PWGA NOTES & QUOTES
…Continued from page 1
of Mary Jane Harley as part of a six year
endowment. This very generous gift was
from someone who fell in love with golf
late in life, but loved it just the same.
According to her son and daughter-inlaw who is a member of the Tony Lema
WGC, “Mary Jane would have enjoyed
being a PWGA member, sharing the fun
and supporting Junior Girls Golf.”
I feel very blessed to be surrounded by
such generosity and even more blessed
that an organization like PWGA exists to
improve the game of golf for all women
of all ages. Getting the chance to
actually play golf on a regular basis is just
icing on the cake!!
What’s the “R”
Next to my
Handicap
Index?
by Bobbi Hanada
I am frequently asked “why do I have an
“R” next to my handicap index”. Why is
my handicap index now so low? Your
current handicap index has been
adjusted to reflect some outstanding
2
tournament scores you’ve recorded
within the last twelve months. This
adjustment was made based on routine
calculations applied every revision (twice
a month) to every handicap index,
nationwide.
The USGA Handicap System measures a
player’s potential ability, not their
average or current ability, which allows
golfers of differing abilities to compete
with each other on an equitable
basis. Using scoring statistics as well as
member input, the USGA continually
tries to improve and refine the
system. Accordingly, when a need to
develop a tournament score (T-score)
adjustment was apparent, it was
carefully studied, thoroughly tested and
a calculation was adopted as an integral
part of the system. This simply
recognizes that golfers sometimes play
better in competition and this needs to
apply in assessing a player's potential
ability.
The Handicap System uses two
calculations to determine your current
index. First it calculates the average of
the best ten of your last twenty
differentials (your adjusted score minus
the course rating adjusted by the
slope). Then it calculates an index based
on the average of your two best
tournament (T-scores) differentials
recorded within the past twelve months
and measures the difference between
the two calculations. The second
calculation (T-scores) will reduce your
current index only when that index will
be too high in expressing your potential
ability. What your index was at the time
of the tournament round or where you
placed in the competition are immaterial
because the scores used are your best Tscores.
Reducing your current index is neither a
"Freeze or Restriction” of that index nor
is there a set period of time it will remain
in place. Your current index can and will
change. Every month, as the two
methods of calculation are applied and
based on a number of factors - best ten
of twenty scores changing, two best Tscores differentials, new T-scores posted,
old T-scores expiring, change in the
number of tournaments played - you
current index will change.
For more information regarding the
Reduction of the Handicap index please
refer to 10-3 (Reduction of Handicap
Index Based on Exceptional Tournament
Scores) of your USGA Handicap System
Manual which can also be found online.
AREA DIRECTORS
Bay Area
Lynn Harvey
[email protected]
Fresno
Donna Van Grouw
[email protected]
Monterey/South Bay
Cheryl Wecker
[email protected]
North Central
Sheila McMurphy
[email protected]
Redwood
Reecy Casamajor
[email protected]
Sacramento
Susan Kort
[email protected]
Stockton
Patti Soiseth
[email protected]