Handicapping in group and extended golf competitions

This paper addresses the issue of finding a fair mechanism for adjusting for handicaps in golf competitions in which the players in a group play as a team. In these types of competition suitable allowance needs to be made not only for the different ability levels of the golfers but also for the numbers of players in the groups if these are not equal. Two types of group competition are considered, the Texas Scramble and the Alliance competition. Elementary probability theory shows that in a Texas Scramble competition over a standard golf course, a group of four scratch golfers has an average two-stroke advantage over a group of three scratch golfers, and an average six-stroke advantage over a group of two scratch golfers. A working rule is devised to provide handicap allowances for differently sized groups by using the aggregate of handicaps in the group. An extension of this handicapping system to the eclectic golf competition is suggested. In an Alliance competition, probability theory shows that a group of four golfers has a six-point advantage over a group of three golfers.