Friday, September 7, 2012

Ask Linda #519-Most Likely Score


Linda–
Reading thru some old material I cut out of an SCGA booklet, I found an article on unfinished holes or conceded strokes. 

It states "if a player starts but does not complete a hole, he or she shall record for handicap purposes what they most likely would have made.  The most likely score consists of the number of strokes already taken plus, in the player's best judgment, the number of strokes needed to complete the hole from that position more than half the time.  The most likely score is not to exceed the player's maximum allowable under Equitable Stroke Control."  It goes on to say the most egregious violation of this principle comes when a player who fails to complete a hole simply writes down the Equitable Stroke Control, when in many cases this score is too high.

Recently, one of the player's in our foursome stated she was going to pick up and estimated what she felt her score would be.  One of the other girls said she had to take her maximum.  If my understanding is correct, the player was correct in her "guesstimate" of what she would normally take.  Is this interpretation correct and would it differ if they were playing in a tournament???

Love your column.
Lulu

Dear Lulu,

Your understanding is correct. When a player does not complete a hole, she needs to estimate her Most Likely Score so that she can post a score for the round. For example, if she has played three strokes and lies 20 yards from the green when she decides to pick up, she would estimate one more stroke to get on the green and two putts. Her Most Likely Score for that hole would be 6.

The Most Likely Score is a judgment call on the part of the player. She must make an honest estimate of how many more strokes it would take her to complete the hole the majority of the time. For example, if she were 140 yards from the hole after three strokes, she might decide that most of the time it takes her two shots to cover 140 yards. In that case, her Most Likely Score would be 7.

A player’s Most Likely Score may not be higher than the maximum score she is permitted to post under Equitable Stroke Control (ESC). If she estimates her Most Likely Score on a hole to be 9, and her ESC maximum is 8, she must record an 8 for that hole when she adds up her score to post. The Most Likely Score for an uncompleted hole may never be higher than a player’s maximum ESC score.

In a team tournament, where a player may choose to pick up because her partner has the better score that will count for the hole, the rules regarding Most Likely Score are exactly the same as in a non-tournament round. When the player totals her score for posting into her handicap record, she will enter the lower of her Most Likely Score or her ESC score for any holes not completed. The proper way to keep track is to write an X on your card along with the estimated score, e.g., X-6.

Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.