St. Johns March 2019 Newsletter P1_STM78604 March Newsletter | Page 7

St Johns Members,
When the club orders new scorecards later this month, the hole handicap numbers will change a
little. There is a big misconception as to what the hole handicap numbers really mean so the Handicap
Committee thought it would be useful to describe the process.
The handicap for each hole identifies where players receive strokes. The big misconception is that the
number 1 handicap hole is the hardest hole on the course and the number 18 handicap hole is the
easiest hole on the course. This is NOT the case. As described by the USGA, the number 1 handicap
hole is actually the hole that has the greatest difference in score between the low handicapper (near
scratch golfer) and the high handicapper (bogey golfer). The number 18 handicap hole has the smallest
difference between the low and high handicapper. For example, for most low handicappers the par 5s
are the easiest holes on the course. However, the high handicappers have significant problems with par
5s. Consequently, par 5s in general have the greatest difference in scores between the low and high
handicappers and therefore they tend to be rated with lower numbers (in our case, hole 8 is the number
1 handicap hole). A hole such as number 17 is a difficult par 3 but it is difficult for both the low and high
handicappers. Even though 17 is a very difficult hole, the handicap number is 18.
In order to determine the hole handicap numbers, over 700 men’s scores and over 260 women’s scores
from the last year were used. Following USGA guidance, men’s scores were pulled from all rounds for
players with a handicap of 5 or less (low handicappers) and for players with a handicap of 17 or more
(high handicappers). The women’s scores were pulled from all players with a handicap of 17 or less (low
handicappers) and for players with a handicap of 29 or more (high handicappers).
The Handicap Committee reviewed the statistics from these scores and made the following
recommendations that will become effective when the new scorecards arrive:
Men:
1 2 3
9 11 15 4 5 6
3 17 13 7
5 8
1 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
7 12 10 2 16 8 14 6 18 4
Women:
1 2 3
13 11 17 4 5
1 15 7
9 8
7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
5 16 10 8 12 14 6 2 18 4
6
3
Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Handicap Committee for further details.
Regards,
Paul Gulotta
Handicap Committee Chairman
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