Golf Handicapper Version 5.0 for Windows 95/98/NT

     Golf Handicapper is a combination golf score data base and handicap calculator. It holds the most recent scores of golf players. When a player enters a new score, the program automatically calculates their current handicap, their net score for this game, and their handicap for the next game. The program can be used by an individual player, a team of players, or an entire golf club.

Registering Golf Handicapper
     
     This program is distributed as shareware. This means that you may use it for a trial period of one month to see if you want to keep using it. If you decide that you intend to keep using this program beyond the trial period, please pay for it by sending  for $25.00 (US$) to:

           David Leithauser
           Leithauser Research
           4649 Van Kleeck Drive
           New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169-4205

     For more detailed instructions, click on the Register button on the title page. The Print button on the Registration window will print a complete registration form that you can mail or FAX to register Golf Handicapper.
     Regardless of whether you decide to register this program, you are free to give away copies to anyone you like. There are two minor restrictions. First, you must distribute the program and all files that came in the original package together. Second, you must not change any of the files in any way without permission from Leithauser Research.

Installation

     To install this program in Windows 95/98/NT, put all the files that come with the program in an empty directory or disk. Using the Run option under the Start menu, run the Setup program. Then simply follow the onscreen directions. 

Using Golf Handicapper

     When you run Golf Handicapper, the program  will display a combo box containing a list of data files on the disk. The combo box consists of an edit box where names can be manually typed in above a list box containing a list of existing file names. If there are no data files, Golf Handicapper will automatically add the default file name GOLF to the list. You can select the file you want to load by either double-clicking on a file name from the list box or single clicking on a name and then clicking on the Ok button.
     The first time you run the program, you would normally just press ENTER or click on the Ok button to choose the default name GOLF. However, you can create separate files by using different names if you like. To create a new file with a name other than a name that exists in the list box, click on the edit box at the top of the file list and type in the name you want to use. Then click on the Ok button. Any normal  file name (up to eight characters, no spaces, asterisks, or question marks) will do, but do not include an extension. Golf Handicapper will create several files with the root name you provide, and each file will have a different extension added automatically.
     When you create a new file, the program will ask you some preliminary questions. It will ask you for the maximum number of players you will put in the data file. For example, if you plan to put between 100 and 150 players in the file, input 150 as the maximum number. You cannot change this later, so be sure you allow for enough players. On the other hand, the computer must reserve memory for all these players, so do not input a number higher than you might really need.
     The computer also will ask for the number of games to save for each player. Just input the number of games you want the computer to keep in memory. For example, if you choose 20, the computer will hold up to 20 scores for each player. If you input a 21st game score, the computer will throw away the records of game 1 before adding game 21 to the file. Again, do not choose a number larger than you really need, because the data takes up room in memory. The default is 30.
     The computer also will ask you for the course rating and slope. The course rating is needed to compute a player's handicap index and actual  handicap. If you will be playing on several different courses, input the course rating for the one you use the most. You will have the chance to input the course rating each time you play a game and input the score, but the course rating you input here will be the default course rating. The course slope is needed to compute the handicap index and handicap. The index you input here will be the default slope when the program asks you for the course slope when you input each new score. It will also be the slope used to compute your handicap for your next game, under the assumption that your next game will be played on your normal course. However, if you do not play your next game on your normal course, Golf Handicapper will use the actual slope for the course you do play on. See Appendix A for for information on the procedure for computing handicaps.
     The computer also will ask for a heading to put at the tops of pages that it prints out. This could be something like "Golf scores for 1991." Then it will ask you for the percentage of a handicap to use when computing net golf scores.
     When you are creating a new file, after you have input all the general information about the file, Golf Handicapper shows you the file modification menu. This menu has seven options:
     The first option in the file modification menu is to change the course rating. You would use this only if you recalculate the rating for your golf course. The program will ask you for both the course rating and the course slope if you select this option.
     The second option in this menu is to add a player. If you select this, the program will tell you what the highest player number already in use is. It will then ask what number to assign to the player you are adding. The default is the lowest number not already in use. This is usually one more than the highest number already in use. However, it can be lower if you have deleted a player from the data base, leaving a "hole" in the player list. In such a case, you would have a choice of filling the hole in the list by choosing the default number or inputting a higher number.
     After you have input the player's number, the computer will ask you to input the player's name. You can abort inputting a player by clicking on the Cancel button. If you do input a player's name, the computer will ask you to input the player's score for each game they have played. After asking you for the score for a game, Golf Handicapper will ask for the course rating and slope of the course where the game was played, and the date the game was played. Input this information for each game, starting with the player's oldest (first) game. The computer will continue asking you for information on  games until it reaches the maximum number of games (as explained above). If the player has played less than the maximum number of games, just press ENTER alone or click on the Cancel button when you run out of scores. The computer will then go back to the file modification menu.
     The next choice in the file modification menu is to delete a player from the data base. If you choose this option, the computer will show you a list box of the player's names. You can select a player to delete by double-clicking on a player's name or clicking once on a name and then clicking on the Ok button. You can abort deleting a player by clicking on the Cancel button.
     The fourth choice in the file modification menu is to correct scores. This allows you to correct the scores of individual players if you discover that you have made a mistake while inputting a player's scores. You might have made such a mistake while adding the player in the first place, or while inputting a new score from the player's menu (explained below).
     When you select this option, the computer will show you a list box of player's names. After you select a name (as described above), the computer will show you a list box of data on games played by that player. You may then select a game to change the data on by clicking on the row containing the game data. Once you have selected a game to change the data on, select which parameter (Date, Score, Course rating, and Course slope) you want to change from the option box. Click on the appropriate option to select which to change. Once you have selected which item to change, input the new value of the item you are changing. Then click on the Change button. The new value will appear in the list of game data in the list box, and the input boxes will clear. You then can repeat the process for other parameters for that player. When you are finished changing the data for that player, click on the Exit button. Golf Handicapper will go back to the File Modification menu.
     The next item on the file modification menu is to change the page heading. This is primarily in case you made a mistake when you typed in the heading you want at the tops of printed pages.
     The next item on the file modification menu is to change the percentage of the handicap you want to use when the computer calculates the net score. You would use this if you made a mistake when you typed in this figure, or you change your mind about what percentage you want. Note that if you change this, it retroactively changes all net scores for all players.
     The last choice on the file modification menu is to go back to the main menu.
     After you exit the file modification menu, the program will show you the main menu. This menu has six choices.
     The first choice is to load a new file. You only use this option if you have several score files and you need to switch between them, or if you want to create a new file. You would create a new file by inputting a new file name in the input box, rather than selecting an existing file from the pick list.
     The second main menu option is to go back to the file modification menu. If you load an existing file when you run the program instead of creating a new file, the computer goes directly to the main menu, rather than the file modification menu. This option on the main menu lets you get back to the file modification menu if you need to.
     The third choice in the main menu is the player's menu. This is the menu that will normally be displayed when the players have access to the computer to input their scores. At the top of the screen, you will see the lowest gross and net scores of the season. If any scores have been entered today, the lowest gross and net scores of the day will be displayed also.
     The player's menu has three options: to see scores, to add a score, or to quit (go back to the main menu). You would select an option by either clicking on the appropriate button or moving the focus with the cursor keys and pressing ENTER when the focus is on the appropriate button.
     If you select "See scores", the computer will display the list box of player's names and allow you to select a name (double-click on a name or click on one and then click on ENTER). When you select a name, the computer will display all information in the file on that player's scores.
     If you select "Add Scores", the computer will display the player list to allow you to select a player. It will then ask for the player's score, the course rating and  slope, and the date the game was played. The input box for the score is blank, so you must input a value there. The course rating and slope boxes are already filled in with the default values for these, the ones you input when you first set up the file. The date for the game defaults to the current date. You may change any of these if they are no the correct values for this game. When all the boxes have the correct value, click on the Ok button. The computer will then display the player's  handicap and net score for this game. Handicaps are computed using the USGA  handicap formula (See Appendix A for more information on this).  If the player has played less than five games, no handicap can  be calculated using this formula. The net score is the gross score minus the handicap times the fraction (percentage) of the handicap to take (as established when the file was created). Both the handicap and net score are rounded off to the nearest whole number. Golf Handicapper will also show the player's current index and their handicap for the next game.
     The fourth option in the main menu is to display data on a player. If you choose this option, the computer will show you the list box of player's names. In addition to the player's names, this list box will contain the option "*** ALL ***" to let you see the data on all players. If you ask for all scores, the computer will ask if you want the players sorted alphabetically. This sorting can take a while, so you should only ask for it if you really want it. The sorting does not affect the order of the names in the disk file or even the list in memory. It only affects the order in which the names are printed out this time.
     The computer will also ask if you want the short form or the long form. In the short form, only the scores are printed out. You will see each gross score, followed by a colon, followed by the net score after the handicap is deducted. The lowest net score will have an asterisk after it. In the long form, dates, gross scores, handicaps, net scores, course ratings and slope, and index at the time of that game are all output. The lowest net score is marked with an asterisk.
     The computer will also ask you if you want hard copy. If you check the Hard Copy box by clicking on it with the mouse, the computer will ask you to prepare the printer, then press ENTER when the printer is ready.
     If you have asked for all players and have not asked for hard copy, the screen will pause for each player until you press ENTER or click on the Ok button. You may stop the listing by clicking on the Cancel button instead of the Ok button. If you are getting hard copy, the program will not display data on the screen.
     After it shows you the data on a player (or all players), the computer will go back to the list box of players. If you do not want the scores of another player displayed, click on the Cancel button.
     The fifth choice in the main menu is to see and possibly reset the lowest scores on record. When you choose this option, the computer displays the names and scores of the players with the lowest gross score (before handicap) and the player with the lowest net score, both for the season and the day. The computer updates these scores each time a player enters a score during a handicap calculation.
     When the computer displays these low scores, it asks if you would like to reset the low score record. If you click on the Yes button, the computer clears the low score record so that it can begin keeping track of the lowest score during the next time period. Note: any time you use the "File Modification Menu" option, the low score record is automatically adjusted based on all the scores in the record. If you want the low scores to stay cleared after using the "File Modification Option," you must clear them again.
     The last option in the main menu is to exit the program. This will return you to the Windows environment. You should always exit the program by returning to the main menu and choosing this option. This insures that the files are properly updated before the program ends. It also writes the low score for the day into a file with the same name as your other data (such as GOLF) and the extension LSD (low score data). This file can be loaded into most text file viewers or editors like Notepad.
 
Making menu selections
     
     You can select an option from a button menu by pressing button of your choice. You can also move the focus using the cursor keys and press ENTER when the focus is on the button of your choice. The focus is displayed as a small dotted box around the text on the button.
     You can select an item (such as player's name) from a list box by double-clicking on the item or by clicking on a item and then clicking on the Ok button. You can generally also make a selection by moving the selection bar with the cursor keys and then pressing ENTER when the selection bar is on the desired item.     
     
Customizations
     
     The primary function of Leithauser Research is providing custom programs of all types. If you would like to have Golf Handicapper customized to fit some special need (such as if your club uses a different handicapping formula), please contact Leithauser Research for a price quote. Most modifications can be done at very low cost. Also, if there is any other type of custom program you would like written, please contact Leithauser Research for a price quote.
     
Appendix A
     
     The following is a description of how handicaps and handicap indexes are computed by this program. This information is not necessary to use the program. It is provided for the benefit of those who wish to confirm that the program uses the handicap equations that they want to, or for those who are simply curious.
     The handicap index and handicap are based on the lowest N net scores of previous games, where N is a number whose value depends on how many previous games are in the computer file. The following is a chart that shows the value of N for various numbers of previous games.
     
 Games played	N (Number of scores used)
     
 0 to 4	               0 (No index or handicap computed)
 5 to 6                    1
 7 or 8	               2
 9 or 10                  3
 11 or 12                4
 13 or 14                5
 15 or 16                6
 17                        7
 18                        8
 19                        9
 20 or more            10 from the most recent 20 games
     
     The index is computed as follows: For each of the N previous scores used, subtract the course rating of the course that game was played on from the gross score for that game.  Multiply that number by 113 and divide that result by the slope of the course the game was played on. Multiply that result by by .96. After doing that for each of the N games, add the results and divide by N to get the average. This is your current index.
     The handicap for your next game is your current index times  the slope rating for the course you play the game on divided by 113.
     The next score for each game is your gross score minus the product of the handicap for that game times the percentage of the handicap to take (input when you set up the file).
     If you always play on the same course, so that the slope is always the same, all effects of the slope system will cancel out.

