Polo handicap

A polo handicap is a system created by Henry Lloyd Herbert, the first president of the United States Polo Association, at the founding of the USPA in 1890 so teams could be more evenly matched when using players with varying abilities.^[1]

The players are rated on a scale from minus-2 to 10. Minus-2 indicates a novice player, while a player rated at 10 goals has the highest handicap possible. It is so difficult to attain a 10-goal handicap that there are fewer than two dozen in the world, and about two-thirds of all players handicapped are rated at two goals or less. Currently, most living ten-goal players are Argentine, with few exceptions.

Handicaps of five goals and above generally belong to professional players. It is not (nor has it ever been) an estimate of the number of goals a player might score in a game, but rather of the player's worth to their team. It is the overall rating of a player's horsemanship, team play, knowledge of the game, strategy, and horses. At one time, polo was the only sport in the world that considered sportsmanship when rating a player.^[2]

In matches played by "handicapped" players (as opposed to open competition, where handicaps are not considered), the handicaps of all four players are totaled. If the total handicap of a team is more than that of the team against which they are playing, the difference is added to the scoreboard. For example, if the Mounties polo team has a total handicap of six goals and the Tayto team has a handicap of four goals, Tayto would begin the match with a two-goal advantage.^[2]

A player's handicap is usually assessed by a committee at the authorizing club of his country. A professional player may be assigned an equivalent rating in countries where he competes. Though standards are similar, the ratings may be expressed differently. e.g.:

Argentina: 0 to 10

USA: C (-2), B (-1), B+ (-0.5), A (0), A+ (0.5), 1.0, 1.5, 2 to 10

England: -2 to 10.^[3]

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Rodolphe Louis Agassiz (1871–1933) – USA^[4]
Mariano Aguerre (born 1969) – Argentina / USA ^[5]

Alejandro Diaz Alberdi - Argentina
Enrique Alberdi - Argentina
Juan ALberdi - Argentina
Mike Azzaro – USA
Miguel (Miki) Novillo Astrada – Argentina^[5]
Gerald Barnard Balding Sr. (1903–1957) - England's last 10 goal player.
Adolfo Cambiaso (born 1975) – Argentina^[5]
Guillermo (Sapo) Caset - Argentina
Bartolomé Castagnola (born 1970) – Argentina ^[5]
Carlos Gracida (1960–2014) – Mexico
Guillermo Gracida Jr. (1956) - Mexico
Alfredo Harriott – Argentina (born 1945)^[6]
Juan C. Harriott Jr. (born 1936 -2023) - Argentina ^[7]
Alberto Pedro Heguy – Argentina (born 1941)^[8]
Bautista Heguy – Argentina / England^[5]
Gonzalo Heguy - Argentina^[5]
Horacio Heguy - Argentina^[5]
Ignacio Heguy – Argentina^[5]
Marcos Heguy – Argentina^[5]
Tommy Hitchcock, Jr. (1900 –1944) – USA
Foxhall Keene (1867–1941) - USA
Lewis Lacey (1887–1966) – Argentina.
Juan Martin Nero - Argentina.
Pablo Mac Donough (born 1982) – Argentina / Spain / USA^[5]
Agustin Merlos – Argentina / Spain / USA^[5]
Sebastian Merlos – Argentina
Lucas Monteverde (born 1976) – Argentina^[5]
Juan Martin Nero – Argentina / Spain^[5]
Alfonso Pieres - Argentina
Nicolas (Nico) Pieres - Argentina
Facundo (Facu) Pieres (born 1986) – Argentina / USA^[5]
Gonzalo Pieres Jr. (born 1982) – Argentina / France^[5]
Gonzalo Pieres Sr. - Argentina
Pablo (Polito) Pieres (born 1987) – Argentina ^[9]^[10]
Aidan Roark (1905–1984) – Ireland ^[11]
John Sinclair-Hill (born 1934) - Australia^[12]^[13]
Bob Skene (1914–1997) - Australia
David Stirling (born 1981) – Uruguay ^[14]
Louis Ezekiel Stoddard (1881–1951) – USA ^[15]
John Arthur Edward Traill (1882–1958) – Argentina / Ireland ^[16]
Ernesto Trotz - Argentina
Hilario Ulloa (born 1985) – Argentina^[17]
Tommy Wayman (born 1946) – USA

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Rodrigo De Andrade - Brazil
Eduardo Novillo Astrada – Argentina
Ignacio Novillo Astrada – Argentina
Javier Novillo Astrada – Argentina
Joginder Singh Baidwan (1904–1940) - India
Francisco Bensadon - Argentina
Juan Britos - Argentina
Alfredo Capella Barabucci - Argentina
Bartolome (Barto) Castagnola - Argentina
Camilo (Jeta) Castagnola - Argentina
Diego Cavanagh - Argentina
Santiago Chavanne – Argentina
Lucas Criado – Argentina
Francisco DeNarvaez – Argentina
Alejandro Diaz-Alberdi (born 1963) – Argentina
Gabriel Donoso (1960–2006) – Chile
Ignatius (Nachi) Du Plessis - South Africa
Francisco Elizalde - Argentina
Elbridge T. Gerry Sr. (1908-1999) - United States
Alberto Heguy – Argentina
Eduardo Heguy – Argentina
Howard Hipwood - England
Julian Hipwood - England
Matias MacDonough – Argentina
Juan Alberto Merlos (1945) – Argentina
Juan I. Merlos – Argentina
Man Singh II (1912-1970) – India
Facundo Sola - Argentina
Guillermo Terrera - Argentina
Santiago (Santi) Toccalino - Argentina
Eric Leader Pedley (1896-1986) - United States

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[1]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2009). The Evolution of Polo. McFarland & C. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7864-3814-3.
[2]
"Polo 101". US Polo Association. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
[3]
"The Polo Handicap". POLO+10 The Polo Magazine. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
[4]
Laffaye, Horace A. (10 January 2014). Polo in the United States. ISBN 9780786480074. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
[5]
Polo Players Handicap, Federation of International Polo. Retrieved February 27, 2012 Archived December 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
[6]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2004). The polo encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 159. ISBN 0-7864-1724-2.
[7]
Profiles in Polo: The Players Who Changed the Game Edited by Horace A. Laffaye
[8]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2004). The polo encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 164. ISBN 0-7864-1724-2.
[9]
Mander, Benedict (13 June 2014). "Pablo Pieres: 'It's hard work, but living a dream'". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
[10]
World Polo Tour Ranking, retrieved 27 April 2017
[11]
Leonard Mosley (1985). Zanuck: The rise and fall of Hollywood's last tycoon. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070434653.
[12]
"HALL OF FAME" (PDF). nswpolo.com.au. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
[13]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2004). The polo encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 0-7864-1724-2.
[14]
"Argentinien: Änderungen der Handicaps". www.poloplus10.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
[15]
"Died". Time. March 22, 1948. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
[16]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2007). "Johnny Traill: An Irishman from the Pampas". Profiles in Polo:The Players Who Changed the Game. McFarland & Company. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7864-3131-1.
[17]
"Ulloa to Reach the Sport's Top Handicap". Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.

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[1] [1]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2009). The Evolution of Polo. McFarland & C. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7864-3814-3.

[polo-2] [2]
"Polo 101". US Polo Association. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-04-14.

[3] [3]
"The Polo Handicap". POLO+10 The Polo Magazine. Retrieved 28 October 2017.

[4] [4]
Laffaye, Horace A. (10 January 2014). Polo in the United States. ISBN 9780786480074. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

[fippolo1-5] [5]
Polo Players Handicap, Federation of International Polo. Retrieved February 27, 2012 Archived December 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

[6] [6]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2004). The polo encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 159. ISBN 0-7864-1724-2.

[7] [7]
Profiles in Polo: The Players Who Changed the Game Edited by Horace A. Laffaye

[8] [8]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2004). The polo encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 164. ISBN 0-7864-1724-2.

[cotter-9] [9]
Mander, Benedict (13 June 2014). "Pablo Pieres: 'It's hard work, but living a dream'". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 April 2017.

[10] [10]
World Polo Tour Ranking, retrieved 27 April 2017

[11] [11]
Leonard Mosley (1985). Zanuck: The rise and fall of Hollywood's last tycoon. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070434653.

[12] [12]
"HALL OF FAME" (PDF). nswpolo.com.au. Retrieved 27 May 2017.

[13] [13]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2004). The polo encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 0-7864-1724-2.

[14] [14]
"Argentinien: Änderungen der Handicaps". www.poloplus10.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.

[time-15] [15]
"Died". Time. March 22, 1948. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-13.

[16] [16]
Laffaye, Horace A. (2007). "Johnny Traill: An Irishman from the Pampas". Profiles in Polo:The Players Who Changed the Game. McFarland & Company. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7864-3131-1.

[17] [17]
"Ulloa to Reach the Sport's Top Handicap". Archived from the original on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.

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Polo handicap

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Polo handicap

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Ten-goal players, highest handicap achieved in outdoor polo

Nine-goal players, with a maximum 9-goal handicap achieved in outdoor polo

References

External links