World Handicap System - FAQ’s

[duncan mackie]

does the US system still take every round into account or are they getting the same as us?

by the looks of it nothing is going to change much except how its calculated. My understanding was it was brought in to allow our Elite players get lower handicaps to match the US as some were struggling to get in though the ballot in many elite comps

No; yes; that is one view presented by one interested group.

Another view is that it's been implemented to enable more cross system handicap competition.

Yet another revolves around software costs being reduced because of the wider pool.

To an earlier post, AR still required due to the inclusion of a number of fudge factors that have been incorporated, nominally to prevent people abusing the system (you can instigate fast upward system moves otherwise).

 

[jim8flog]

They say 'Annual Review' will still happen - I wonder how they will implement any adjustments needed as a result of the AR given the new best 8 from 20 calculation.

The initial implementation is easy you just change the handicap with a AR note.

What happens to keep the new handicap around the right level is going to be another thing.

 

[jim8flog]

I did the maths on mine and my handicap changed by 0.1.

Our handicap secretary reckons a lot of the ladies are in for the biggest increase.

 

[IanG]

The initial implementation is easy you just change the handicap with a AR note.

What happens to keep the new handicap around the right level is going to be another thing.

Exactly, how does the AR adjustment feed into the subsequent best 8 from 20 calculations thereafter.

 

[Franco]

Seen this and thought it maybe of interest, released this month,

https://www.englandgolf.org/shared/get-file.ashx?id=32999&itemtype=document

Unfortunately the link is currently unavailable.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Unfortunately the link is currently unavailable.

Just clicked on it and was fine

 

[upsidedown]

Unfortunately the link is currently unavailable.

Working fine here, it downloads for you :thup:

 

[Aussie Swinger]

I think and see most posts on here are naturally erring to it being a negative, probably due to lack of information available in the UK on the subject at the moment, and the old fear of change or the unknown. In actuality you will see very little difference from the old system. Where I have really found it a positive is the fact that I play competitions on a fair few different courses with varying degrees of slope rating her in Australia. (My home course sits around the default slope rating). The allocation of sometimes an extra shot on a really difficult course (high slope) and losing one on a relatively easier course (low slope value) based on 'daily handicap' appears to me at least to make for a less of a 'field spread' and a much fairer system (excepting the truly great scores or particularly bad rounds). It is important to remember that handicaps, either on the CONGU or WHS system is really based about your playing POTENTIAL not your perceived AVERAGE score you have each week. I think this gets lost on most golfers...

 

[duncan mackie]

I think and see most posts on here are naturally erring to it being a negative, probably due to lack of information available in the UK on the subject at the moment, and the old fear of change or the unknown. In actuality you will see very little difference from the old system. Where I have really found it a positive is the fact that I play competitions on a fair few different courses with varying degrees of slope rating her in Australia. (My home course sits around the default slope rating). The allocation of sometimes an extra shot on a really difficult course (high slope) and losing one on a relatively easier course (low slope value) based on 'daily handicap' appears to me at least to make for a less of a 'field spread' and a much fairer system (excepting the truly great scores or particularly bad rounds). It is important to remember that handicaps, either on the CONGU or WHS system is really based about your playing POTENTIAL not your perceived AVERAGE score you have each week. I think this gets lost on most golfers...

Well CONGU is highly focused on underlying capability, but has with ESR and increases, moved slightly towards current form. USGA system is based on current form.

Any change in the WHS will be reflected in the fiddle factors around max increases and decreases.

 

[Grant85]

I also think no one is really mentioning the main benefits of the new system is that it will be a world based system.

You could go on holiday and play in an Open competition or a scramble - potentially very important for people who go on holiday with their families that is not a real golf holiday. Possibly much easier to get a game with other players.

Not sure if this is something that will develop in practice, but for me it would seem like a good advantage and if I was running a resort course over here I would be considering putting on competitions for tourists to play while they are over.

 

[duncan mackie]

I also think no one is really mentioning the main benefits of the new system is that it will be a world based system.

You could go on holiday and play in an Open competition or a scramble - potentially very important for people who go on holiday with their families that is not a real golf holiday. Possibly much easier to get a game with other players.

Not sure if this is something that will develop in practice, but for me it would seem like a good advantage and if I was running a resort course over here I would be considering putting on competitions for tourists to play while they are over.

Handicapping hasn't been a barrier to European resorts, or clubs, running competitions with both CONGU and EGA handicaps playing. What will (should.....) change is the arbitrary reduction in CONGU players handicaps over and above the normal calculation process (which already exists).

Handicapping is rarely the real barrier!

 

[TheJezster]

I've read through the documentation and I think it could be a good thing. It might make it easier to get your handicap down, especially at venues where it's currently harder to do so (low CSS etc)

Looking at my previous 20 results my HC would reduce from 11.1 to 8.5 so that's quite a difference...

I'd imagine that there will be a lot of people having their handicaps adjusted if that's anything to go by!

 

[MadAdey]

I think it is a great thing. Having moved over here 4 years ago I have learned to love this system over the one back home. Slope and index rating every tee at every course is a great thing. It gets rid of the old "my handicap travels well" because you play at a tough course. Seen that often when I was younger and played at Stoke Rochford that is quite a tough course. Would go somewhere else like the course in my home town Melton Mowbray and easily beat friends that had a handicap there, as the stroke allocation was never correct.

At my place I can move back to the Tour tees, shoot 6 over and still be inside my handicap, because the course plays 4.3 over par. Unlike the UK where that tee box could not ever be rated that much over par.

People have said about people not putting cards in to protect their handicap. Over here places have 2 ways to battle that. The first is to make competitions only open to players who have submitted 'X' amount of cards in the last 2 months. The second is that they make you play off the lowest handicap you have held in the last 12 months to stop people putting bogus cards in to get their handicap raised. Another thing that happens is any cards you submit in competitions gets entered into the handicapping system, even when playing at another course. So that stops people playing in Opens away from their home club and not submitting scores.

 

[duncan mackie]

I think it is a great thing. Having moved over here 4 years ago I have learned to love this system over the one back home. Slope and index rating every tee at every course is a great thing. It gets rid of the old "my handicap travels well" because you play at a tough course. Seen that often when I was younger and played at Stoke Rochford that is quite a tough course. Would go somewhere else like the course in my home town Melton Mowbray and easily beat friends that had a handicap there, as the stroke allocation was never correct.

At my place I can move back to the Tour tees, shoot 6 over and still be inside my handicap, because the course plays 4.3 over par. Unlike the UK where that tee box could not ever be rated that much over par.

People have said about people not putting cards in to protect their handicap. Over here places have 2 ways to battle that. The first is to make competitions only open to players who have submitted 'X' amount of cards in the last 2 months. The second is that they make you play off the lowest handicap you have held in the last 12 months to stop people putting bogus cards in to get their handicap raised. Another thing that happens is any cards you submit in competitions gets entered into the handicapping system, even when playing at another course. So that stops people playing in Opens away from their home club and not submitting scores.

I completely agree that it will be a good thing.

Handicapping has moved on already from days when you were handicapped to par in the UK, and the ubiquitous travelling handicap issue was at its worst. However you can't get away from the fact that people who regularily play tough long courses are better placed to take on any course, regardless of handicap.

Whilst we still don't have many courses with the range of teeing grounds that many US courses do there are a few that have ratings significantly over par - Hoylake blacks are about a 78 SSS!

All individual competition cards are already entered into a players handicap record as well, unless the organisers have arranged for them not to be qualifying rounds, and system derived increases (and decreases) over about 2 will have to be committee approved when the system is brought in (which seems to have been instigated in response to some of the US experiences you reference as well as transistion concerns.

Fundamentally it should be a good thing - my overriding concern remains that people will get wrapped up in non issue matters associated with change (you only have to look at the decade of discussion on match play allowances, and we still aren't at the correct figures that the rest of the world now use!).

Only time will tell now

 

[MadAdey]

I agree that people who play regularly on a tough will always be better equipped. But when you turn up at an easy course and you handicap is adjusteds from 10 to 6, that will counter it. Where at the minute you turn up at a course still playing from 10 even though this place you would probably have a 6 handicap if it was your home course.

I've seen it in club matches where some turn up with maybe a 5 handicap from an easy course and struggles to play to 10 on the harder one. At least his handicap would be adjusted at the harder course to give him a chance.

 

[Dasit]

I can only see good things coming from this

The current system is broke in my opinion. People are given a handicap based on the competition rounds they play, some times it is a bare minimum amount played as many clubs just don’t offer many.

Sone people also tend to not play their best golf when in a completion... but then this handicap they have is used for all areas of golf...

Not a fit for service system at the moment so welcoming the change.

 

[ExRabbit]

I presume this system will still be based on stableford conversion or something similar rather than purely on gross scores? I ask this because if it is just based on gross scores then it would clearly be open to manipulation.

 

[ExRabbit]

I presume this system will still be based on stableford conversion or something similar rather than purely on gross scores? I ask this because if it is just based on gross scores then it would clearly be open to manipulation.

https://www.randa.org/News/2018/02/World-Handicap-System-features-announced

Ok - I found that now.

'A limit of Net Double Bogey on the maximum hole score (for handicapping purposes only)'

 

[patricks148]

I can only see good things coming from this

The current system is broke in my opinion. People are given a handicap based on the competition rounds they play, some times it is a bare minimum amount played as many clubs just don’t offer many.

Sone people also tend to not play their best golf when in a completion... but then this handicap they have is used for all areas of golf...

Not a fit for service system at the moment so welcoming the change.

but this isn't really going to change, you still will have to specify a Q round before, we are not going to take every round like other places have been. So in essence you will still have the pressure of having a card in hand as such from what i understand?

 

[patricks148]

With the slope rating being being adapted, anyone know what will happen in regards to RO and tougher than normal conditions instance?

Some of the comps i play are occasionally Reduction Only if its really windy, which is not that unusual on Links courses, anyone know if anything like this will be used in the new system?