Members need to make sure they select the right option when prompted during score entry about hole not played or not completed. Under the rules of handicapping there is a difference:

NOT PLAYED

There are various circumstances that may result in a round not being completed and some holes not being played. For example, due to:

• Fading light or bad weather,
• Player injury or illness,
• A match finishing before the final hole, or
• A hole being declared out of play by the Committee for maintenance or reconstruction purposes.

If it is determined that a player has not played a hole or holes for an invalid reason, the score will not be acceptable for handicap purposes. Invalid reasons include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Not playing a particular hole on a golf course because the player knows it usually causes them difficulty and they are likely to return a high hole score.
• Not playing the final holes on a golf course in order to avoid submitting a high or low score.

In either case, the Handicap Committee could add a penalty score to the player’s scoring record, if it is determined that the player’s actions were for the purpose of gaining an unfair scoring advantage.

HOLE NOT COMPLETED

When a player starts a hole but does not hole out for a valid reason, subject to other provisions set out within the Rules of Handicapping, the player must record their score as appropriate for the situation and depending on the format of play, for example, net double bogey or zero Stableford points.

Notes:

If the format of play does not allow a player to pick-up their ball before holing out, for example an individual gross score or net score stroke play competition, the player will be disqualified from the competition.

In a Maximum Score format of stroke play, there may be situations where a player has not reached their net double bogey score before reaching the maximum score as determined by the Terms of the Competition. In such cases, the player should record either a net double bogey or zero Stableford points.