How to Handle Subs in a Golf League (Rules and Wording)

A sub rule should say who can sub, how far ahead to notify the commissioner, which handicap the sub uses and how many weeks a team can use one. Write it in the rules so nobody argues about it mid-season.

This guide walks through each decision in order, with a worked match that compares the handicap options, a ghost score example for when no sub turns up and a block of rule wording you can copy. It is written for the volunteer who has gotten a 4:45 text saying "can't make it tonight" and still has to set pairings.

Why a written sub rule matters

Every league has absences. The absence is not the problem. The unwritten part is: who fills in, what number they play off and whether the points count.

Without a rule, the commissioner makes the call fresh every week, and every call looks unfair to somebody. The team that gets a ringer says nothing. The team that loses to the ringer says plenty.

A good sub rule is short and answers six questions. The sections below take them one at a time.

Who can sub: approved list, anyone, skill caps

You have three common choices.

Two more questions come up.

Skill caps. To stop a scratch golfer subbing for a 20, set a floor, for example 8 for a league whose members run 8 to 30. A sub below the floor plays off the floor number.

Members of other teams. Decide whether a golfer already on another team can sub. A golfer from a team with a bye is a fair choice, since they already have a league handicap. A member of the opposing team should never sub for the other side.

For a sub you do not know, ask for the club that issues their official handicap index. In Canada, Golf Canada says only members of affiliated clubs can get one, so a stranger who claims an index should be able to name the club. My default is the approved list with a floor.

Notice deadline and who finds the sub

Set a deadline. "As early as you can" is not a deadline.

A workable version: tell the commissioner and your teammate at least 24 hours before the tee time, and have a sub named 2 hours before.

Who finds the sub? There are two ways to do it.

I like a hybrid. The absent golfer goes first, using the approved list. If they have no sub by the deadline, the commissioner works down the list in order.

What handicap does a sub play with?

This is the question that causes most of the fights. There are five common answers.

1. The sub's own league handicap, if they have scores in your league.
2. The sub's posted index converted to a course handicap, if they have an official handicap index from a club or association but no league scores.
3. The absent golfer's handicap, sometimes called a blind handicap.
4. A fixed or capped number for a golfer with no record at all, such as 18, or the league maximum.
5. Any of the above, then a switch to the sub's own league handicap after a set number of rounds, commonly 3.

League handicaps are for league play. An official handicap index comes from a club or golf association, and in Canada Golf Canada says a golfer needs to belong to an affiliated club to get one (it also runs a Public Player program for golfers without a club). Under Rule 6 of the Rules of Handicapping, the course handicap calculation converts an index into the strokes a player needs on a course with a given rating and slope rating. A playing handicap then applies the handicap allowance to that course handicap, and where the allowance is 100% the two are the same number. The league handicap guide covers the conversion, and the course handicap calculator does it for you.

A sub's numbers can run out, so decide the order of fallbacks before the season.

Decision table: which handicap does this sub get?

An official index can also be thin. Under Rule 5.2, a scoring record with fewer than 20 differentials uses a table that counts only the lowest ones, and once there are 20 the index uses the lowest 8 of the most recent 20, as Golf Canada also describes. A sub with only a few posted rounds has an index that is still settling, so treat it as a starting point.

Worked example: a sub with a 14.2 official handicap index at a 9-hole league night

An invented example. Kim is subbing in a nine-hole league on a front nine with par 36, a 9-hole course rating of 35.4 and a slope of 125. Kim's official handicap index is 14.2. Python check of the arithmetic:

Kim gets 7 strokes. Kim's opponent Lou has a league handicap of 14, which is 14 / 2 = 7 strokes on nine, so the stroke difference is 7 - 7 = 0 and the match is played level. If the league applies a 100% allowance (the playing handicap equals the course handicap, per Rule 6 above), no further reduction happens. The same sub with a 90% four-ball allowance would get 7 x 0.9 = 6.3, which rounds to 6, but that is a team-format decision your rules make for every golfer.

Worked example: one match, four options

This is an invented example. Here is a nine-hole match at a course with par 36, course rating 35.4 and slope 125. League handicaps are on the 18-hole scale, so a golfer plays half of the number on nine holes, rounded to the whole stroke with ties up.

Lou, a regular, has a league handicap of 14 and gets 14 / 2 = 7 strokes. Dave, Lou's usual opponent, is out, and Sam is subbing in Dave's spot. Dave's league handicap is 12. Sam is a friend of Dave's who has played in the league before, with a league handicap of 20, and also carries an official handicap index of 16.4 from his home club. Suppose Sam really does shoot about 46 for nine, which is 10 over par, and Lou shoots about 43, which is 7 over par.

Here is what each option gives Sam.

Against Lou, who gets 7, the stroke gap is 10 - 7 = 3 with Sam's own handicap, 8 - 7 = 1 with the converted index, 6 - 7 = -1 with Dave's number (Lou gets the stroke) and 9 - 7 = 2 with the fixed 18.

Which is fairest? Sam's own league handicap, because it comes from his own scores in your league, the same data every other golfer's number comes from. It produces an even match for a golfer who plays as expected. The converted index is the next best when there are no league scores, with the caveat that a home club number is built on different courses and conditions. Dave's number punishes Sam's team for no reason, since Sam is not Dave. A fixed number is the blunt tool you keep for a total stranger.

A practical rule: use the sub's own league handicap if they have at least 3 posted league rounds. If not, use their converted official index. If they have neither, use a fixed number such as 18, or the league maximum, for their first round. After 3 league rounds, switch to their own.

The absent golfer's handicap is the easiest rule to explain and the hardest to defend, because it assumes the sub plays like the person they replace.

Do sub scores count for the sub's handicap record?

Decide whether the round posts to the sub's own league handicap. There are two sensible answers.

• Yes, post it. If the sub is on the approved list, the round counts toward their league handicap, the same as a member's. After 3 rounds they have a real number.
• No, post nothing. The sub plays off a fixed number and the round does not post. Simple, but a regular sub never builds a record.

I post them, because a handicap built from real scores is the fairest number you can give a regular sub. For official handicaps, the rules are separate: under the Rules of Handicapping, a score is acceptable when it is played in an authorized format, in the company of at least one other person, by the Rules of Golf, on a rated course (Rule 2, randa.org). Whether a league round is posted to an official handicap is up to the golfer's club or association. Your league only decides what posts to your league handicap.

How many sub weeks can a team use?

Set a cap. A common version: no golfer uses a sub more than 4 times in an 18-week season. Or give each team a total, such as 6 sub weeks a season. Count sub weeks per golfer, so the one who never shows up is the one who runs out.

Write down exceptions for injury, illness or work travel, and say who decides.

Whatever allowance the league uses, a sub gets the same one as everyone else. Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping recommends 95% for individual stroke play in medium-sized fields, says 100% could be considered for fields under 30, and uses 90% in its four-ball match play example. Never write a lower allowance for subs.

Scenario: a team uses its 4th sub of the season

Invented league, 18 weeks, rule: "a golfer may use a sub no more than 4 times per season." Dave's team has used a sub in weeks 2, 5 and 9. In week 14 Dave texts that he is out again. That is sub number 4, so it is allowed. In week 16 he asks for number 5.

If no exception applies, Dave's slot is scored under the no-sub default (ghost score or forfeit), not by a fifth sub. Because the rule says "no more than 4" and the count is kept per golfer, nobody has to argue about whether week 14 counted. Say in the rule whether a sub who replaces a golfer for one hole or for a rain-shortened round counts, so the log has one answer.

Do points earned with a sub count fully?

In most leagues, yes. The sub plays in the absent golfer's slot and the team gets what the slot earns. That is the point of having a sub.

If you want to limit the effect, there are three tools.

• Cap the sub's points at the absent golfer's average for the week.
• Skill floor on the sub, as above, so the problem is handled before the round.

Full points to the team and a floor on the sub is the simplest.

If your league uses match points, a sub changes nothing about how they are scored. A nine-hole match with two matchups is 18 hole points plus 2 for low team net, 20 in all, whoever is playing. See the points system guide for how to set those values.

Subs in the playoffs

Playoffs are where a loose sub rule gets expensive. Set a stricter one.

A usual version: a sub is eligible for the playoffs only if they have played at least 4 regular season weeks, whether as a member or as a sub, and are on the approved list. A team can use one sub in a playoff match, and only if a rostered golfer has a documented reason. Teams that cannot field a full roster follow the no-sub default.

That stops the "I'll bring my brother, who is a 4" move the week the prize pool is big.

What happens when no sub is found?

Sometimes nobody answers the phone. Pick a default in advance. There are three common ones.

Worked example: a ghost score

Another invented example. Pat's team is two golfers, Pat and Joe. Pat is out and nobody could be found. Pat's last four gross scores for nine were 45, 43, 46 and 42. The average is (45 + 43 + 46 + 42) / 4 = 176 / 4 = 44. Pat gets 8 / 2 = 4 strokes on nine (a league handicap of 8 on the 18-hole scale), so Pat's average net is 44 - 4 = 40.

Joe shoots a net 38. The team's net total with a ghost score of 40 is 38 + 40 = 78. The other team totals 80, so Pat and Joe win the low team net bonus, 78 against 80, because the ghost score held the team to its normal level.

With a stated forfeit of 3 points instead, the team gives up 3 points and Joe plays his matchup as normal. Pick a number that hurts a little. A ghost score is never a played round, so it should not post to anyone's handicap: under Rule 2, an acceptable score is one actually played by the Rules of Golf with at least one other person.

My preference is the absent golfer's average net, capped at the team's own average if it looks too good. It gives the team a fair shot. The forfeit works best as the penalty for a no-notice no-show, which is different from a golfer who gave notice and could not find a sub.

Sample sub rule wording to copy

Copy this block and edit the brackets. It goes with the rest of your written rules.

Subs. A golfer who cannot play must tell the commissioner and their teammate at least [24 hours] before the tee time and find a sub from the approved sub list by [2 hours] before the tee time. If the golfer cannot find a sub, the commissioner will contact the sub list in order.

Eligibility. Only golfers on the approved sub list may sub. A golfer on another team may sub on a night when their own team is not playing. A sub's handicap may not be lower than [8].

Handicap. A sub plays off their own league handicap if they have at least [3] posted league rounds. Otherwise the sub plays off their official handicap index converted to a course handicap for the tees played. A sub with neither plays off a handicap of [18] for their first round. After [3] league rounds the sub plays off their own league handicap.

Posting. A sub's round posts to the sub's own league handicap record.

Limits. A golfer may use a sub no more than [4] times in a season, unless the commissioner approves an exception for injury, illness or work travel.

Points. Points earned by a sub count in full for the team.

Playoffs. A sub is eligible for the playoffs only if they have played at least [4] regular season weeks and are on the approved sub list. A team may use no more than [one] sub in a playoff match.

No sub found. If no sub is found, the empty slot is scored as a ghost score equal to the absent golfer's average net for the season. If the golfer gave no notice, the team also forfeits [3] points.

Costs. A sub pays the weekly greens fee and side-game money for the night they play. Subs do not pay season dues.

Put it in your rules template, or the bylaws template if you amend rules by vote.

How to keep and contact a sub list

A sub list is a spreadsheet with a few more columns than you think you need. Build it in the off season and keep it live.

1. Recruit. Ask every member for one or two names, and ask the course.
2. Collect the basics. Name, mobile number, email, official handicap index if they have one, home course and the nights they are usually free. The sign-up form guide shows what to ask, including sub availability.
3. Set the call order. Put the most reliable sub first. Rotate the order so the same people do not get every round.
4. Track who played. One line per sub round: date, who they replaced, handicap used, score. The log is how you apply the cap, count rounds toward their own handicap and prove fairness if anyone asks.
5. Contact the same way each time. Text first, because it is faster than a call, and only text people who said it is fine. Send one message with the date, time, course, fee and who they would replace. Ask for a yes or no by a set time, then move down the list. Sample wording:

Hi Sam, it's [Name] from the Tuesday league. Dave is out this week. Can you sub? Tee time 5:30 pm at [Course], nine holes, $[fee] for greens and side games. You'd play off your league handicap. Reply YES or NO by 2 pm and I'll move to the next name if I don't hear back.

That is a lot of texting for one volunteer. Gimme keeps a sub pool for each league, and on League Pro and Course it will text the pool in priority order until someone accepts once texting turns on before the 2027 season. Until then invitations go out by email. The sub plays on the handicap your league rules set, and subs can be invited without creating a full account. League plans can still manage the pool and pick subs by hand. The rules above work with a spreadsheet and a group text, and they are what you need first either way. For the rest of the weekly routine, see how to run a golf league.