[expand title=” What is the DOST Tournament Handicap System? “]It is a system that, combined with Section 10-3 – Exceptional Tournament Scores of the USGA Handicap System, provides a non-arbitrary way to adjust handicaps for continued success in tournaments.Only DOST tournament handicap is applied for participation in DOST tournaments. If your USGA handicap (or handicap from any other system) changes, the change is not applicable to DOST handicap[/expand]
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[expand title=” How does the system work? “] The system, modeled after the Knuth Tournament Point System, is based upon awarding points to NET top finishers in competitions. Players that finish in the top overall net places in the tournament will be awarded the appropriate number of points as listed on the table below. In the event of a tie, each of the individuals would earn the full number of points for that placing (i.e. tie for second place, both players receive 4 points).
Tournament with over 30 players
| Tournament Position (Net) | Points Received |
| 1st Place | 4 Points |
| 2nd Place | 3 Points |
| 3rd Place | 2 Points |
| 4th Place | 1 Points |
| 5th Place and onward | 0 Points |
Tournament with less than 30 players
| Tournament Position (Net) | Points Received |
| 1st Place | 3 Points |
| 2nd Place | 2 Points |
| 3rd Place | 1 Points |
| 4th Place and onward | 0 Points |
If a player accumulates 7 points over 7 tournaments then his/her handicap for an upcoming tournament will be reduced by two shots. Two additional points earned by the player in the 7 tournament period will result in an additional stroke being subtracted from their handicap for the upcoming tournament. Once a player accumulates eleven or more points, their handicap will be reduced by a total of four points.
| Total Points Accumulated | Tournament Handicap
Reduced |
| 7 or 8 points | 2 Strokes |
| 9 or 10 points | 3 Strokes |
| 11 or 12 points | 4 Strokes |
| For every additional
two points |
Add 1 more stroke |
For handicap calculation purposes the points will be dropped after the 8th tournament and if that may increase your handicap based on the table above. For the calculation purposes the tournaments are only counted if the player participates in them. [/expand]
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[expand title=” New Player Rule “]If a new player does not have an established USGA or similar Handicap then his handicap must be confirmed by one other tournament player. This handicap must be approved by the handicap committee. If a new player provides an established handicap based on USGA rules then 2 strokes will be added to USGA Index, provided the handicap index is not based on tournament scores. This is done to account for the fact that stroke play tournaments such as DOST events presents a more difficult test than your normal golf round.
For the first two tournaments if a new player shoots NET below par his or her score will be adjusted to Even PAR. Please note that normal Knuth system handicap rules still apply.
If a new players handicap was neither established by USGA nor confirmed by somebody on the DOST tournament then he may be subject to handicap adjustment as well. This means if such a player shoots below par then not only his NET score gets adjusted to (E)ven but his handicap will be adjusted down for the first two tournaments. So a 14 handicap will be adjusted to a 12 handicap if he/she shoots a +12 round (Net -2).
In cases where a New Player has handicaps from two different systems, then the lower of the two will be used as the DOST start handicap. If USGA handicap is one of those handicaps then 2 strokes to it will be added before making this determination
To keep your handicap valid, participation in at least two tournaments during the season is required. If you do not play 2 tournaments in a season then you will be declared as a new player. [/expand]
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[expand title=” Exceptional Scoring “]Also referred as the Rizwan Rule , no player may win 3 tournaments in a row. If a player finishes 1st in two consecutive tournaments, he will be adjusted to the #2 spot if he wins the next tournament. This is on top of the adjustment that will be made to the handicap according to the system. [/expand]
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[expand title=” One time manual handicap adjustment “]Every player is allowed a one time per season (minimum 7 tournaments) a manual adjustment in handicap. This recommendation must be approved by the handicap committee. This will allow someone having a bad slump to get their handicap adjusted up to allow them to be competitive.
In general a slump means 3 bad tournament rounds in a row. Here is the guideline that will be used to adjust your handicap.
- Did not finish in top 3 and shot greater than +3 in last 3 tournaments: handicap adjustment = +1
- Did not finish in top 5 and shot greater than +6 in last 3 tournaments: handicap adjustment=+2
- Did not finish in top half and shot greater than +8 in last 3 tournaments: handicap adjustment=+3
- In order to be considered for this adjustment you must not have more than 4 Knuth points
- The handicap adjustment will be considered “only” on the request of the player.
Also please note that Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) will be used to minimize the effect of disaster holes. The table below will be used as a reference
| Handicap |
Maximum Score |
| 0-9 | Double Bogey |
| 10-19 | 7 |
| 20-29 | 8 |
| 30-39 | 9 |
| 40 or more | 10 |
For more on ESC use Google or go to http://golf.about.com/cs/handicapping/a/whatisesc.htm [/expand]
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[expand title=” Handicap Adjustment for Injury “]A player is allowed a manual adjustment based on an injury or temporary disability. Upon request to the handicap committee the handicap of an injured player will be adjust upwards by 2 strokes. This handicap adjustment will be valid for 3 tournaments during a seven tournament period. If a player playing under handicap adjustment shoots under net under par then he will be adjusted by 2 strokes as long as the net score is not in plus. [/expand]