WHS and Acceptable Rounds

[IanM]

Unless communication and engagement improves massively before launch, I can see the group I play with saying nuts to all this and just "playing golf" as we do now for the round of drinks after! Forget handicaps, comps and just play for the fun of it.

How much is the annual subscription for the robot I will have following me around to tell me what I am meant to be playing off today?

The more I read, the more confused I am getting.

 

[rulefan]

Unless communication and engagement improves massively before launch, I can see the group I play with saying nuts to all this and just "playing golf" as we do now for the round of drinks after! Forget handicaps, comps and just play for the fun of it.

How much is the annual subscription for the robot I will have following me around to tell me what I am meant to be playing off today?

The more I read, the more confused I am getting.

There is little point in CONGU or EG publishing the fine details now as most people will have forgotten them by November.
However, the national unions are currently running seminars for handicap secretaries and other club handicap administrators. Presentations are being prepared for players and will be rolled out during next year. But there is plenty of information on the web if you search for it.

 

[Colin L]

Unless communication and engagement improves massively before launch, I can see the group I play with saying nuts to all this and just "playing golf" as we do now for the round of drinks after! Forget handicaps, comps and just play for the fun of it.

How much is the annual subscription for the robot I will have following me around to tell me what I am meant to be playing off today?

The more I read, the more confused I am getting.

You exaggerate as I suspect you well know!

What players minimally have to do now for stroke/stableford comps at my club :
Sign on for comp; put Playing Handicap on card or check the one on it is correct; play; put hole by hole gross scores into a computer terminal and the card into a box; easily find out the next day about any adjustment to their Exact Handicap which has been calculated for them.

What players will minimally have to do for stroke/stableford comps at my club after November 2020:
Sign on for comp; put Handicap Index on card or check the one on it is correct; play; put hole by hole gross scores into a computer terminal and the card into a box; easily find out the next day about any adjustment to their Handicap Index which has been calculated for them.

There is admittedly new and extra thing to do for matchplay. You will need to find out the number of strokes you get for the particular set of tees you will be playing from. That will entail looking at a table on display in the clubhouse, running a finger vertically down the left hand column till it reaches the row for your Handicap Index and then running it horizontally along the row till it gets to column for the colour of tees you will be playing from where will be displayed the number of strokes you get (your Course Handicap)

Learning new things can be tough.

 

[IanM]

Exaggerate for comic effect? Me? Well , possibly.

Currently I know my exact handicap. I get told it after each comp I play by email and looking at Master Scoreboard. I write it on my card, off I go. Rinse and repeat.

.... each week there seems to be a new thread on here with another new element on it. My club hasn't said anything about any of this yet... What the heck is a handicap index?

I googled "new WHS" and all I see is videos saying how great it is and how it will help more folk to play golf! Diddle-doo about the practicalities

 

[backwoodsman]

Exaggerate for comic effect? Me? Well , possibly.

Currently I know my exact handicap. I get told it after each comp I play by email and looking at Master Scoreboard. I write it on my card, off I go. Rinse and repeat.

.... each week there seems to be a new thread on here with another new element on it. My club hasn't said anything about any of this yet... What the heck is a handicap index?

I googled "new WHS" and all I see is videos saying how great it is and how it will help more folk to play golf! Diddle-doo about the practicalities

Simple. It's what you & I know as "my handicap".

I'm not understanding the supposed confusion over the new system. You will know your "handicap" and you will know what course/tees you're going to play. You simply look on a displayed chart to see how many shots you'll get. Most of the world has managed to cope with this for ages. I'm sure we Brits aren't such thickies that we won't be able to?

 

[rulefan]

Exaggerate for comic effect? Me? Well , possibly.

Currently I know my exact handicap. I get told it after each comp I play by email and looking at Master Scoreboard. I write it on my card, off I go. Rinse and repeat.

.... each week there seems to be a new thread on here with another new element on it. My club hasn't said anything about any of this yet... What the heck is a handicap index?

I googled "new WHS" and all I see is videos saying how great it is and how it will help more folk to play golf! Diddle-doo about the practicalities

When did you first become aware of the practicalities of the 2019 Rules of Golf?

But if you really feel you need it to know now, here are some definitions for starters:

Acceptable Score
A score from an authorized format of play which meets all the provisions set out within the Rules of Handicapping (see Rule 2).
Bogey Player
A player with a Handicap Index of approximately 20.0 for men and approximately 24.0 for women.
Course Handicap
The number of handicap strokes a player receives, before handicap allowances, from a specific set of tees as determined by the Slope Rating.
Course Rating
An indication of the difficulty of a golf course for the scratch player under normal course and weather conditions (see Appendix G).
Exceptional Score
A Score Differential which is at least 7.0 strokes better than the player’s Handicap Index at the time the round was played (see Rule 5.9).
General Play
When an organized competition is not being contested and golfers are playing: A casual round; or Competitively, but not in an event organized by a Committee.
Handicap Allowance
The percentage of a Course Handicap recommended to create equity for all players participating in a specific format of play (see Appendix C).
Handicap Index
The measure of a player’s demonstrated ability calculated against the Slope Rating of a golf course of standard playing difficulty (that is, a course with a Slope Rating
of 113)
Low Handicap Index
The lowest Handicap Index achieved by a player during the 365-day period (one year) preceding the day on which the most recent score in their scoring record was
played (see Rule 5.7).
Net Double Bogey
A score equal to the par of a hole plus two strokes and adjusted for any handicap strokes applied on that hole. A net double bogey is a player’s maximum hole score
for handicap purposes (see Rule 3.1).
Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC)
The statistical calculation that determines if conditions on a day of play differed from normal playing conditions to the extent that they significantly impacted
players’ performance.
Examples of conditions that could impact players’ performance include: l Course conditions, l Weather conditions, and l Course set-up.
Playing Handicap
The Course Handicap adjusted for any handicap allowances or Terms of the Competition. It represents the actual number of strokes the player gives or
receives for the round being played (see Rule 6.2).
Score Differential
The difference between a player’s adjusted gross score and the Course Rating, reflecting the Slope Rating and the playing conditions calculation. It is the numerical
value attributed to a score achieved on a golf course on a specific day that is posted into the player’s scoring record. A Score Differential must be an 18-hole value or
its calculated equivalent (see Rule 5.1).
Slope Rating
An indication of the relative difficulty of a golf course for players who are not scratch players compared to players who are scratch players (see Appendix G).

 

[duncan mackie]

Exaggerate for comic effect? Me? Well , possibly.

Currently I know my exact handicap. I get told it after each comp I play by email and looking at Master Scoreboard. I write it on my card, off I go. Rinse and repeat.

.... each week there seems to be a new thread on here with another new element on it. My club hasn't said anything about any of this yet... What the heck is a handicap index?

I googled "new WHS" and all I see is videos saying how great it is and how it will help more folk to play golf! Diddle-doo about the practicalities

I have huge sympathy for the underlying principle you are trying to get over - but you choice of words strongly suggests that the view held by many; that until a player knows what his new handicap index actually is no amount of theory will make any sense! It simply isn't real enough.
His first question will be, what is my handicap?
Second will (eventually) be so what do I have to shoot from my usual tees on my usual course to play 'to that'?
Everything else follows from there pretty naturally.
All that needs learning to be able to play and compete going forwards can be learnt in 15 minutes - once its possible to answer those 2 questions.
Try and deal with it in theory and you can spend a week and get nowhere.

 

[rulie]

The US Authorised forms over 9 or 18 holes are:

Individual stroke play
Organized competition
General play 9 18
Stableford — organized competition
Stableford — general play
Par/Bogey — organized competition
Par/Bogey — general play
Maximum Score — organized competition
Maximum Score — general play

Four-Ball stroke play
Organized competition
General play
Stableford — organized competition
Stableford — general play
Par/Bogey — organized competition
Par/Bogey — general play
Maximum Score — organized competition
Maximum Score — general play

Individual match play
Organized competition
General play

Four-Ball match play
Organized competition
General play

You didn't mention handicapping Rule 3.3 (when a hole is started but player does not hole out) and the requirement to:
- determine the most likely score, and
- use that score for posting for handicap purposes (provided it is lower than net double bogey).

 

[Colin L]

CONGU is not adopting the "most like score." For us, the score for any hole started but not finished will be a net double bogey or no Stableford points - a continuation of our current practice.

 

[rulefan]

You didn't mention handicapping Rule 3.3 (when a hole is started but player does not hole out) and the requirement to:
- determine the most likely score, and
- use that score for posting for handicap purposes (provided it is lower than net double bogey).

Why did I need to?

 

[duncan mackie]

You didn't mention handicapping Rule 3.3 (when a hole is started but player does not hole out) and the requirement to:
- determine the most likely score, and
- use that score for posting for handicap purposes (provided it is lower than net double bogey).

I haven't seen anything that confirms that this rule will continue to be in place after the implementation of the WHS - can you point to anything?
Whilst the WHS marketing is clear that there will be the opportunity for local authorised associations to make their own rules around aspects of acceptable scores, aspects of this are clearly going to be a big issue for those using the USGA rules currently (mainly because there seems to be a huge expectation that the WHS is basically the existing USGA system (whilst it's probably much closer to the Aus derived/evolved version).
There's also a major focus on the net double bogey aspect, and an extremely strong logic that says that if you can beat that score simply do it - if you don't finish the hole you score the net double bogey (the end). Basically that option is outraged, and if it doesn't go on day one I suspect it won't last many revisions.
Playing alone is another major element of change.
We will see...

 

[IanM]

I have huge sympathy for the underlying principle you are trying to get over - but you choice of words strongly suggests that the view held by many; that until a player knows what his new handicap index actually is no amount of theory will make any sense! It simply isn't real enough.
His first question will be, what is my handicap?
Second will (eventually) be so what do I have to shoot from my usual tees on my usual course to play 'to that'?
Everything else follows from there pretty naturally.
All that needs learning to be able to play and compete going forwards can be learnt in 15 minutes - once its possible to answer those 2 questions.
Try and deal with it in theory and you can spend a week and get nowhere.

Is the right answer!

And people who prefer reading rule books to actually hitting golf balls are not the best folk to convey the message.

 

[rulie]

I haven't seen anything that confirms that this rule will continue to be in place after the implementation of the WHS - can you point to anything?
Whilst the WHS marketing is clear that there will be the opportunity for local authorised associations to make their own rules around aspects of acceptable scores, aspects of this are clearly going to be a big issue for those using the USGA rules currently (mainly because there seems to be a huge expectation that the WHS is basically the existing USGA system (whilst it's probably much closer to the Aus derived/evolved version).
There's also a major focus on the net double bogey aspect, and an extremely strong logic that says that if you can beat that score simply do it - if you don't finish the hole you score the net double bogey (the end). Basically that option is outraged, and if it doesn't go on day one I suspect it won't last many revisions.
Playing alone is another major element of change.
We will see...

See handicapping Rule 3.3 on page 38 of the USGA 2020 Handicap Manual
https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Handicap/Rules-of-Handicapping_USGA_Final.pdf

 

[rulefan]

See handicapping Rule 3.3 on page 38 of the USGA 2020 Handicap Manual
https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Handicap/Rules-of-Handicapping_USGA_Final.pdf

I know the USGA and CONGU version but am not sure what it gas to do with the list of 'Authorised Formats of Play' recognised by the USGA

 

[rulie]

I know the USGA and CONGU version but am not sure what it gas to do with the list of 'Authorised Formats of Play' recognised by the USGA

It has to do with the team formats (best two out of four etc) that mikejohn first mentioned as not acceptable scores and you followed up with the "authorized formats", seemingly in support.

 

[Crow]

See handicapping Rule 3.3 on page 38 of the USGA 2020 Handicap Manual
https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Handicap/Rules-of-Handicapping_USGA_Final.pdf

 

[rulefan]

I don't recollect anything about temporary greens or bunkers out of play. I don't have access to the text at the moment but that's as I recollect.

I was told that CONGU will continue with the current CONGU rules re temporary greens and bunkers out of play.

 

[nickjdavis]

I run the Saturday roll up so have a record of all the scores and our rules currently have no gimmes and everything holed out.
Let me be upfront - I've not read up anything on the new handicap system but how does the slope rating apply (and isn't it suppose to change daily - who sets this??) and how will we be able to apply appropriate cuts to those taking the money. Hoping the forum experts can give some pointers so I can get some plans together. I've never been asked for the scores even though the club know I have the records

You will have a handicap index. You do not need to worry about the slope rating. When you pitch up at a club to play you will look at a table published and displayed in a prominent location that specifically relates to the tees at that course. You will look up your handicap index, and determine from the table your course handicap (playing handicap if you like) for the set of tees you are playing. It is quite possible that you could have a handicap index of 12 and on Saturday at one course have a course handicap of 10 and on the Sunday at another course you will play off 13.

(It is the slope index that effectively determines how many shots you get compared to your handicap index....but that effect is factored in to the published table which is why you really don't need to worry about it)

The slope rating does not change. There may be a course condition adjustment (similar but different to the current CSS) but no one will know what it is until all the scores for the day have been processed (sometime during the night) by whatever central computer system the WHS uses.

I guess if you are running your own "roll-up handicaps" then you can make whatever arbitrary decisions you like regarding how you cut the handicap index of golfers who take the money.

 

[Colin L]

You will look up your handicap index, and determine from the table your course handicap (playing handicap if you like) for the set of tees you are playing..........

Sorry, but that's just going to confuse. Course Handicap is not the same as Playing Handicap. Your Course Handicap is the number of strokes allocated to you for the particular course you are going to play and is a function of your Handicap Index and the Slope Rating of the course. You then apply a Handicap Allowance for the format you are playing (e.g. 95% for singles stroke play) to your Course Handicap according to the format you are playing. That gives you your Playing Handicap, the number of strokes you will actually get for your game. It might be the same number of strokes as your Course Handicap or it might be different depending on what the percentage is (e.g. it's 100% for singles match play!) and on rounding up or down to the nearest whole number.

 

[Colin L]

This is just my view of the place of a forum in learning about the WHS. I think we generally need to recognise the limitations - and dangers - of trying to learn something new like the WHS from it. Information from a forum comes to you in bits and pieces, without necessarily making patterns clear or establishing the wider context of a particular item. An answer to a question might be too technical or depend on a degree of knowledge that a reader doesn't have at that stage. The forum isn't a training manual or a seminar. It has no shape, pattern or sequence: questions arise randomly and the answers while dealing with particular points don't necessarily cohere. Anarchy abounds. In due course, the rule book will establish order and sequence; seminars will do that; the detailed information published by the WHS, by national authorities, by areas and clubs will do that, and do it accurately. If you are starting from scratch, you really need do your learning through these other resources but while you are going through that learning process, this forum can be very helpful to you by way of helping you with the difficulty you might be having with the aspect of the system that is bothering you at that moment in the process.

For those who are coming to the system anew, I suggest you decide to what level you want to take your understanding of it. If you so wish, you will be able to manage your handicap without any technical knowledge and understanding. As already illustrated, you will be able to turn up for a game of golf anywhere (it is a worldwide system after all!) knowing only your Handicap Index and look up a table to find out how many strokes you get for that course - your Course Handicap. You might have to work out what 95% of that is, or 85%, or (the easy one) 100% to get your Playing Handicap. I'm hoping, however, to include that in the table for our club but don't know if there will be enough space. If that does work, you won't even have to do that wee bit of arithmetic. After your game, if you are returning the score for handicapping purposes, you just put in the gross score for each hole. That's it. The next day you can find out if your Handicap Index has changed and continue on your tour of the world's courses, applying your Handicap Index to each.

If you want to know more of how the engine works, may I suggest you take whatever opportunities there are and will be for learning. Information, explanation and support is on its way but bear in mind that as in any educational process, trainers have to be trained, teachers have to be taught and so on. That's been happening and in due course the process should ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to learn to whatever depth they wish.

Well, that's turned into something of an essay but that's what insomnia can do. If it's put you to sleep, I envy you.