FROM THE HANDICAP COMMITTEE Eaglebrooke Handicap Committee – December Newsletter
Although all players have good and bad stretches , a player ’ s underlying ability does not typically change significantly within a one-year period . As a result , the soft cap and hard cap are built into the Handicap Index calculation as a safeguard to prevent extreme upward movement .
• If your Handicap Index increases by 3.0 strokes within a year , the soft cap slows the rate of additional movement beyond 3.0 strokes by 50 %.
• The hard cap sets a max increase of 5.0 total strokes within a year .
The illustration below demonstrates how the caps are tied to a player ’ s Low Handicap Index - which is used as a reference point .
Note that a Low Handicap Index is not established until the player has 20 scores in their scoring record .
Key Notes :
• The Handicap Committee at a player ’ s golf club can override the caps if circumstances such as injury or illness exist .
• If the soft cap or hard cap is applied to your Handicap Index , it will be clearly identified within your scoring record .
More to come next month . If anyone has any questions , please feel free to contact me , other committee members , or check out the USGA Handicapping website : https :// www . usga . org / content / usga / home-page / handicapping . html
14 eaglebrooke newsletter
Tim Milcich
Handicap Committee TMilcich @ live . com