HandicapMaster.org

Changes in Version 13

What's new in HandicapMaster 13

Player Entry

Operating an electronic 'Course Handicap' kiosk

When you select 'My Course Handicap' as the only service offered on a Player Entry screen, the system now works in a dedicated kiosk mode to allow players to obtain their Course Handicap. A new front screen is added to Player Entry in this situation, to highlight the service available on the screen. When a Visitor uses the system, they can enter their Handicap Index and gender, in place of their National ID. (WHS Editions only).
Course Handicap Kiosk
Course Handicap Kiosk

Recording who marked a scorecard

A new Settings Profile option allows you to request that players, when entering a competition score, must record the name of the player who marked their scorecard. The option to ask players to record the name of the player marking a General Play scorecard is also extended to all editions.

Competitions

Re-entry Competitions

When opening a new competition, you may now elect to open a 're-entry' competition. This is a singles competition where players are given multiple dates to play and may return more than one scorecard, with their best score counting towards the competition results. Designed to be easier to set-up, no competition template is needed for this type of competition.
Bookings schedules split by facility
Alternatively, you may now replicate a currently-opened competition, one or more times, to easily create a series of competitions, using the 'Open a New Competition' wizard.

Displaying Strokes received in Match-play competitions

You may now choose to show handicapping information when a player selects a match through the Player Entry screens or the Master Scoreboard website, allowing your members to check strokes to be taken in a match before play.
Greensomes KO match handicap information
The option to enable members to be able to record Knock-out Match results through Player Entry and Master Scoreboard website is extended to all editions of HandicapMaster.

Competition Templates

The option to set a limit to Playing Handicaps/Strokes Received in a competition is now incorporated into the main Competition Template wizard, to help customers locate this facility.
When play is to be from a mixed set of tees, you may now elect to have Playing Handicaps/Strokes Received reduced for some players in the competition field, in preference to additional strokes for other players (when applicable). Note: 'Regular Stroke Play' and 'Maximum Score' formats of play only.
Clarification that the Playing Handicap/Strokes Received calculation is based upon Course Handicap/Tee Handicap is added.

Divisions

When using Auto-balancing of Divisions in a competition, an algorithm change is applied that will allocate more players to a higher division, rather than lower division, in some circumstances where more than one player shares the same boundary handicap. This will improve the overall balancing of numbers in the divisions.

WHS Handicapping 2024

When calculating half of a player's Handicap Index as part of calculating a 9-hole Course Handicap, the 'half Handicap Index' is now rounded to 1 decimal place, before continuing to calculate the Course Handicap (WHS Editions).
The Score Submission Log is converted to an interactive list, providing access to further information about scoring data sent to a CDH. For Four Ball scores, this includes an estimate of the points that will be calculated under WHS Rules of Handicapping, rule 5.10.

England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (only)

From April 2024 onwards ...
  • Course Handicaps will now be calculated with addition of 'Course Rating minus Par' adjustment.
  • Playing Handicaps will be calculated using un-rounded Course Handicap values (all Home Unions).
  • You may now configure competitions played over 10 to 17 holes to count for handicapping (all Home Unions).

Other Regions - NOT England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

No longer are any strokes included in a player's Adjusted Gross Score where they have not played a hole (and the date of the score is 1 January 2024 or later).
The number of holes started by players, and the scores for each hole, are now included in the data for each score sent through to the central handicapping server.
Where a player declares one or more 'Hole not played' scores in their scorecard, and the score is sent through for handicapping, the Score Differential is now based on an estimated rating and expected score for the holes not played.
The number of holes started by players, and the score type, are now included in a player's Handicap Record table.
New columns '9/18 Holes' and 'Holes Played' are added to the Handicap Record display.

Local Handicapping

When applying handicap adjustments based upon player's final positions in competitions, you may now elect to increase the handicaps of players who are 'unplaced' in competitions by a chosen amount.
'Strokes Received' values are now calculated using an unrounded Tee Handicap when running HandicapMaster in all regions. Previously the rounded Tee Handicap value was used for some regions.
When calculating half of a player's Handicap as part of calculating a 9-hole Tee Handicap, the 'half Handicap' is now rounded to 1 decimal place, before continuing to calculate the Tee Handicap.
The default setting for the calculation of Tee Handicaps is now to apply an adjustment of 'Reference Score minus Par', where a configuration of Handicapping Rules has not previously been saved.
A 'My Tee Handicap' service is added to the Local Handicapping editions, similar in nature to the 'My Course Handicap' service in WHS editions. Is limited to using course scorecards associated with the 'system home club'.

Bookings

General Bookings

To make navigation around the list of dates easier, especially when a large number of schedules exist, the list of schedules and their dates now only list dates for a single Facility at a time, with Tabs above the list available to switch between Facilities.
Bookings schedules split by facility
When first showing the list of dates for a facility, the initially selected item is now the entry for the current date (or first available date from 'Today' onwards).
Entries for the current date in the list of dates for a facility are now highlighted with text
--- TODAY ---

Competition Bookings

When re-configuring booking arrangements for a competition being booked by players selecting a tee time, you may now adjust the number of places on offer on a per-tee time basis. For example, you may now have some tee times with 3 places available to book and some tee times with four places available.

Master Scoreboard

When publishing with one or more Start Sheets created in the system, the Publish wizard now automatically lists all available start sheets and offers a quick way to select or deselect chosen Start Sheets for publishing.

Players

Player Import; The column Heading in import files now supports 'NATIONAL ID' and is the preferred column heading rather than NATIONAL NUMBER' which is deprecated but is still supported.
Player Export; The column heading in export file is changed from 'NATIONAL NUMBER' to 'NATIONAL ID'.

Subscriptions Option

Subscriptions tab in Edit Member now makes it clearer that the Adjust Subscription balance option does not record subscriptions as paid.
A new report that provides a Subscription Purse Account Statement Summary for one or more members for selected date range is added.

General

When starting HandicapMaster if a 2nd copy is started in rapid succession the user is asked if they wish to start the 2nd copy. After 30 seconds, if the question is not answered, the second copy will automatically be stopped.
Reports; The font for the column heading in reports is changed to improve the readability of the column headings.
Start Sheets report; It is now possible to include National ID in the report.
In HandicapMaster, when displaying a list on screen, the user's last selection for that list is now positioned half way done the visible screen, in addition to being highlighted.
'National Number' has been changed to 'National ID' to improve consistency, as some national systems may use alphanumeric identifier for players.
Customers in Spain may now export start sheet times and also competition scores to files, ready for importing into the Golfdirecto system, for onward sending to the WHS system in Spain (Local Handicapping editions only).