Handicaps
Upon review, the Competition Committee has elected to revise our process for setting handicaps for the 2022 BrOpen. Effective immediately, we will transition to the USGA’s 2-man scramble system for setting handicaps.
The USGA system uses individual handicaps (i.e. from USGA GHIN) and a simple formula to determine how many strokes a team should get in a 2-man scramble competition. Thus individual handicaps require more scrutiny than we've applied in the past. We are asking the field to review all players' individual handicaps. If you feel any handicaps are off, please submit a challenge by August 19.
Additional details below.
The USGA system calculates a pairing’s handicap as:
Pairing Handicap = (.35 * low-handicapper’s index) + (.15 * high-handicapper’s index)
Example
Los Brocos Locos
Wes Hendrix (4 HCP) / David Seale (25 HCP)
Pairing HCP = (.35) * (4) + (.15) * (25) = 5.2
All four pairing HCPs are added together to get a team's raw index. Continuing with the example of Los Brocos Locos:
Wes Hendrix (4 HCP) / Southern Seale (14 HCP)
Pairing HCP = (.35) * (4) + (.15) * (14) = 3.5
Trey Welch (1 HCP) / Southern Seale (14 HCP)
Pairing HCP = (.35) * (1) + (.15) * (14) = 2.5
Trey Welch (1 HCP) / David Seale (25 HCP)
Pairing HCP = (.35) * (1) + (.15) * (25) = 4.1
Team Raw Index = 5.2 + 3.5 + 2.5 + 4.1 = 15
A raw index of 15 is then compared to other teams in the field. For example, let's say the Broosters have a 22. The differentials between teams indicates how many strokes the weaker team will receive in the competition. In this case, the Broosters would have a 7 shot advantage vs Los Brocos Locos.
History lesson: Why we have our current system
The current system was created years ago, before the majority of the field maintained regular handicaps. The Competition Committee’s confidence in self-reported handicaps was low, and we were concerned about “sandbaggers” underreporting handicaps.
Additionally, the Committee was not made aware of any universally agreed upon standard format for a 2-man scramble handicap system.
So we set out to create our own based on a combination of past BrOpen data and some judgment calls. The system wasn’t perfect, but it worked well for the 2018, 2019, and 2021 competitions.
Why we’re making the change
In 2019, as part of their modernization of the game initiatives over the last few years, the USGA published standards for the 2-man scramble format (indicated above) much more widely than they had before. Although we were aware of the USGA’s system for the 2021 tournament, we did not switch over to the USGA's system because our system had been successful in the past and there were no major concerns from the field that year.
In 2022, we received two requests for team handicap review. We felt both arguments had merit and highlighted known flaws in the existing system. A brief summary of the key points of the two appeals follows:
- An appeal filed by Mr. Andy Moya petitioned that his play had deteriorated vs his peak from 2012-2015, but those older rounds were biasing his pairing’s handicaps. Moya pointed out that in 2021 the Amuricans received 4 shots vs that year's eventual champs, the Drunkin' BroNuts. This year, our system gave them a net advantage of only 5 strokes, despite the fact that Moya (12.1 HCP) had replaced Morgan Brown (5.7 HCP). Surely that downgrade was worth more than a stroke, Mr Moya claimed
- An appeal filed by Mr. Southern Seale petitioned that one extraordinary round by Wes Hendrix (-6 in 2021, with David Seale, a C player) was biasing their handicap
Moving to the USGA’s system will correct for both of these. The Committee feels USGA system has a number of advantages vs our old system; it is simpler, it is more transparent, and it relies on a larger data set (up to your past 20 rounds so is less biased by one extraordinary round). We are proceeding with re-handicapping the field, and we need your help - please review the individual handicaps and let us know by August 19 if any seem out of line.
Impacts of this change on our handicap-setting process
We will eliminate the concepts of ‘A’, ‘B’, C’ player. Instead, the only judgment required by the Committee will be whether the self-reported handicap by each individual player is accurate. For golfers who maintain USGA GHIN-certified handicaps, we will simply take the revision as of August 9, 2022.
For golfers who do not have a USGA GHIN-certified handicap, we will publish the individual handicap submitted by the player and then ask the field to assist us in challenging any individual’s self-reported handicap that appears to be out of line with observations of their play and/or inconsistent with the quality of golfer they are relative to others in the field.
How to challenge another bro's handicap
All challenges require some sound logic and/or supplemental data/observations that support the challenge. Please submit via email to Clint, James, Morgan, and Mark the reason you feel an individual's reported handicap should be challenged. Ultimately the Competition Committee will make all decisions whether or not to officially challenge a reported handicap.
What happens if your handicap is challenged
If your handicap is challenged, we ask that you provide evidence supporting your claimed handicap. For example, 3-5 recent scorecards, a letter from your mom, or an eyewitness who is not on your team who can vouch for your recent play could all be submitted to support your claim. Should you be challenged, a member of the Committee will contact you via email with further instructions.
Next steps
- We have removed the old system's team handicaps from the site and leaderboard
- We are opening individual handicaps for a 1-week field review period (ending August 19). Please review those below. If you are concerned about individual handicaps, please email the Competition Committee
- Following the 1-week review period, we will re-calculate and publish final team handicaps for the 2022 tournament
- There will be no further opportunity for appeals after August 19 unless a golfer must be replaced in the field