Bad holes happen. You pump a drive into the trees. You dunk an iron into the drink. Mistakes add up, and before you know it, you’re picking up instead of putting out. Officially, that’s allowed, unless you’re playing in a competition that forbids it. But if you keep a handicap — which you should — you need to post a number. Which raises the question: what score should you write down for a hole that you don’t finish?
The Rules of Handicapping offer guidelines on this, too. Here’s how to determine the number of strokes you would most likely require.
How to determine your score when you pick up
If your ball is on the green no more than 5 feet from the hole, add one stroke. If your ball is on the green 5 feet to 20 yards from the hole, add 2 to 3 strokes, depending on the difficulty of the green and your ability. And if the ball is more than 20 yards from the hole, add 3 to 4 strokes, depending on the difficulty of the green and your ability.
What’s the correct way to handicap a four-ball match?
In those last two cases, there is some latitude for interpretation. Should, for instance, a 10-handicap golfer faced with a slippery 15 footer be expected to two- or three-putt? Reasonable people might disagree. But it’s the player’s responsibility to assess the situation and determine what they believe would most likely happen more than 50-percent of the time.
What’s the maximum score you can make on a hole?
As an additional safeguard, there is another mechanism in place to ensure that the score recorded is a fair reflection of the players’ demonstrated ability.
It’s called the net double bogey limit. The score you record cannot exceed it.
What’s the net double bogey limit? Glad you asked. It is equal to a double bogey plus any handicap strokes you receive based on your Course Handicap. Let’s say, for instance, that you’re playing a par-4 where you get a stroke. Even if you make a complete hash of the hole, the maximum score you can write down for handicap purposes is 7 — a double bogey, plus the one stroke you receive based on your Course Handicap.
This may seem like a lot of math. It isn’t, really. What’s more, if you post your score using the hole-by-hole option in your score-posting app, the net double bogey adjustment is applied automatically.
And if you still need a handicap, sign up for one here.
