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No Mulligans

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Score one for integrity

Golf’s handicap system is an integral part of what makes the game so great.

By Jamie Mulligan, with Greg FloresPublished: September, 2008

Integrity plays a vital role in golf. The way the game governs and manages itself separates it from most other types of athletic competition. It starts with young players learning the rules and becoming responsible for registering the correct score, and it carries over into adulthood and permeates every aspect of our personal and professional lives.

At the club level, the game’s handicap system is the ultimate honor system that also levels the playing field. It’s a great system that has existed for years, and it allows players of varying skills to compete against each other on an equal playing ground.

I learned at an early age that every time you tee it up, you play as hard as you can. You add up all your shots and mark down your score on every hole. You post your score from every round, not just the rounds that will affect your handicap in a way that will protect your pride or massage your ego. If you’re ever in a position of running tournaments, the one thing that can challenge and potentially harm the integrity of the game is when people haven’t managed their handicaps appropriately. The system exists to be honored.

Many golfers don’t understand how the handicap system works. Being a 10 handicap means you can shoot approximately 10 shots over the course rating about 20 percent of the time. The rest of the time, you should score higher. It’s how the system works.

Players who violate the integrity of the handicap system cheat themselves and the game.

There’s no shame in recording the right scores. It’s how the game was meant to be played.

Jamie Mulligan is chief operating officer and a PGA professional at Long Beach’s Virginia Country Club. He has twice been recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Southern California PGA.

Readers Feedback:

MANY OF OUR CLUB MEMBERS ARE OUT OF CONTROL WHEN IT COMES TO HANDICAP HONESTY! THIS HAS BEEN BUILDING FOR YEARS AND AS A NEW MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE I NEED SOME HELP ON HOW TO RESTORE THE INTEGRITY.
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