A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Active Season: The period of time, determined by the authorized golf association having jurisdiction in a given area, during which scores made there will be accepted for handicap purposes.
Adjusted Gross Score: A player’s gross score adjusted under USGA Handicap System procedures for unfinished holes, conceded strokes, holes not played or not played under the Rules of Golf, or Equitable Stroke Control. (See Section 4 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
Advanced Score: A 18-hole or 9-hole score that is posted with hole-by-hole scores (4,3,5,5,4, etc.) and statistics that were tracked by the user such as greens hit, fairways hit and total putts.
Affiliate: A regional golf association with an affiliation and relationship with the USGA. Also, an organization or an individual with a relationship to a user of GI services.
Attest: A player that serves as a witness to a score posted by another player.
Attested Score: A score that is posted by a player along with the score of another player that was recorded during the same round, on the same course, to serve as a witness for the players’ posted scores.
Authorized Golf Association: A golf association that has jurisdiction and has been licensed by the USGA to issue USGA Handicap Indexes and/or USGA Course and Slope Ratings in its state, district or region through its golf clubs.
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B
Basic Score: An 18-hole or 9-hole score that is posted as a single 18-hole or 9-hole score (82 or 41) without hole-by-hole scores or game statistics.
Best-ball: A format for team competition that allows 2-man, 3-man, 4-man and other teams to select their best individual score on each hole while all players play their own balls and record their own scores on each hole.
Bogey Golfer: A male bogey golfer has a USGA Handicap Index of 17.5 to 22.4. He can hit tee shots an average of 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two shots. A female bogey golfer has a USGA Handicap Index of 21.5 to 26.4. She can hit tee shots an average of 150 yards and can reach a 280-yard hole in two shots. (See Section 13-1g in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
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C
Club: An organization of 10-300 (or more) golfers that is authorized to issue USGA Handicaps to its members. Clubs must abide by rules that are set forth by the USGA such as maintaining a peer review of their members’ handicaps, providing a regular opportunity for their members to play together and other rules.
Course: A physical golf course, either 18-holes or 9-holes, where a golfer records a score to be posted to establish a USGA Handicap.
Course Handicap: The USGA’s mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played to adjust his scoring ability to the level of scratch or 0-handicap golf. For a player with a plus Course Handicap, it is the number of handicap strokes the player gives to adjust his scoring ability to the level of scratch or 0-handicap golf. A Course Handicap is determined by applying the player’s USGA Handicap Index to a Course Handicap Table or Course Handicap Formula. (See Section 10-4 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.) A player’s Course Handicap is expressed as a whole number of strokes.
Course Handicap Table: A chart that converts a USGA Handicap Index to a Course Handicap based on the USGA Slope Rating for the set of tees played. (See Sections 3-3, 8-2d and 10-4 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
Course Rating: The USGA’s mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal course and weather conditions. It is expressed as strokes taken to one decimal place, and is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring ability of a scratch golfer. (See Section 13 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
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D
Differential, Handicap (See Handicap Differential.)
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E
Eligible Tournament Score: An eligible tournament score is a tournament score made either within the last 12 months or within the player’s current 20 score history.
Equitable Stroke Control (score “adjusting”): Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player’s potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player’s Course Handicap. ESC is used only when a player’s actual or most likely score exceeds his maximum number based on the table in Section 4-3 in the USGA Handicap SystemManual.
Event: An organized gathering of golfers for competitive and/or social purposes.
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F
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G
Golf Association: A golf association is an organization of golf clubs governed by amateur golfers, operated under bylaws and formed for the purpose of conducting competitions for amateur golfers, and otherwise promoting the best interests and conserving the true spirit of the game of golf in a district, region, or state.
Golf Club: An organization of at least ten individual members that operates under bylaws with committees (including a Handicap Committee) to supervise golf activities, provide peer review, and maintain the integrity of the USGA Handicap System. Members of a golf club must have a reasonable and regular opportunity to play golf with each other. They must be able to return scores personally, and these scores must be immediately available for review by fellow club members. Note: For administrative reasons, some golf associations may require a golf club to have more than the USGA minimum of ten members in order for that club to be a member of the golf association.
Gross Score: The number of actual strokes plus any penalty strokes taken by a player.
Handicap Allowance: A handicap allowance is the percentage of the Course Handicap recommended for a handicap competition. Allowances vary for different forms of competition and are designed to produce equitable competition. (See Section 9-4 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
GPS: A technology that allows for the identification of the location of people and objects, and the measurement of distances between people and objects. This technology is currently used on golf carts to measure distance to the pins of each hole and the technology will soon be available on mobile devices (PDAs and others).
Green Fees: The amount of money that is paid by golfers to play 18-holes or 9-holes on a golf course.
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H
Handicap Committee: The committee of a golf club that ensures compliance with the USGA Handicap System, including peer review. A majority of the Handicap Committee must be members of the club; club employees may serve on the Handicap Committee, but an employee may not serve as chairman.
Handicap Differential: The difference between a player’s adjusted gross score and the USGA Course Rating of the course on which the score was made, multiplied by 113, then divided by the USGA Slope Rating from the tees played and rounded to the nearest tenth. Handicap differentials are expressed as a number of strokes rounded to one decimal place, e.g. 12.8.
Handicap Index: 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, and is used for conversion to a Course Handicap. (See Section 10 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
Handicap-Stroke Hole: A hole on which a player is entitled to apply a handicap stroke or strokes to his gross score. (See Sections 9-3a and 17 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
Handicap Type: Throughout this manual, different types of handicaps are identified by letter designations. Those designations are as follows: L=local handicap, N=nine-hole handicap index, J=local nine-hole handicap, SL=short course handicap, WD=handicap withdrawn by committee, M=handicap modified by committee, R=handicap automatically reduced for Exceptional Tournament Performance
Handicap Trend: See USGA Handicap Trend.
Home Course: The golf course where a golfer plays a majority of his/her rounds and chooses to affiliate himself/herself with for the purposes of using GI services.
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I
Inactive Season: The period of time determined by the authorized golf association having jurisdiction in a given area during which scores made there will not be accepted for handicap purposes.
Index (See Handicap Index.)
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J
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K
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L
League: A group of golfers that gathers on a regular basis, usually weekly, to play golf together for social and/or competitive purposes. Most leagues or organized by companies or golf courses with golfers that share something in common, such as an employer, home course or home town.
League Administrator: The individual(s) who organizes and manages a league.
League Score: A score that is recorded by a golfer during participation in a league activity.
Leisure Score: A score that is recorded by a golfer during participation in a leisure activity. Not a tournament or league score.
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M
Manual Scoring: Scores that are manually entered by golfers, tournament officials, league administrators or others intothe GI system following tournament, league or leisure play.
Member: A golfer with a formal relationship with a club. Also, a golfer with a formal relationship with a golf course.
Member Roster: A list of members of a club, golf course or other organizations that offer memberships.
Men’s Club: An organization of men at public golf courses that gather for regular events and competitions, typically on a weekly basis.
Most Likely Score: The score a player shall post for handicap purposes when he starts but does not complete a hole or is conceded a stroke. The most likely score consists of the number of strokes already taken plus, in his best judgment, the number of strokes that the player would need 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 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
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N
Net Score: A player’s score after his handicap strokes have been subtracted from the gross score. A plus handicap player adds his handicap strokes to the gross score to yield his net score.
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O
Override: A Handicap Committee’s action, which cancels a Tournament Score reduction (Section 10-3 in the USGA Handicap System Manual) and is not to be used as a preventative measure in anticipation of blocking a 10-3 reduction.
Par: Par is the score that an expert golfer would be expected to make for a given hole. Par means errorless play under ordinary weather conditions, allowing two strokes on the putting green. (See Section 16 in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
Peer Review: Peer review is the process of providing a reasonable and regular opportunity for members of a golf club to play golf with each other, and of providing access to scoring records and USGA Handicap Indexes for inspection by others, including but not limited to fellow members and the club’s Handicap Committee.
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P
PC: A personal home or office computer. Currently, personal computers are used as course terminals in golf course pro shops, clubhouses and locker rooms for the entry of scores into USGA-approved handicap systems.
PDA: A handheld device, such as a Palm, Visor, PocketPC or iPaq.
PDA Synchronization: The transmission of data to and/or from a PDA or other mobile device to and/or from the GI system.
PGA of America: A national organization with more than 27,000 members that serve as PGA teaching professionals, giving instruction and running the golf operations at more than 14,000 golf courses in America.
PGA of America Sections: The national organization has regional offices located throughout country that are located in 41 sections. These sections are affiliates of the PGA of America, serving the organization’s mission on a local level.
PGA Tour: The association of professional golfers that compete for money on a weekly basis throughout the annual professional golf season, including well-known golfers such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and others.
Player: A person that plays golf.
Penalty Score: A score posted by the Handicap Committee for a player who does not return a score or otherwise does not observe the spirit of the USGA Handicap System. (See Section 8-4b(iv) in the USGA Handicap System Manual.)
Plus Handicap (See Course Handicap.)
Preferred Lies (Winter Rules): A local rule that may be adopted by the Committee in the event of adverse conditions that are so general throughout a course that improving the lie of the ball in a specified way would promote fair play or help protect the course. (Rules of Golf, Appendix I, USGA Handicap Manual, Section 7 in the USGA Handicap System Manual)
Player List: Users of GI services are able to create lists with players who are also GI users that enable communications via the GI system between individual golfers.
Posting: The act of entering a score into the GI system or another USGA-approved handicap system for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a USGA Handicap.
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Q
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R
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S
Score: The total of strokes recorded by a golfer during an 18-hole or 9-hole round of golf.
Scorecard: A list of all the holes, yardages, hole ratings and other general information that is used for the recording and calculations of scores on a golf course.
Score Profile: The page of information that is submitted to the GI system for the posting of an individual score with a player name, ID number, date, golf course, tee selection and score as the minimum information provided.
Score Type: The type of play, such as tournament, leisure or league, which a golfer was engaged in while recording a score that is posted in the GI system.
Score Type (USGA/NGN): The score type indicates specific aspects of a score within a player’s scoring record and should be designated in the following manner:
A = Away I = Internet
AI = Away Internet P = Penalty
C = Combined Nines T = Tournament
TI = Tournament Internet ATT = Attested
The designated letter(s) shall immediately follow the adjusted gross score if the score type is either a Tournament Score or an Internet posted score.
Scoring Method: The method used by a GI services user to post a score into the GI system, such as manual, synchronized or posted by another user or tournament host (attested).
Scoring Record: A file composed of the most recent 20 scores posted by a player, plus any eligible tournament scores, along with appropriate USGA Course Ratings and Slope Ratings and dates.
Scratch Golfer: A male scratch golfer is an amateur player who plays to the standard of the field of stroke-play qualifiers competing at the U.S. Amateur Championship site. A male scratch golfer can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots. A female scratch golfer is an amateur player who plays to the standard of the field of stroke-play qualifiers at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship site. A female scratch golfer can hit tee shots an average of 210 yards and can reach a 400-yard hole in two shots.
Scramble: A format in golf competitions that golfers all hit tee shots, then choose the best shot and hit subsequent shots together from the same spot, selecting the best shot of the group until the hole is completed.
Secondary Course: A second course that a player chooses to establish an affiliation with, such as a course in the south for golfers that spend their winters outside the state or a public course that a private club member plays frequently.
Sections: The PGA of America has 41 sections in the United States that function with offices, staffs and events on a regional basis.
Skins: This is a game played among golfers that rewards a player for recording a gross or net score on a hole that is unmatched by all other golfers in the competition. Typically, gross and net eagles, or a birdie on the most difficult holes, are required to win a “skin” in events with numerous players.
Slope Rating: USGA Slope Rating is defined as the USGA’s mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers compared to the Course Rating (i.e., compared to the difficulty of a course for scratch golfers). Slope Rating is computed from the difference between the Bogey Rating (See Section 13-1g in the USGA Handicap System Manual) and the Course Rating. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155. A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a USGA Slope Rating of 113.
Stipulated Round: The stipulated round consists of playing the holes of the course in their correct sequence unless otherwise authorized by the Committee. The number of holes in a stipulated round is 18 unless a smaller number is authorized by the Committee. The Committee may, for the purpose of settling a tie, extend the stipulated round to as many holes as are required for a match to be won. (Rules of Golf, Definitions and Rule 2-3.)
Stroke Hole (See Handicap-Stroke Hole.)
Synchronized Scoring: The term used for event and/or tournaments that are scored with PDA devices. During or after the tournament, these devices will be “synchronized” with a centralized computer that aggregates and calculates scores to provide standings and other scoring-oriented information.
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T
Tee Box: The area with tee markers where golfers begin each hole. All golf courses have multiple tee boxes to choose from that make the holes/course longer or shorter depending on the sex and/or skill level of the player. A typical course has blue (competitive), white (standard for men) and red (standard for women) tees but many newer courses offer a greater variety with additional colors such as black, green and gold.
Tournament: A scored event that golfers compete against each other.
Tournament Host: The person or organization that organizes, produces and manages a golf tournament. This person or organization is often affiliated with the golf course where the tournament is played, or the club or organization/company that sponsors the event.
Tournament manager: The person that is responsible for the execution and management of the golf tournament, including registration, pairings, rules, scoring and reporting.
Tournament Score: A score posted by a player that was recorded during the competition in a tournament. These scores are figured more heavily than non-tournament score in the computation of handicaps for golfers.
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U
USGA: The United States Golf Association is the governing body of golf, responsible for setting and maintaining the rules of golf, regulating the equipment and services, and fostering healthy growth of the game.
USGA Handicap Index: The current USGA Handicap that is issued to a golfer, then adjusted to determine a “Course Handicap” depending on the level of difficulty of courses played by the golfer.
USGA Handicap Trend: The forecasted USGA Handicap that will be issued to a golfer based on recent rounds that have been posted on the player’s scoring record.
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V
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W
Women’s Club: An organization of women that meets regularly to play golf for competitive and social purposes. These clubs are authorized the USGA to issue handicaps if they meet the requirements for peer review and administration.
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X
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Y
Yardage Guide: A guide, often graphic, with the identification of each hole on a golf course and the various yardage measurements from tee boxes and key landmarks on the hole, to help players gauge the distances to the pins and key hazards on each golf hole. These guides often include text with recommendations and tips on how to play each hole.
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Z
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The terms "Course Handicap," "Course Rating," "Equitable Stroke Control," "ESC," "Handicap Differential," "Handicap Index," "Home Course Handicap," "Slope," "Slope Rating," "Trend Handicap," "Trend Handicap Index," "Trend Differential," "United States Golf Association," "USGA," and "USGA Handicap System" are trademarks and service marks of the United States Golf Association.
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