If we take a look at the results obtained in competitions, there's one fact that would catch everyone's attention: every weekend there are at least two scores of 55 Stableford points or more. Are they cheating? Are they being ambushed? Let's try to shed some light on this.
After studying the profiles of players who achieve these results, we see that most of them have something in common: these results are usually among the first to appear on their activity record. In other words, the player is assigned a handicap by their club, and in the first competitions they play, they obtain this outrageous result.
NOTE! This does not mean that the result will be obtained shortly after the handicap is assigned; sometimes a player is assigned the handicap and does not start competing until a few years later, but in the meantime they have been playing and improving their level of play.
In these cases, we're not always dealing with a player preparing to win a specific (major) tournament. The vast majority of these results aren't achieved in competitions with large prizes. In most cases, these are players who, for some reason, choose not to participate in competitions, either because they haven't been able to, because they feel insecure or nervous, or simply because they aren't drawn to competing.
Even so, the EGA Handicap System establishes a limit (currently only for men) where the maximum playing handicap corresponds to that of a player with a handicap of 26.4 (article 3.9.9). This limit minimizes the possibility of such a player producing an outrageous result.
But in these cases, where a player has a handicap that doesn't correspond to their level of play, who is responsible? The club? The player? Let's start from the beginning.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THE EGA HANDICAP SYSTEM
The EGA Handicap System establishes three fundamental principles:
– Every player will try to make the best possible result on each hole they play in a valid round.
– Every player will submit as many results per year as possible in order to have reasonable evidence of their level of play.
– Each club will provide the conditions for players to submit valid results (competitions or Out of Competition Results, RFC)
Interestingly, these principles are not found within the system's regulations themselves, but are instead outlined in a section titled "System Summary" (page 15, EGA Handicap System). However, the EGA Handicap System states in section 3.5, Player Rights and Obligations, that players "shall endeavor to comply with the intent and purpose of the fundamental principles of the EGA Handicap System at all times, particularly with regard to submitting the maximum possible number of valid rounds" (article 3.5.9).
Why does the regulation emphasize that rounds must be submitted and not, for example, that the player must notify the organizer that their handicap is too high? Because a player's level is determined by their results, not what the player says about their game: anyone can say they have a handicap of 2, but if they don't score below 80 strokes, it's hard to believe that's their level of play.
Therefore, the most important thing when judging a player's level is to look at their results. The more results a player submits, the more information we have to determine their true level of play.
This idea is so important that it is repeated throughout the regulations in other sections:
. 3.8 Out-of-Competition Results: These were introduced to allow players to contribute more results and thus provide more information about their level of play.
. 3.11 Assignment of an EGA Handicap: “To obtain an EGA handicap, a player must submit at least one result” (article 3.11.3)
. 3.16 Observations: The Competition Committee is asked to study the player's results, not only those from valid competitions already listed in their Activity Record, but also those obtained in Non-Valid Competitions (Match-Plays, Pro-Am, Scrambles, etc.).
So, should the player only be concerned with turning in rounds? Can't they request a handicap adjustment (based on the player's judgment)? What role does their club's Competition Committee play?
THE COMPETITION COMMITTEE
We all know that golf is based primarily on the honesty of the players: the player is their own referee. We often encounter cases where a player requests a penalty for themselves that only they witnessed.
In matters of handicap, it should be the same; it should be the player who goes to their club's Competition Committee and requests an adjustment to their handicap. But we all know that not all players are equally honest, or that not all players understand the Handicap System, and to safeguard the system itself—that is, to ensure that handicaps reflect the true level of the players—the key figure is the Club and its Competition Committee.
The Handicap System entrusts them with the full responsibility for safeguarding the integrity of handicaps (Article 3.3.4). To this end, the Handicap System provides them with various tools:
Handicap Assignment
This is the Competition Committee's first intervention regarding the player's handicap. It should not be treated as a routine administrative procedure, automatically assigning the player a handicap of 36 (a serious error). The Competition Committee must study each case individually: a young player with the potential to progress quickly is not the same as an elderly person with mobility issues.
It's not the same for someone who has played golf/pitch and golf before, or a similar sport (tennis, for example), as it is for someone who has never played any sport. The club instructor is an important person in this decision and should be consulted.
Handicap Assessment
Once a player has been granted a handicap, the Competition Committee must ensure that their handicap is adjusted to their true level of play (articles 3.16.1 and 3.16.2), especially for players who have recently obtained their handicap (article 3.11.3).
It is important to highlight something that few Committees know: a handicap reduction can be proposed to a player who is not registered with that club, based on the result of a test, even if it is not valid for handicap purposes (such as a Pro-Am, a pool of friends, etc.) held at their club (article 3.16.7).
Disciplinary Measures
Finally, the Competition Committee may propose disciplinary measures to the RFEG (for example, suspending the player's handicap) in those cases where the player is violating the rules of the EGA Handicap System (article 3.4.6) and not only for violations of the Rules of Golf.
TOURNAMENTS WITH SCANDALOUS RESULTS
Despite everything mentioned above, if a player maintains a handicap far above their actual skill level and wins a prize as a result, what measures can be taken? Can they be disqualified? Can they be sanctioned? The player? Their club?
These are not easy questions to answer and would require a case-by-case analysis. To disqualify a player in these situations, it would have to be proven that the handicap they played with was higher than their actual handicap (Rule 6.2, Rules of Golf), affecting the number of strokes received.
This can happen if the player had a handicap in the past and, upon re-registering, fails to declare it to their club. It can also happen if the player has a handicap with another federation and does not report it, or if they recently achieved a valid result that has not yet been recorded on their Activity Record. If none of these situations apply (or a similar one), the player cannot be disqualified and must therefore be awarded the prize.
In these cases, the best course of action is to take the matter to the RFEG's Courses and Handicap Committee, which has access to all the data. After a review, they will determine who has violated the regulations and, if necessary, forward the documentation to the Disciplinary Committee to determine whether or not to impose sanctions.
SPANISH INDIVIDUAL MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP 4TH CATEGORY
The Spanish Men's Individual Championship for the 4th Category was recently held, with Abraham Álvarez, a member of the Spanish Golf Federation, emerging victorious. His performance was remarkable, winning with rounds of 82, 83, and 78, finishing 22 strokes ahead of the runner-up.
Although the Championship is played under the scratch modality (without handicap), what has generated a stir is that he entered to participate with a handicap of 36.0 and his results do not seem to be those of a 4th category player, much less of a handicap of 36.0.
Before we delve into the case, let's analyze the results:
. 1st round: 82 gross strokes, corresponding to 29 under par, 65 stableford points, and a handicap of 10.0. With that round, his handicap dropped to 9.5.
. 2nd round: 83 gross strokes, corresponding to 28 under par (taking into account his initial handicap of 36.0, although in reality it was 35 points of his new handicap of 9.5) and fulfilling a handicap of 10.4. With that round he maintained his handicap at 9.5
. 3rd round: 78 gross strokes, corresponding to 33 under par (actually 4 under par of his actual handicap) and achieving a handicap of 5.9. With that round, his handicap dropped to 8.7
According to the EGA model, a handicap player of 36 making a round of 82 gross strokes (29 under par) is a probability in 38,368,043.
With just one round, we might think it's what the Scots call "a round in the sun," but if we see that the player maintains that level, and even improves it in the next two rounds, it becomes clear that his level of play was not for that handicap, but a lower one.
According to what the RFEG Courses and Handicap Committee has been able to verify, this player has been federated this same year (the three rounds of the Spanish Individual Men's Championship of 4th Category have been the first three rounds in his Activity Record) through the Catalan Golf Federation.
It has also been confirmed that this is not his first experience with golf, as the player practices Pitch & Putt in Catalonia. Unfortunately, he has practiced at non-federated facilities, and those rounds cannot count towards his Activity Record. Otherwise, thanks to the RFEG's policy of maintaining a single handicap for Pitch & Putt and long courses, this situation would never have arisen, as the player would have a much lower handicap that would not have allowed him to participate in this championship.
CONCLUSION
“The objective of the system is to generate handicaps that are not only portable from one club to another but also from one national federation to another. The best way to achieve this is for all parties involved—federations, affiliated clubs, competition committees, and players—to fulfill their obligations with the best intentions.” (System Summary, p. 15 EGA Handicap System)
We have a good handicap system, but when any of the parties involved fails, the system is called into question, primarily by the players who are, and should always be, its beneficiaries. In such cases, the RFEG will take the appropriate measures to raise awareness, communicate, sanction, and/or protect each and every party involved.
RFEG Courses and Handicap Committee
LETTER FROM ABRAHAM ÁLVAREZ, TOURNAMENT WINNER
Hello, I am Abraham Álvarez Basilio, I am sending you this email to tell you that there was no ill intent in what happened in the Spanish 4th Category Championship, I am a pitch & putt player with a current handicap of (+) 5.2, I have never played in a golf tournament and in my life I have probably done more than 5 rounds on a golf course, I do not own nor have I ever used woods or drivers because I do not master them.
I signed up for the Spanish Championship of the 4th Category, since the handicap for the Catalan Championship of the 4th Category was limited (from 18.5 to 26.4), I tried to play in the Catalan Championship of the 5th Category but it was suspended due to a lack of players.
Obtaining a handicap.
About 10 or 11 years ago I got my golf license and was given a handicap of 36. Since I only had it for a year or two and never played, I cancelled my license. Then, about 4 or 5 years ago, since I was doing well in pitch and putt, I wanted to play in the Spanish Junior Pitch and Putt Championship (Deva Golf). I re-registered and was again given a handicap of 36, but to be able to play in this tournament, I had to have at least a golf handicap of 16 (I think).
I spoke with the Spanish Golf Federation and they told me to talk to the Catalan Golf Federation. I asked them to lower my handicap and align it with my pitch & putt handicap, but they rejected my proposal and told me to lower it by playing tournaments. I didn't play any golf tournaments because I thought I would need several, and even then I might not get down to a 16 handicap. Since I still wasn't playing golf, I cancelled my membership again.
Now, because all my pitchputt partners play golf, I re-registered a couple of months ago, and the Catalan golf federation told me they already had all my data and assigned me the handicap of 36 that I have always had.
I was so excited to play in a major tournament that I signed up for the Spanish 4th Category Championship, since it was being held in Calatayud, close to Catalonia, and they even accepted me because I had a 36 handicap. I never imagined I'd win by that margin, as my practice rounds at Golf Caldes were +20 and +22, and I was only using irons on a course as long as Calatayud. If I'd wanted to take advantage of my handicap, I would have played in tournaments with significant prizes for handicap winners.
Having made my full assessment, if you believe I should not be the Spanish Champion of the 4th Category, I will make the trophy available to you.
Thank you.
Sincerely, Abraham Alvarez.
