Posting Scores From Incomplete Rounds

As the Winter Solstice approaches and daylight hours shrink, tee sheets remain full and afternoon golfers may find themselves racing the sunset to finish 18 holes.

But fear not! Even if you can’t complete your round, you may still be able to post your score for handicap purposes.

Under the Rules of Handicapping, a score from an incomplete round may be acceptable if you play at least nine holes on a rated side and have a valid reason for not completing your round.

When is an incomplete round considered valid?

Valid reasons for not playing one or more holes include:

• Fading daylight
• Dangerous weather
• Injury or illness
• A match ending before all holes have been played
• Course conditions making a hole or holes unplayable
• Competition formats that require fewer than 18 holes
• Other reasonable circumstances accepted by the Committee

Not every reason for leaving holes unplayed is acceptable, however. Invalid reasons include:

• Anticipating bad weather when conditions have not actually become severe enough to prevent play
• Skipping a difficult hole to avoid the possibility of recording a high score
• Other circumstances the Committee considers unreasonable

If a player’s reason for not completing one or more holes is deemed invalid, the score is not acceptable for Handicap purposes. The Handicap Committee may also post a penalty score to the player’s scoring record, as outlined in Rule 7.1b of the Rules of Handicapping.

Posting A Score From An Incomplete Round

Posting an incomplete round through the GHIN app is straightforward. If you play exactly 9 holes, you have the option to post Hole-By-Hole or your total score. If 10-17 holes are completed, you must post hole-by-hole. 

When posting hole-by-hole, leave the square blank on holes you did not play. GHIN will use your expected score to produce an 18-hole Score Differential.

An expected score is the score a player is assumed to achieve over the given number of unplayed holes on a course of standard difficulty — it does not go by the course you are currently playing. The expected score can be seen as a neutral value, meaning playing well in an incomplete round will still result in a good 18-hole Score Differential. Average play will results in an average 18-hole Score Differential.

So, the next time fading daylight forces you to call it a day with a few holes left to play, don’t assume your round has to go unposted. If you meet the requirements, your score may still count toward your Handicap Index.