Dear TIGC Club Member,
I am forwarding an e-mail message from the pro shop at the Championship Course announcing the implementation of the NEW Handicap Stroke Table with sample scorecards attached. That means that the rating of holes from 1-18 will change. The pro shop will exhaust the supply of currently-printed scorecards during the next couple of months before new ones are available ... HOWEVER, THE CHANGES TO THE STROKE INDEX TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY FOR ALL TICG GOLF EVENTS! (Starting with tomorrow's 2-Man Shamble mid-week tournament.) The scorecard on your golf cart will use the new stroke index.
The changes include the following:
1. The holes are rated the same regardless of which tee box your are playing - e.g., the number 1 handicap hole is hole #3 and the number 2 handicap hole is hole #12 for everyone.
2. Conforming to common practice, the holes on the front nine will be rated with odd numbers and on the back nine with even numbers (remedying the effects of the front and back nine holes having been flipped years ago).
Finally, if you haven't registered yet for the Opening Dinner on June 8th and can attend please go to www.tigc.golf.
All the best,
Michael Briggs
President, TIGC
Dear Resident Club Member,
The Stroke Index on a scorecard plays a role in both stroke play and match play competitions, when handicaps are used to calculate the results. Stroke index is a numbering system used in handicap golf competitions. The rules of golf require that the committee in charge of a competition publish a Handicap Stroke Table indicating the order of holes at which handicap strokes are to be given. Normally the table is included on the scorecard (see attached) and lists the stroke index of each hole, a number from 1 to 18. Handicap strokes are given at holes where the stroke index of the hole is less than or equal to the number of strokes given. The table can be used in both match play and stroke play competitions.
The new stroke index at Incline Village has been calculated by taking more than 1500 scores as reference over the past year. We used the stroke differential (difference in score between 0-10 handicaps and 11-24 handicaps) and also the average score to par (least to most difficult). This allows enough evidence to confidently re-rank the indexes. Generally the front 9 should be odd numbers, with the back nine even. The Championship course was awaiting re-evaluation since the reversal of the nines, another good reason for making changes going into the 2023 season.
The stroke index’s on any golf course can always stir up a healthy debate, “this hole is much more difficult”, “this should never be ranked the easiest hole on the course, I just made a triple bogey!”. The subjectivity of a hole, the tee/distance you hit from relative to your length, apex maximum, penalty areas that may or not be in play etc. can all play factors in where an individual determines a stroke should be allocated. The rules of golf state each golf course must have stroke index published, on a scorecard or somewhere else viewable by all golfer. The USGA states that their guidelines are recommendations, and it is up to the course itself to determine what is the best allocation for players. For more information on the USGA guidelines, please click on the link below.
We look forward to an excellent golf season ahead, and also to seeing you back on the fairways soon!
Best,
Your Golf Team