Score used for handicap adjustment even though disqualified: right or wrong?

[olumo]

A golfer at my club was disqualified from a club competition after submitting her card because it was discovered that her membership had recently lapsed.

 

She renewed her membership. At the next competition she was disqualified for using the wrong handicap. She had assumed her handicap would not have been adjusted for her score in the competition in which she was disqualified. Unfortunately her good score in that game had resulted in a one point reduction.

 

Should she have had her handicap adjusted based on her score in a game in which she was disqualified for the stated reason?

 

Thanks for the help with this.

[fozcycle]

Seems to me that the only reason was not a golf rule reason but a personal financial reason.  I see no reason to exclude her score from the handicap.....

[MGoBlue100]

While I see your point, if she was DQ'd, did she actually "post" that score?  It didn't count for that round/tournament, so did it ever "happen"?  We need a ruling, LOLZ.

 

BTW:  If she's playing in a competition, doesn't the committee provide the scorecards with handicaps preprinted?  If not, she should have double checked her handicap, I get that.  I'd like to know where this club is located, so that I never play a round there, much less a competition.

[fozcycle]

While I see your point, if she was DQ'd, did she actually "post" that score?  It didn't count for that round/tournament, so did it ever "happen"?  We need a ruling, LOLZ.

 

BTW:  If she's playing in a competition, doesn't the committee provide the scorecards with handicaps preprinted?  If not, she should have double checked her handicap, I get that.  I'd like to know where this club is located, so that I never play a round there, much less a competition.

 

Don't worry, you have to have your dues paid in full......LOL

[DaveP043]

From Section 5 of the USGA Handicap Manual:

 

A player who is disqualified from a competition, but has an acceptable score, must record an adjusted gross score for handicap purposes using Section 4-2.

 

If she played the round, she's required to post the score.  If this was deemed to be a "Tournament Score", it must be posted as a Tournament Score.  If she didn't post her (good) score, she essentially "sandbagged", even if it wasn't intentional.  I can see non-posting leading to a later DQ.

 

If she did post her score, but didn't check her handicap prior to the second competition, she may have given incorrect information.  At my club, the scorecards do come with the current handicap, the players don't have anything to do with that, so I'm surprised that she could play with an incorrect handicap if she'd actually posted the score.

[hckymeyer]

For me a round of golf is a round of golf.  The round was completed so she should post her score.  There is no column in GHIN for a DQ due to not paying your membership dues.

 

Also not sure how she wouldn't know her handicap.  You get an email on the 1st and 15th with your handi for that revision, it shouldn't be changing in between those.  Last, like other's mentioned at my course for any handicapped events the course prints out your handicap and pre-marks any holes you get or give strokes on.  You don't just walk in and say "I"m a 6"

 

So my vote says the round still counts towards the handicap, but both her and the club should have known the correct handicap for the next event.

[BIG STU]

While I see your point, if she was DQ'd, did she actually "post" that score?  It didn't count for that round/tournament, so did it ever "happen"?  We need a ruling, LOLZ.

 

BTW:  If she's playing in a competition, doesn't the committee provide the scorecards with handicaps preprinted?  If not, she should have double checked her handicap, I get that.  I'd like to know where this club is located, so that I never play a round there, much less a competition.

That right there is one of the reasons I gave up Amateur golf, club comps and USGA handicaps years ago. IMHO the round should not count towards her handicap because she was DQ ed for what ever reason so the score was not legimate and should not have counted period towards her handicap. Sounds like to me someone at that club for whatever reason has it in for her-- I personally would tell them to stick it where the sun does not shine

[olumo]

Thanks for the info and advice. In summary - it shouldn't have happened. Since it did,however,  the score stands for handicapping purposes.

Cheers.

[Kor.A.Door]

I think the round should count toward her hcp, the DQ was not related to the playing of the round, she was DQ'd because her dues weren't up to date. The round was played and completed, it counts.

[RookieBlue7]

What she should do is tell them she demands a refund for the dues she paid after the fact that they DQ'd her the first time and didn't make her aware that the round was still going on there, and her handicap would be adjusted.  The committee should provide every player with a handicap to begin with, not some he-said, she-said.  That just leaves room for sandbaggers to infiltrate the game.  If you don't have a handicap available, you play off scratch until we have enough data to formulate one.  That's a lot of BS from the club and I'm curious if someone on the committee benefitted from the shenanegins.

[HighFade]

That's just bad management.

[DaveP043]

I just stumbled across a decision on the rules that I think applies here.  First, I have no doubt that she should have posted her score from the first DQ round.  Apparently the round was indeed posted, so that's fine.  Here's the decision:

 

 

 

6-2b/1  Wrong Handicap Used in Stroke Play by Mistake; Error Discovered After Competition Closed

Q.In a stroke-play competition, A believed that his handicap was ten strokes, which he recorded on his score card. In fact his handicap was nine strokes. He won the event because of the error. The result of the competition was announced and the error was then discovered. What is the ruling?

A.The competition should stand as played. Under Rule 34-1b, a penalty under Rule 6-2b may not be imposed after a handicap stroke-play competition has closed unless the competitor has knowingly played off a handicap higher than that to which he was entitled.

 

So she thought her handicap was 15 (just as an example) but the posting of the original DQ score made it 14.  Then she plays another competition, thinking her handicap was still 15.  If the correct handicap could have been applied before the player turned in her scorecard, it should have been.  If she turned in her card, with the wrong (higher) handicap, and the mistake was discovered before the competition closed, Rule 6-2b says she should be DQed.  It seems odd to me that she could play, turn in her score, and THEN someone would check her current handicap.   However, if the competition closed, the decision I quoted says that the player could not have been later DQed for inadvertently using the wrong handicap.  Even though many clubs provide handicaps on scorecards, its really the player's responsibility to check, but once the competition is over, its really over.