Frequency of calculating handicaps

Question
I belong to a Women's Nine Hole course league.  Currently I enter scores, calculate handicaps, print score and tournament reports.  There is substantial disagreement among women in the league as to how often handicaps should be calculated.  One group is in favor of calculating them each week after play.  The other group insist that it is a PGA or LPGA rule that handicaps should only be calculated once a month.  Is one right or wrong or is it up to individual groups do decide.Can you answer these questions for us.

Thank you in advance.


Answer
Hi Merlene,

The purpose of the USGA Handicap System is laid out as:

"Two basic premises underlie the USGA Handicap System, namely that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review. The player and the player's Handicap Committee have joint responsibility for adhering to these premises."  

Copied from: http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/manual/manual.html

Players are to post their scores ASAP so that their handicap is a measure of their most recent rounds.

Calculating a handicap once a month would not be an accurate measure of a player's play unless they were only playing once per month.

I would agree with the group that advocates calculating handicaps each week after play.

Hope this helps.

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Best regards,
Ken Tannar