USGA Handicap Manual Section 5.1 Acceptability of Scores
Fair handicapping depends upon full and accurate information regarding a player's potential scoring ability as reflected by a complete scoring record. Every player must be responsible for returning all acceptable scores, as defined in this section. For handicap purposes, all Section 4 adjustments, including Equitable Stroke Control, must be applied to all scores including tournament scores.
a. Scores To Post
To post a 9-hole score, the player must play 7 to 12 holes, and at least 7 holes must be played in accordance with the principle of the Rules of Golf. To post an 18-hole score, the player must play at least 13 holes in accordance with the principles of the Rules of Golf. (See Decisions 5-1a/3 through 5-1a/5.)
b. Scores on All Courses
Adjusted gross scores from all courses with a USGA Course Rating andSlope Rating made during an active season, both at home and away, must be posted by the player along with the appropriate USGA Course Rating andSlope Rating. (See Decision 5-1b/1.)
c. Scores in All Forms of Competition
Scores in both match play and stroke play must be posted for handicap purposes. This includes scores made in match play, in multi-ball, or in team competitions in which players have not completed one or more holes or in which players are requested to pick up when out of contention on a hole. (See Decision 5-1c/1 and Section 4.)
d. Disqualification
A player who is disqualified from a competition, but has an acceptable score, must record an adjusted gross score for handicap purposes. For example, a player who is disqualified from a competition for failure to sign a scorecard has an acceptable score for handicap purposes.
e. Unacceptable Scores
Scores made under the following conditions are not acceptable for handicap purposes and must not be entered in the player's scoring record:
(i) When fewer than seven holes are played;
(ii) When made on a golf course in an area in which an inactive seasonestablished by the authorized golf association is in effect;
(iii) When the length of the course is less than 3,000 yards for 18 holes (or less than 1,500 yards for 9 holes);
(iv) When, as a condition of the competition, the maximum number of clubs allowed is less than 14, or types of clubs are limited as, for example, in a competition that allows only iron clubs;
(v) When scores are made on a course with no USGA Course Rating or Slope Rating;
(vi) When a player uses non-conforming clubs, non-conforming balls, or tees;
(vii) With respect to Rule 14-3 (Rules of Golf), when an artificial device or piece of unusual equipment is used during the execution of a stroke or when equipment is used in an unusual manner during the execution of a stroke. (See Decision 5-1e/3.)
USGA Handicap Manual Section 4 ADJUSTING HOLE SCORES
Definitions
Within each section, all defined terms are in italics and are listed alphabetically in Section 2 - Definitions.
The game of golf is based on the premise that a player will play as well as the player can play. Under the USGA Handicap System, each player is required to record a hole score for a hole not finished, not played, or not played under "The Rules of Golf," and to reduce any hole score when it is higher than the maximum number allowed under Equitable Stroke Control.
4-1. Unfinished Holes and Conceded Strokes
A player who starts, but does not complete a hole or is conceded a stroke must record for handicap purposes the most likely score. The most likely score may not exceed the player's Equitable Stroke Control limit, defined in Section4-3. This most likely score should be preceded by an "X." (See Decision 4-1/1.)
There is no limit to the number of unfinished holes a player may have in a round, provided that failure to finish is not for the purpose of handicap manipulation.
Example 1: A and B are partners in a four-ball stroke play competition. On a hole on which neither player receives a handicap stroke, A lies two, 18 feet from the hole. B lies two, 25 feet from the hole. B holes a putt for a 3. A picks up on the hole, because A cannot better B's score. A records X-4 on the scorecard because 4 is A's most likely score.
Example 2: A and B are playing a match. On a hole on which neither player receives a handicap stroke, A has holed out in 4; B has a 30-foot putt for a 5. B has lost the hole, and picks up. B records X-6 on the scorecard because 6 is B's most likely score.
Example 3: A and B are playing a match. On a hole on which neither player receives a handicap stroke, A is one foot from the hole, lying 4. B is 10 feet from the hole, lying 3. B putts and misses. They both concede a half. Both players record X-5 because that is their most likely score.
*Most Likely Score (in definitions of Handicap manual Section 2)
A "most likely score" is the score a player must post for handicap purposes if a hole is started but not completed or if the player is conceded a stroke. Themost likely score consists of the number of strokes already taken plus, in the player's best judgment, the number of strokes the player would take to complete the hole from that position more than half the time. This number may not exceed the player's Equitable Stroke Control limit. (See Section 4-3.)
4-2. Holes Not Played or Not Played Under The Principles of The Rules of Golf
If a player does not play a hole or plays it other than under the principles of the Rules of Golf (except for preferred lies), the score recorded for that hole for handicap purposes must be par plus any handicap strokes the player is entitled to receive on that hole. This hole score, when recorded, should be preceded by an "X."
Example: A player with a Course Handicap of 10 receives a handicap stroke on the first 10 allocated handicap-stroke holes. If the player does not play the sixth allocated handicap-stroke hole, which is a par 4, because of construction on the green, the player must record a score of par plus one for handicap purposes, or X-5. (See Decision 4-2/1 and Section 5-2b.)
4-3. Equitable Stroke Control
All scores for handicap purposes, including tournament scores, are subject to the application of Equitable Stroke Control (ESC). This mandatory procedure reduces high hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player's potential ability.
A handicap determined from scores to which ESC has not been applied may not be termed a Handicap Index.
ESC is used when a player's actual or most likely score exceeds a maximum number, based on the table below, for the player's Course Handicap from the tees played. (For nine-hole Equitable Stroke Control table, See Section 10-5c.)
Equitable Stroke Control Table (ESC)
Course Handicap** Maximum Score on Any Hole
- 9 or less Double Bogey
- 10 through 19 7
- 20 through 29 8
- 30 through 39 9
- 40 or more 10
** This is the handicap for the course you are playing. Your handicap can vary by course depending on the rating.
This is the handicap for the course not your handicap index ***
***Handicap Index
A "Handicap Index" is the USGA's service mark used to indicate a measurement of a player's potential ability on a course of standard playing difficulty. It is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place (e.g., 10.4) and is used for conversion to a Course Handicap. (See Section 10.)