By FRANCES NEE

SCGA Director of Handicap

A handicap index is not a statistical scoring average-it is the basic measure of a player's scoring potential. It is based on the performance of a player over 20 rounds of golf. Each time a score is posted, the course rating and slope for the tees played is used to calculate a differential. This differential is the measure of the player's performance on that particular course. By relating performance to course difficulty rather than raw scores, players of unequal abilities can compete on a level basis.

By Michael Sweeney
Directors of Rules and Competitions

10. You may always use rangefinders (distance measuring devices) during play.

By Robert D. Thomas
SCGA Senior Director of Communications
Although Tiger Woods was the big story in last month’s PGA Championship, an incident involving Sergio Garcia spotlighted the importance of correctly handling your score card at the end of each and every tournament round.