Keeping Score
Track your scores on a mobile phone by using the Linksfinity Score Entry keypad. It is quick and easy to use and is available on the Linksfinity iPhone app as well as on the mobile friendly version of linksfinity.com on Android devices.
The Linksfinity Score Entry keypad allows you to enter team scores for Scramble formats and both individual and team scores for Best Ball formats on a hole-by-hole basis. After you have entered the gross score on each hole, Linksfinity will automatically create an electronic scorecard that will show Gross, Net and/or Stableford Points based on your scoring preferences. Scorecards can be viewed at any time during the round by clicking on the Scorecard button on the bottom of the iPhone app Score Entry screen or by scrolling down the Score Entry screen on the mobile friendly version of linksfinity.com on Android devices.
When you are ready to start your round, simply select the course you want to play, the tee box your team will play from, and the hole you want to start on, and you will be you will ready to play.
Linksfinity will only track team scores for Scramble formats, but it will track both individual and team scores for Best Ball formats.
If cellphones are not allowed on the course you are playing, you can enter your scores after the round by using the Linksfinity Score Entry keypad on the website. Simply click on Post Your Scores on the Navigation Bar at the top of the website, and you will be prompted through the process.
If you have a technical problem while you are on the course, simply keep track of your gross score on a scorecard as you are playing and enter your scores after the round by using the Linksfinity Score Entry keypad on the website. Click on Post Your Scores on the Navigation Bar at the top of the website, and you will be prompted through the process.
If your round is interrupted by weather or other emergency, your round data will be saved, and you will be able to resume your round where you left off.
After you have played a round and submitted your scores, you can check all of your scorecards by clicking on Scorecards within the Menu of the Linksfinity iPhone app. You can also view your scorecards by clicking on My Dashboard on the Navigation Bar at the top of the Linksfinity website or within the Menu of the mobile friendly version of linksfinity.com on Android devices.
For this release of Linksfinity, you will not be able to correct a score after you have posted it. In a future version of Linksfinity, it will be possible for a team to correct a score that has been submitted with an error.
Scoring Options
You can choose to keep score using Gross, Net or the Stableford Points System.
The Stableford Points System awards points based on each team’s score on each hole. Unlike traditional stroke play where the goal is to have the lowest score, the objective of the Stableford system is to accumulate the highest number of points which are awarded based on the team’s gross or net score on each hole as follows:
| 2 over par (Double Bogey) & Above | 0 Points |
|---|---|
| 1 over par (Bogey) | 1 Points |
| Par | 2 Points |
| 1 under Par (Birdie) | 3 Points |
| 2 under Par (Eagle) | 4 Points |
| 3 under Par (Double Eagle) | 5 Points |
| Better than 3 under par | 6 Points |
The Stableford Scoring System is a fun way to play team golf because there is no deduction of points for a score of double bogey or above. Also, since the lowest score a player can get is 0 points, a player can simply pick up his or her ball if it is no longer possible to score a point to help the team.
Yes. Each player on your team must have an official USGA Handicap Index for Linksfinity to track Net scores.
A Handicap Index is a calculation of a player’s potential ability based on a fixed number of a player’s best 18 hole scores relative to the Course and Slope Rating of the tees being played. This calculation is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place (e.g. 12.7) and is used to determine your Course Handicap for any given course. If you would like to read a more detailed explanation of the USGA’s method to calculate a Handicap Index, go to Section 10 of the USGA Handicap Manual.
A USGA Course Rating is the measure of a course’s difficulty for a scratch golfer. For example, a par 72 course with a Course Rating of 68.5 indicates that a scratch golfer would be expected to shoot 3.5 strokes under par.
A USGA Slope Rating represents how difficult a course will play for golfers of varying abilities in relation to a scratch golfer. The Slope Rating takes into consideration certain aspects of a course’s layout that will affect a high handicapper’s score more than that of a low handicapper. The USGA has determined that the standard Slope rating for an 18 hole course is 113, with 55 being the lowest and 155 being the highest. Like the Course Rating, the Slope Rating varies from each set of tees and can be found on the Linksfinity website or mobile app.
The first step is to sign up for a USGA authorized Handicap computation service at your local course or club. The second step is to post at least five 18 hole scores. Once you have posted 20 scores, your Handicap Index is calculated using your ten best scores. It is important to remember that a Handicap Index is portable and will be used to calculate the Course Handicap for every player on your team based on the tees played for each round. If your team wants to compete and be ranked on a Net basis, it is also important to remember that your Handicap Index will automatically be updated based on the USGA’s National Revision Schedule on the 1st and 15th of each month on a year round basis.
A Course Handicap represents the number of strokes you would need to play to the USGA Course Rating of the tees being played. The USGA formula to determine your Course Handicap is: Handicap Index multiplied by the Slope Rating of tees you are playing from divided by the Standard Slope Rating of 113. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number with .4 rounding down and .5 rounding up. For example, a 12.7 Handicap Index multiplied by a Slope Rating of 135 divided by Standard Slope Rating of 113 = Course Handicap of 15. If you know the Slope Rating of the tees you are playing from, you can calculate your Course Handicap by clicking on this link to the USGA Course Handicap Calculator.
Linksfinity will automatically calculate the Course Handicap for each player prior to each round so that every player will know how many strokes he or she will receive and for which holes prior to beginning play. For example, if your Course Handicap is a 15, you will receive a stroke on the 15 most difficult holes. Linksfinity will identify each of these holes on your scorecard by placing an asterisk next to the hole number on which you will receive a stroke.
To make it possible for Linksfinity to rank team scores from different tee boxes on different courses, it will be necessary to factor in the relative difficulty of each course and the tees played.
Many golfers assume that the USGA formula to determine a Course Handicap already accounts for the differences between tees boxes. This is not the case. As indicated in USGA’s Position Paper On Competing From Different Tees, your Course Handicap is based on the Slope Rating of the tees played. However, the Slope Rating only reflects the number of strokes needed to play to the Course Rating of that particular set of tees. It does not take into consideration the difference in the Course Rating for different tee boxes.
For example, the White tees at your course may have a Course Rating of 71.2 whereas the Blue Tees may have a Course Rating of 73.4. Based on this, a player competing from the set of tees with a Course Rating of 71.2 would be expected to shoot a Net score that is two strokes lower than an opponent who is competing from a set of tees with a Course Rating of 73.4.
To reconcile this difference and make it possible for all teams to compete and be ranked from different tee boxes on different courses on an equitable basis, it is necessary to make an adjustment to each player’s Course Handicap based on the Course Rating for the tees played. We refer to this adjustment as your Linksfinity Course Handicap (L CH). Your Linksfinity Course Handicap will be utilized to calculate your team’s L Net Score (L Net) for Ranking purposes. For more information on how we calculate this adjustment for Rankings purposes, go to How will Linksfinity compare and rank Net Scores from different courses? in Learn more about Rankings.
During a round, each team has the option to view an electronic version of their team and individual player scorecards with Net or L Net scores displayed. This makes it possible for a group playing from the same tee box to compete with each other on a Net basis while simultaneously generating a L Net score for Ranking purposes. This option is available on the Linksfinity iPhone app as well as on the mobile friendly version of linksfinity.com.
For this release, Linksfinity will make an adjustment to the overall Team Handicap for Scramble formats based on the USGA recommended allowances for Scramble team play as follows:
Scramble - Twosome
After adjusting individual handicaps as indicated below, the handicaps for each player will be added together and then divided by 2 to determine team handicap.
- 35% of course handicap for Player A (lower handicap)
- 15% of course handicap for Player B (higher handicap)
Scramble - Foursome
After adjusting individual handicaps as indicated below, the handicaps for each player will be added together and then divided by 4 to determine team handicap.
- 20% of course handicap for Player A (lowest handicap)
- 15% of course handicap for Player B
- 10% of course handicap for Player C
- 5% of course handicap for Player D (highest handicap)
For this release of Linksfinity, there will not be any restrictions on the combinations of Handicaps that can be on the same team. However, we are considering establishing a maximum number of strokes between team members’ Course Handicap for the next release of Linksfinity.