Handicapping

Question
Can one designate a round as a practice round.  Does the USGA handicapping
system permit this, can't find any information relating to this on their handicap
site.

Answer
Hi Mohan,

By a practice round, are you meaning one that does not count towards calculating your handicap index? If so, I don't think the rules account for that.

If you are playing a practice round where you hit more than one ball, re-hit shots, pick up your ball, etc, then this type of round would not count because you are not following the playing rules of golf.

If you are playing a practice round with one ball in which you follow all the rules, even though you might not play exactly as normal (like hitting an iron off a tee to give yourself a longer shot into the green), then this round would count. You're just incorporating a different playing strategy.

Hope this helps.

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