World Handicap System (WHS)

[Green Man]

Had a word with the guy who runs our Saturday roll up, same, full allowance. It's just way too much hassle otherwise.

I tried explaining the new system to some of the guys we play with and they are completely confused. They think they have gone from 1 handicap to having 3.

 

[sweaty sock]

Whats so difficult? Under congu you had a handicap, you adjusted it depending on format...

Under WHS you have a handicap, you adjust it depending on what course your playing, and then again for what format?

Have I missed something?

 

[azazel]

Is there something simple I'm missing to explain why I had a playing handicap of 5 on Saturday?!
Individual strokeplay competition.
My HI is 3.8
Course handicap is 4.3
Course rating 70.8 and Slope 130

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I know that our roll up won't be bothering to put scores in for handicap, and I'm equally confident that we won't be messing around with the 95% malarkey either.

You may not have the choice if your club decides that the roll-up complies with the basic requirements for 'a WHS 'counting' round (I suspect that most larger rollups do) - and that you must apply tweaks to how you play it to make it fully compliant. E.g. if you play gimmes then gimmes can still be given, but you then have to hole out and record your score (if you didn't do so already)

 

[sweaty sock]

Is there something simple I'm missing to explain why I had a playing handicap of 5 on Saturday?!
Individual strokeplay competition.
My HI is 3.8
Course handicap is 4.3
Course rating 70.8 and Slope 130

Should have been 4... unless your HI has changed...

Out of interest is Par 70?

 

[azazel]

Should have been 4... unless your HI has changed...

Out of interest is Par 70?

I was expecting 4. Aye, par 70.

 

[fenwayrich]

Is there something simple I'm missing to explain why I had a playing handicap of 5 on Saturday?!
Individual strokeplay competition.
My HI is 3.8
Course handicap is 4.3
Course rating 70.8 and Slope 130

Were you playing a multi tee stableford? Playing handicaps can be adjusted for these depending on the difference between par and course rating off each set of tees.

 

[sweaty sock]

Could also be that who ever worked it out, incorrectly used the course rating minus par calculation that isn't used in the UK for 18 holes?

 

[Imurg]

Whats so difficult? Under congu you had a handicap, you adjusted it depending on format...

Under WHS you have a handicap, you adjust it depending on what course your playing, and then again for what format?

Have I missed something?

If someone only played strokeplay, under CONGU, their handicap was their handicap
If I played off 6.4 I got 6 shots
Simple.
Now I have to look at a board, find my course handicap and then do a calculation to see if lose a shot or not.
Less simple.
Which is why there will be a number of people, rollups etc who either won't be bothered, can't be bothered or will get it wrong.
Yeah, it's a pretty straightforward calculation but its another step that some just won't do.

 

[azazel]

Were you playing a multi tee stableford? Playing handicaps can be adjusted for these depending on the difference between par and course rating off each set of tees.

No, it was straightforward individual strokeplay off one set of tees.

Could also be that who ever worked it out, incorrectly used the course rating minus par calculation that isn't used in the UK for 18 holes?

That seems possible, although wouldn't that give an incorrect course handicap rather than playing handicap? The competition had (correctly, I assume) my course handicap down as 4.4.

 

[sweaty sock]

Your course handicap is HI 3.8 times slope rating divided bt 118, so 4.2.

 

[Imurg]

You will almost certainly have a picture of the board on your phone, or failing that you will see it displayed in it's prominent place at the club.

95% of anything up to CH 10 is full handicap. So from now until you go up to 11 there is nothing to worry about.

I know. It is simple.
But we've already heard of 2 rollups that aren't doing it- guarantee there will be more.
The whole premise of WHS was to simplify things.
Adding steps rarely leads to simplifying things, especially amongst those who raise an eyebrow at change.

 

[sweaty sock]

If someone only played strokeplay, under CONGU, their handicap was their handicap
If I played off 6.4 I got 6 shots
Simple.
Now I have to look at a board, find my course handicap and then do a calculation to see if lose a shot or not.
Less simple.
Which is why there will be a number of people, rollups etc who either won't be bothered, can't be bothered or will get it wrong.
Yeah, it's a pretty straightforward calculation but its another step that some just won't do.

But we expect the same people who cant be bothered to look on a chart at the first tee for their handicap, to play provisionals, not take gimmies, stick rigidly to rules of golf whenever they register a round... what could possibly go wrong... not a dig at anyone, but this issue is what makes a mockery of handicaps in America, and I see us heading towatds it at full speed...

 

[Imurg]

And yet it will happen whether we like it or not.

 

[USER1999]

So the reality is, turn up on Saturday, a bit worse for wear, pack in a bacon sandwich and a quick coffee. Bundle out to the tee, one guy says I am marking the card for the roll up stableford. (Reality, who has a card, anyone? You are marking). What's every one off?
So first guy, I am index 10.1. What the heck does that mean? So the guy doing the card has to look up 10.1, and find out his playing handicap is 12. Fine. But it's not 12, because his handicap allowance is actually 95%, so 11.4, as in 11.
So on for the others, as I can guarantee none if them will have a clue, if they even remember their HI.

Then, let's chuck the balls up for a bit of 4bbb while we are out here. Have a scoot at the card you have just written the h/caps on. Nope. That doesn't help. Why? Because it is 90% of playing, not allowance, and he has just written down the allowance. Cue re shuffle, phaff about, and the guy off 10.1 is back to 10.8, so still 11, but a totally different calculation.

This is so far away from what people used to do, it will be confusing, and I would guess that most will use some form of hybrid mess that WHS was supposed to sort out.

 

[D-S]

I know. It is simple.
The whole premise of WHS was to simplify things.
Adding steps rarely leads to simplifying things, especially amongst those who raise an eyebrow at change.

Since when was ‘the whole premise of WHS to simplify things’. This was never claimed; it was to make play fairer and to make handicaps more portable between courses and in due course globally. I have never ever seen a claim to make it simpler. However just picking and choosing which bits you want to use is indeed ‘simple’.

 

[sweaty sock]

So the reality is, turn up on Saturday, a bit worse for wear, pack in a bacon sandwich and a quick coffee. Bundle out to the tee, one guy says I am marking the card for the roll up stableford. (Reality, who has a card, anyone? You are marking). What's every one off?
So first guy, I am index 10.1. What the heck does that mean? So the guy doing the card has to look up 10.1, and find out his playing handicap is 12. Fine. But it's not 12, because his handicap allowance is actually 95%, so 11.4, as in 11.
So on for the others, as I can guarantee none if them will have a clue, if they even remember their HI.

Then, let's chuck the balls up for a bit of 4bbb while we are out here. Have a scoot at the card you have just written the h/caps on. Nope. That doesn't help. Why? Because it is 90% of playing, not allowance, and he has just written down the allowance. Cue re shuffle, phaff about, and the guy off 10.1 is back to 10.8, so still 11, but a totally different calculation.

This is so far away from what people used to do, it will be confusing, and I would guess that most will use some form of hybrid mess that WHS was supposed to sort out.

Good point, well made.

Did pre whs go along the same lines where you used your handicap for the sweep and applied 90% for the 4BBB?

 

[Bdill93]

I swear the majority of arguments WHS creates always relate back to "throw up"/ "bounces" /"roll ups" and how they are going to implement them.

Not even sure my club runs them.. just have 5 comps a week instead

 

[Imurg]

Since when was ‘the whole premise of WHS to simplify things’. This was never claimed; it was to make play fairer and to make handicaps more portable between courses and in due course globally. I have never ever seen a claim to make it simpler. However just picking and choosing which bits you want to use is indeed ‘simple’.

First page of England Golf Handicapping
The WHS is designed to welcome more players, make golf easier to understand and give golfers a handicap which is portable around the globe.
What does that part mean..?
And, for the record, I'll be using it as directed.
However, as we've seen on this thread, there will be some that won't
Add to that the different ways of doing calculations, either rounding or not, means that some Countries are picking and choosing.

 

[doublebogey7]

Could also be that who ever worked it out, incorrectly used the course rating minus par calculation that isn't used in the UK for 18 holes?

I thought Scotltish Golf were using the course rating/par calculation.