Hello fellow league admins,
I’ve been using the UDisc app to run a handicapped league for 12 weeks now, and I have to say it’s been fantastic. Huge kudos to the team at UDisc for creating such a useful and well-integrated feature.
My league is geared primarily toward beginners. Most of our regulars fall somewhere in the AM4 to AM2 range, and the skill levels are generally well balanced. However, we occasionally get AM1 or MPO players who drop in, which raises a question about how to fairly assign their initial handicaps.
UDisc makes it easy to assign an adjusted score for a player’s first few rounds, but I’d love to hear how others approach this.
Do you simply ask the new player about their skill level?
Do you check for a PDGA rating (if they have one)?
Do you look up recent tournament or league scores to estimate?
How do you explain to a new player why their starting handicap might be over par?
And conversely, for a brand-new player with no experience, how do you estimate a fair starting score?
I’d really appreciate hearing how othes handle this in a way that feels fair, transparent, and encourages participation from all skill levels.
Thanks in advance!