PWGA NOTES & QUOTES
USGA Western
Calibration
2015
by Kaaren Wlash
USGA Western Calibration, Aliso
Viejo, CA – March 13 -14, 2015
How does the PWGA rating team
keep current with the USGA
changes in the rating system? As
many of you know the rules and
handicap systems change every
four years and so does the rating
system. It happened this year for
all systems.
Answer: PWGA sends a team of
four to the USGA Calibration
Seminar and when they return,
PWGA puts on our own seminars
open to all raters. This year we
are collaborating with WGANC.
Four of our more experienced
raters attended a very rigorous
and informative seminar at Aliso
Viejo Country club on March 13
and 14. The attendees were Bev
Blatt (East Bay Area Chair), Alicia
Meiners (Monterey Area Chair),
Joyce Bartlett (San Jose Area
Chair), and Kaaren Walsh
(Director of Course Rating).
Beforehand, the attendees were
required to take an online
calibration test consisting of 30
very challenging questions with
emphasis on the changes to the
rating system. Sunday afternoon
of the seminar was devoted to
discussion of the test, review of
the changes, and then a 3 hour 5
hole hands on rating. Dinner was
2
at the golf course giving everyone
a chance to mingle and find out
how other teams did their rating.
There were teams from all over
the western states as well as
several foreign countries. The
USGA rating system is slated to go
worldwide in 2018. Sunday there
were two breakout sessions and
then the on course rating was
reviewed. The PWGA team
scored well which pleased them.
After lunch, there was a short
session on the new course rating
program.
The team worked well together
and learned a tremendous
amount. It was well worth the
two days.
USGA
Handicap
System
Education
Assessment
by Bobbi Hanada
First of all I would like to thank
the handicap chairs and/or club
members for taking the time to
complete the new USGA Handicap
System Education Assessment. As
of now we about 90% of the clubs
who have completed the
educational assessment and I am
hoping that by July 15 we will
have all of the clubs compliant.
Many of you had questions
regarding the assessment. This
assessment was new to USGA
Handicap System this year; it was
an initiative to assess each club’s
educational awareness of the
USGA Handicap System. The
majority of the questions dealt
with a club being in compliance by
checking the appropriate boxes
and each club had to rate their
knowledge in regards to the
handicap system so that was
straight forward and relatively
simple to answer. The questions
that had the widest range of
answers had to do with
statements and matching terms. I
will highlight those questions
along with the answers and the
reference to the USGA Handicap
System Manual.
Terms to match:(a) Modification
of a Handicap
Index (b) Penalty
Score (c) Eligible
Tournament
Score (d)
Reduction for
Exceptional
tournament
Scores (f)
Allowance for
Handicap
Competition.