The Southwest Handicap Mini System
I've been running a pretty successful handicap mini for seven years now. Below is my system. Check us out at
www.facebook.com/swhcmini
Our weekly handicap event rotates through six different courses over a 29 week season (Mar-Sept). We're PDGA League sanctioned using raw scores. We payout and track series points based on handicap'ed scores.
ENTRY FEE
$7/week.
- $5 cash payout
- $0.50 Ace Pot
- $0.50 PDGA fee
- $0.50 Bag Tag bonus payout
- $0.50 Texas States Disc Golf Championship Fundraiser.
The bag tags are based on handicap scores. $0.25/player goes to top tag of the week, and $0.25/player goes to most improved tag of the week.
HANDICAP CALCULATION
Any good handicap system is going to get scores really close to each other, such that whole numbers would result in multi-way ties. So we use handicap values rounded to one decimal place.
- The handicap system uses realistic SSA's at each course.
- A 1000-rated player / Score = SSA is a zero handicap.
- The SSA's yield a number of ratings points per stroke value.
- The ratings points per stroke value is used to predict a player's score based on their "handicap player rating" each week.
- A Natural handicap value is the difference between the SSA and the predicted score.
- The Scaled handicap value used for play is based on 81-84% of the Natural handicap.
One of the "big knobs" to dial in the early days was the min% (currently 81) and max% (currently 84) values.
One of the little knobs was where the range of ratings the min and max values start scaling.
PLAYER RATING CALCULATION
I track three different ratings for players: (A) PDGA rating, (B) Southwest average rating, (C) Per-Course rating.
- PDGA members' rating for the week is: 1 part PDGA, 1 part Soutwest average, 2 parts course of the week.
- Non-PDGA members' rating for the week is: 1 part Soutwest average, 2 parts course of the week.
- If the player hasn't played the course of the week yet, then that part falls out of the equation
ADJUSTMENTS
Each season the handicaps reset. PDGA members start with a player rating equal to their PDGA rating. Non-PDGA members start with a player rating equal to their previous season average (until they have two rounds in the current season).
In the spreadsheet (i.e. off the course, after payout) we make multiple adjustments to weekly scores for the purposes of generating realistic handicaps, and preventing bagging/manipulation.
- Any PDGA two-stroke penalty for mis-added scorecard is not included, as it's not indicative of playing skill.
- Any round that comes in 70 points below a player's overall rating is thrown out.
- No score on an individual hole can be worse than two strokes over the average score on that hole that week.
- The first place player receives a one-stroke win streak penalty for their next appearance; which accumulates until they do not finish first. This prevents under-rated, rapidly improving, newer players from dominating.
PAYOUT
We payout top 40% of the field similar to the PDGA PayTable but modified to be slightly more top-heavy.
NEW, UNRATED PLAYERS
The hardest problem I face is how to fairly deal with new, unrated players to the Mini. PDGA members are easy because they have an established player rating. But how do you make the event open, fair, and fun to unrated non-PDGA members...?
Here's my current strategy: Ask them their typical scores on local courses and from that establish a realistic, but slightly aggressive "score-to-beat". They pay in the normal entry fee, and are eligible for the Ace Pot, but they do not get cash payout like everyone else. Instead of cash, if they beat the score-to-beat, then they get a disc from our plastic bin. If they don't beat the score-to-beat then they get a Southwest Handicap custom stamped, double sided, mini marker disc. Their score this round will establish a handicap for their next appearance. Hopefully the incentive to get the disc will encourage them to play their best.