The Portuguese Golf Federation (PGF) has announced updated handicap guidelines to assist the ever-increasing numbers of golfers visiting Portugal. It’s fair to say that there has sometimes been confusion about how a visitor’s handicap is calculated in relation to the conventional Portuguese SLOPE tables.
However the PGF has now outlined a system for application across every golf course in Portugal. Visitors with CONGU handicaps (non-SLOPE handicaps from UK and the Republic of Ireland) can now easily establish a course-specific EGA playing handicap by applying a simple formula. The basic rule is to reduce the exact CONGU handicap by 10% which is then applied to a particular course. For example, an exact CONGU handicap of 15.3 is reduced by 10% and converted to an ‘assumed’ EGA handicap of 13.8 (15.3 less 1.5) which, when applied to the course table, will confirm the playing handicap. Members introducing guests are responsible for ensuring that a player’s ‘exact’ handicap is converted as appropriate. The PGF is confident that the new guidelines will assist both visitors and residents with an approach that is fair and consistent across the entire country.
