Stroke play: gross and net

Quick answer. In stroke play every golfer adds up every stroke. The leaderboard has a Gross | Net switch at the top. Gross ranks the raw strokes. Net takes each golfer's handicap off first, so the golfer who plays to their handicap can beat the golfer who hit it best. A new stroke play board opens on Net.

Who can do this: an Admin or an Organizer sets the handicap and the tie rule. Only an Admin can put a tie in order by hand. Everyone with the link can read the board.

Before you start

Have the event made with Stroke Play as the format and a tee set chosen, so each golfer's handicap can be worked out for your course. Set up your event in four steps covers that. Know what you want to call the winner before the day. Some groups hand out a gross prize and a net prize, and the board needs no extra setup for that. It shows both.

The steps

1. Pick the handicap setting. On the event page, in the Event Details box, press Edit. The page is called Event settings. Find Handicap and choose Full (100%), 95%, 90%, 85%, 80% or Scratch. The lower the percentage, the fewer strokes each golfer gets. Scratch means no handicaps at all. Press Save Changes.
2. Pick the tie rule. On the same page, find Tie Handling. The choices are Allow ties, Scorecard countback and Manual playoff. The page explains that countback breaks ties on stroke play, Stableford and team events, and that a manual playoff lets you set the finishing order yourself. Press Save Changes.
3. Open the board. Once the event is started, press View Leaderboard on the event page. The top of the board names the format, the tees and the status, such as Live Scoring while scores are coming in and Final Results once the event is closed.
4. Read it on Net. The columns are the place, the player, THRU (holes played), NET, the plus or minus against par, GROSS and HCP (the handicap strokes that golfer is getting). The note under the switch reads "Net scores are shown", and it says "Gross is raw strokes. Net adjusts for handicap."
5. Switch to Gross. Press Gross in the Scoring Mode switch. The board re-sorts by raw strokes. The columns shrink to the place, the player, THRU, GROSS and the plus or minus against par.
6. Read the working. Open the How this is calculated box on the board. It spells out that Gross ranks by raw strokes, that Net is gross minus the golfer's adjusted handicap, and that for a round not yet finished only the holes played are adjusted.

What you should see

The same scorecards can give two different winners. On our practice event, Dave Prentiss shot 77 and Bob Hendricks shot 90. On Gross, Dave is first. On Net, Dave's handicap of 5 takes him to 72 and Bob's handicap of 19 takes him to 71, so Bob is first. Nobody typed anything different. You only pressed Gross or Net.

Change Handicap to 80% and the HCP column drops for everyone. Bob's goes from 19 to 15, and the net scores rise to match. Change it to Scratch and the board shows gross only. The Gross | Net switch and the NET and HCP columns go away, because there is no handicap to apply. You can change the Handicap setting after scores are in, and the board re-figures right away.

Scorecard countback breaks a tie by comparing the tied golfers over the last nine holes of the final round. If they are still level it goes to the last six, then the last three, then the last hole. The lower score on those holes goes ahead. On our practice event Susan Tillman and Dave Prentiss both had a net 72. Susan's net over the last nine holes was 36 and Dave's was 37, so Susan was second and Dave third. With Allow ties the same two golfers were both shown as T2.

With Manual playoff, the tied golfers stay at T2 until you put them in order. An Admin sees a panel on the board called Manual playoff — break ties, with a line for each tie, such as "Tied at 72 net". Each golfer has an up arrow and a down arrow. Press the arrow to move a golfer up or down within the tie. The panel says "Saved instantly", and the board shows the new places straight away.

If it goes wrong

• The board shows the wrong winner for your prizes. Look at the Gross | Net switch. A new board opens on Net. If the group was told "low gross", press Gross.
• There is no Gross | Net switch. The Handicap setting is Scratch. With no handicap there is only gross. Change it under Event settings, then press Save Changes.
• The handicaps look too generous. Check the Handicap setting. Full (100%) gives every stroke. Many groups play at 90% or 80%. You can change it after scores are in.
• You cannot change the format. The Format list on Event settings is locked once scores have been entered. The page says "Locked — scores have been entered. Changing the format would re-score the leaderboard." Settings such as Handicap and Tie Handling can still be changed.
• Two golfers have the same score and you wanted a winner. Set Tie Handling to Scorecard countback, or to Manual playoff, play the playoff, and put the golfers in order on the board. Press Save Changes after you change the setting. Only an Admin sees the playoff panel, so an Organizer asks the Admin to put the order in.
• A golfer's handicap looks wrong. The HCP column is worked out from their handicap on the day and the tees chosen for the event. Check the Tee Set on Event settings first.

Director's tip

Say the prizes out loud at the rules talk. "Low gross and low net are different prizes, and nobody wins both." It saves the argument at the scoring table.

Related

• How scoring works on game day
• Set up your event in four steps
• Your event's home base

Still stuck?

Email support@back9ops.com and tell us the event's name, the Handicap setting, and the two scores you expected to be ranked differently.