DISC GOLF HANDICAP SCORING SYSTEM OVERVIEW

The Disc Golf Handicap Scoring System (DGHSS) was developed to track scores for league play
by The EDGE. When the club decided to start playing handicapped rounds, scores were tracked by
pencil-and-paper. The calculations became time-consuming and tedious. A few attempts at a
spreadsheet led to more frustration than success. Ultimately, the web-based Disc Golf Handicap
Scoring System was developed to automate most of the process of tracking scores and computing
handicaps. The developer (Mark Drone aka MD) utilized open source code from a variety of
authors. Of primary importance was the A Golf Handicap PHP class published by George Clark
at http://www.phpclasses.org.
For a visual overview of the Disc Golf Handicap Scoring System, a 10 minute webcast is available
at http://209.175.254.249/golf/download/

HOW HANDICAPS ARE COMPUTED

Players' previous five rounds are used to determine their handicaps. The formula used by the
DGHSS is:
Handicap = (Average of Last Five Rounds Course Rating) x 80%

Five rounds is the default. This value can be changed within the Disc Golf Handicap Scoring
System.
A new player who joins a league must play three rounds to establish a handicap.

DETERMINING SESSION WINNERS BAG TAG DISTRIBUTION

Players are ranked each session based on their adjusted (net) scores Net scores are raw scores
combined with handicaps. Scores and bag tags are turned in at the end of each handicap scoring
1

round. Bag tags are redistributed based on the net scores. If players are tied, there are numerous
ways to break the tie. Examples include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Player with previous lower bag tag wins tie

Player with lower raw score wins tie
Player who has played more rounds in league wins tie
Player with lower raw score on back nine wins tie
Disc or coin flip

COURSE RATING
The Disc Golf Handicap Scoring System requires a course rating. Courses can acquire a formal
rating from the PDGA. According to the PDGA web site...
Hosting a PDGA event is the official way to get an SSA rating for your course.
Your course gets an SSA rating when at least 5 current PDGA members with
official ratings over 799 play it in PDGA competition. The rough SSA calculation
for an 18-hole course with average foliage density is to take the total course
length in feet, divide it by 285, then add 30. This will get within a few shots of the
SSA and even closer if you adjust upward or downward for more or less than
average foliage on the course.
To illustrate a rough SSA calculation, the Effingham Disc Golf Course has the following distances:
1

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

165 330 525 360 168 355 320 340 235 260 370 297 180 190 400 217 355 235

The course plays approximately 5302 feet. To use the calculation shown above:
Course Rating = (5302/285) + 30
Course Rating = 49
If your course will not be hosting a PDGA tournament, this approximation should work nicely for
the Disc Golf Handicap Scoring System. The default DGHSS course rating is 54.

COURSE PAR
Par for many disc golf courses is 54. More difficult courses may have higher par values. For
example, the Foundation Park Disc Golf Course in Centralia sets par as 70 or 72 depending on
teepads used and basket placement.