Peer Review
and The Rules & Handicap Committee

As part of their responsibility for Peer Review to ensure player eligibility in specified events and to assess and confirm that an individual’s handicap index continues to reflect the player’s demonstrated ability, the Rules & Handicap Committee conducts Peer Reviews as follows:

• Regular Score Posting Reviews for all members who wish to compete in specified events.
• Evaluations to ensure members continue to be eligible to participate in specified events throughout the duration of the competition.
• To act on recommendations initiated by Golf Canada/Golf Ontario as issued through their handicap review tools.
• To assist in Dispute Resolution.
• When additional assessment or evaluations are deemed necessary.

Score Posting Reviews

As outlined in the Club’s Handicap Policy and as agreed to in the terms and conditions of membership, Members must have valid and up-to-date handicaps to compete in intra-Club or inter-Club Net and flighted competitions and Gross events where handicaps form entry requirements. Competitions include Intra-Club Match and Stroke Play Competitions, Regional Intersectionals, Club Championships and any other event where notice of handicap requirement is posted. 

Members who wish to compete in specified events are subject to Score Posting Reviews. These reviews assess score posting history and consistency compared to total rounds played and are the means to confirm handicap validity.

How are Reviews conducted?

For the established review period, data from the Tee-On System is used to provide the gross number of games played, dates played and playing partners, for the designated player group. The results are compared to the number of scores posted through the Score Centre for the same group and the same review period. Rounds played outside of the Rules of Golf, where known to the Committee are not included in the gross number of games played.

The percentage of scores posted vs. games played is calculated for each member in the designated player group. The review process tags players whose score posting history compared to games played is less than the 80% threshold.

Why 80%

While players are responsible for posting 100% of valid games, it is acknowledged that some games are not played under the Rules of Golf, and therefore do not produce acceptable scores. Some examples of games that do not produce acceptable scores are scrambles and other formats where players do not play their own ball from tee to cup, including some team match play, practice rounds using more than one ball, or rounds involving “mulligans” and “do-overs”. The 80% threshold has been adopted to account for non-valid rounds. It provides a healthy allowance that for every 10 games played, 2 are not played under the Rules of Golf.

Results of Score Posting Reviews

Members are advised if their score posting record for games played within the review timeframe does not meet the 80% threshold. These members are encouraged to supply additional information that may provide more accurate results. Review results may be adjusted based on additional information provided. To support event organizers in finalizing the event set-up and field, deadlines are set for player response.

Once review results are finalized, members who do not meet the 80% posting threshold – or who cannot demonstrate scores from unposted rounds were played outside of the Rules of Golf - are not eligible to participate in the targeted events.

What You Can do to Keep your Scoring Record Accurate

To avoid disappointment and to help ensure competitions are fair to all players:

• Post all scores from all rounds that produce an acceptable score by midnight of the day of play.
• Ensure your presence on the Tee-Sheet is accurate and reflects rounds actually played. If you have booked a tee time, your Tee-On record will indicate it as a played round, even if you failed to play – and these will be included in the total number of rounds played during the review period. If you have a booked tee-time and cannot play, please cancel your tee time via the Tee-On System or contact the Pro Shop prior to the round to advise.
• Keep a record of games/dates where valid scores are not produced. Knowing these dates can be helpful in adjusting the actual number of scores posted in comparison with total rounds captured on the tee-sheet.
• Understand how to post scores for incomplete rounds, including rounds where holes are started but not finished and for rounds where one or more holes are not played. In most cases, these rounds produce an acceptable score that can be posted to your scoring record.