(CR - Par)

[Colin L]

It's the fact that they are different that's the issue, for me. If the differentials are truly 'extremely insignificant' why be different?! Egos? Nationalism?

Pragmatism? The acceptance that to achieve any sort of worldwide system it was necessary to compromise on the purity you are looking for? Different jurisdictions were coming to this from different systems, similar systems with different practices within them and so on. It took 7 years to get the WHS in place. I imagine much time was spent in travelling around carrying out negotiations around the world. When the draft rules came out they contained many options which allowed national governing bodies to manage the "local" pace of change by retaining features of previous practice.

I stubbornly return to the assertion that the variations around the world do not impact on the basic calculation of players' handicap indexes, that fundamentally the WHS has achieved (remarkably you might think) compatibility of handicaps around the golfing world. I have no concern in variations in how playing handicaps are arrived at for competitions any more than I have in the possible variations in the rules of golf right down to club level through acceptable local rules. Their effect is limited entirely to the particular competition and is the same for everyone participating.

That I could take my handicap index and play in competitions all over the world, that golfers from all over the world could come to my club and play in a open competition is a significant achievement. I'm certainly not bothered that if I entered a competition in the USA or in Finland my Playing Handicap would include CR-Par. Everyone else's would too.

 

[Foxholer]

Pragmatism? The acceptance that to achieve any sort of worldwide system it was necessary to compromise on the purity you are looking for? Different jurisdictions were coming to this from different systems, similar systems with different practices within them and so on. It took 7 years to get the WHS in place. I imagine much time was spent in travelling around carrying out negotiations around the world. When the draft rules came out they contained many options which allowed national governing bodies to manage the "local" pace of change by retaining features of previous practice.

I stubbornly return to the assertion that the variations around the world do not impact on the basic calculation of players' handicap indexes, that fundamentally the WHS has achieved (remarkably you might think) compatibility of handicaps around the golfing world. I have no concern in variations in how playing handicaps are arrived at for competitions any more than I have in the possible variations in the rules of golf right down to club level through acceptable local rules. Their effect is limited entirely to the particular competition and is the same for everyone participating.

That I could take my handicap index and play in competitions all over the world, that golfers from all over the world could come to my club and play in a open competition is a significant achievement. I'm certainly not bothered that if I entered a competition in the USA or in Finland my Playing Handicap would include CR-Par. Everyone else's would too.

Yeah, I guess that's about as close to universality as could be expected, But I can understand His disappointment that His own country doesn't follow His philosophy!

 

[Foxholer]

And there are many more national orgs at the R&A table. The USGA only deal directly with USA and Mexico.

Just another example of how 'management by committee' has disadvantageous aspects over 'management by decree'. Though there are/can be advantages too.