspect and I'd not compete again within their jurisdiction. I don't know what else to say. The committee does not have the right to suspend or modify such a rule.

[tsajjad]

Doesn'tmatter what the committee does. If the player knows what his hadicap is supposed to be, and signs for a higher one, then he is disqualified. This is very clearly defined as a player's responsibility. There is no safety net.

that is what i was looking for. hes gonna get dq'ed now for sure. a friend of mine is one of the junior members on the comittee and he actually asked me, and i decided to ask uoy guys. Thanks mate. uve been a great help. Cheers=D

[Fourputt]

that is what i was looking for. hes gonna get dq'ed now for sure. a friend of mine is one of the junior members on the comittee and he actually asked me, and i decided to ask uoy guys. Thanks mate. uve been a great help. Cheers=D

Hope it works out for you.

[tsajjad]

Hope it works out for you.

will update