WHS soft or hard cap ???

[LEOHALL]

Hi folks, please pardon my ignorance but I really don't understand how or when the 'soft' and 'hard' cap is applied in the WHS system - the basic meaning being that a player's handicap index cannot increase by more than 5 strokes above their minimum in a calendar year?
Please could someone explain in simple terms how this works - a player at our club was 17.1 in September 2022 and is currently 24.3 and there are mutterings amongst some members that there have been 'dodgy dealings' and this should not be possible?
Thanks

 

[Backsticks]

Hard cap only applies once they have at least 20 scores. If not, it doesnt apply. Have they ?

 

[LEOHALL]

40 scores recorded since September .....

 

[Wabinez]

it shouldn't be possible to go 5 shots above the low index in a 12 month rolling period. I am not, however, sure if an annual review can override the hard cap or not.

Getting to 5 above the low index is a good effort, especially as once you go 3 above (the soft cap) any increase or reductions are halved. Maybe they have just played some absolutely terrible golf, and the annual review has shown their index needs to increase

 

[YandaB]

40 scores recorded since September .....

When was their 20th score submitted? I understsand that is the point at which the low index is initially set.

 

[Alan Clifford]

If he's a member of your club, you should be able to see his score record on the England Golf website and work out his lowest handicap in the last year or, if he is a newish golfer, his lowest handicap since his 20th score. Login and search for his name.

 

[jim8flog]

To explain caps in simplicity (as best as possible)
Provided a player has 20 scores on their record.

In a rolling 12 month period
A players lowest handicap index is set.
Their handicap cannot go more than 5 shots above this figure, this is the HARD CAP, unless it is reset by the handicap committee.
When they reach 3 shots above the lowest H.I. this is the SOFT CAP, all increases as a result of scores submitted are then halved until the maximum of 5 is reached.

The club should have done an annual review before 1st January and this payers handicap and cap my have been reset as a result of the review. The player may have also requested a review.

 

[Swango1980]

Hi folks, please pardon my ignorance but I really don't understand how or when the 'soft' and 'hard' cap is applied in the WHS system - the basic meaning being that a player's handicap index cannot increase by more than 5 strokes above their minimum in a calendar year?
Please could someone explain in simple terms how this works - a player at our club was 17.1 in September 2022 and is currently 24.3 and there are mutterings amongst some members that there have been 'dodgy dealings' and this should not be possible?
Thanks

As other have suggested, it depends what their Index was after at least 20 scores.

For example, after only 3 scores their index may be based on one pretty good score, and then 2 is subtracted from that. So, it is possible the initial, or an early Index could be quite low. If they submit relatively worse scores up to their 20 scores, that Index will rise to whatever it needs to rise to.

Once those 20 scores are in, that is the point at which the Low Index is set (and of course, this will decrease if their Index reduces thereafter)

So, I suspect that the 17.1 Index you mentioned was set at a time before the full 20 scores were in the record, possibly quite a bit before then. That, or the Handicap Committee have increased it at Review. Although, from experience, would be suprised if that was the case.

 

[LizAig]

it shouldn't be possible to go 5 shots above the low index in a 12 month rolling period. I am not, however, sure if an annual review can override the hard cap or not.

Getting to 5 above the low index is a good effort, especially as once you go 3 above (the soft cap) any increase or reductions are halved. Maybe they have just played some absolutely terrible golf, and the annual review has shown their index needs to increase

The hard cap can be reset during a handicap review - when discussing a player, whose handicap was being increased due to illness, we were advised by Regional Handicap Advisor to reset the cap to allow it to increase if player continued to play badly