World Handicap System (WHS)

[woofers]

Those of you playing at Bearwood Lakes might be interested to know that from the white tees (which I presume you will use), the course rating is 72 and the slope is 142.

Whilst that relatively high slope rating will no doubt please the owner, it may come at a bit of a disadvantage to the members.
Lets assume a couple of members have played all their qualifiers there and have handicaps of 12 and 20. I think I’m right in saying these would roughly convert to indices of (12/142x113) = 9.5 and (20/142x113) = 15.9.
Does that sound correct? Is Bearwood Lakes that tricky ?

 

[Ethan]

Whilst that relatively high slope rating will no doubt please the owner, it may come at a bit of a disadvantage to the members.
Lets assume a couple of members have played all their qualifiers there and have handicaps of 12 and 20. I think I’m right in saying these would roughly convert to indices of (12/142x113) = 9.5 and (20/142x113) = 15.9.
Does that sound correct? Is Bearwood Lakes that tricky ?

I don’t think it’s that tricky. In fact there really isn’t much trickery. The course is laid out fairly in front of you. Few of the holes are unreachable in regulation. Greens can be fast, though and some of the bunkers are best avoided.

I think the handicap needs recalculated, though, based on the 8/20 method. I did that for mine (9.9) and it came out as 9.1. That would give me a course handicap of 11.

 

[Foxholer]

...Is Bearwood Lakes that tricky ?

Not really 'tricky'...just 'tough/difficult'!

 

[rulefan]

Oh blimey, your club is right ?. I've played all of the courses in your area and there is no way Harrogate is tougher than your place, not even close. It's a nice course, shorter and a little tighter but there is no question I will score better there than yours, as will pretty much everyone else.

You need to be less boring ?, some lovely courses within 15 minutes of you that are well worth a visit. Opens are your friend.

Have you tried Wetherby?

 

[jim8flog]

Well, that's what I am a bit interested/concerned about... I'm not cat 1, but we have very few of them. I hope WHS doesn't make things harder on them.

Worth remembering that if a player has a handicap index of zero wherever they play their course handicap will be zero.

 

[IanM]

Am I right in expecting some volatility in handicap index for mid handicappers like my mate whose gross scores recently range between 111 and 88 Currently off 18

 

[larmen]

Am I right in expecting some volatility in handicap index for mid handicappers like my mate whose gross scores recently range between 111 and 88 Currently off 18

In theory, shouldn't it stay closer to the sharp end? If your new round isn't in your top counting rounds you just stick rather than get a +0.1.
However, if he played 20 bad ones he gets to 23 fairly quickly?

I have the feeling that every day I understand less and less, but I am looking forward to it more and more ;-)

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Have you tried Wetherby?

No, I haven't played there. Is it worth a go?

I love Harrogate as a base and it's good to have new courses to try within a short drive of there.

 

[rulefan]

No, I haven't played there. Is it worth a go?

Yes and the two new finishing holes are a bonus.
...........Par....CR....BR....Slope
White...73...72.8...97.8...135
Blue.....73...72.2...96.7...132
Yellow..73...70.6...94.1...127

 

[jim8flog]

Am I right in expecting some volatility in handicap index for mid handicappers like my mate whose gross scores recently range between 111 and 88 Currently off 18

My scores vary wildly between 7 over gross and 20 over gross but averaging of the best means my projected Course Handicap will be within 0.5 of my current handicap.

 

[Ethan]

Am I right in expecting some volatility in handicap index for mid handicappers like my mate whose gross scores recently range between 111 and 88 Currently off 18

Not necessarily. Once you have a WHS handicap, the interesting part is knowing when scores in your best 8 are about to disappear as they become your 21st last score and therefore fall out of your 20.

If the round that relegates it is a good one and gets into the top 8, probably not too much effect, but if it your best score and the new score is rubbish, then what was previously your 9th best score gets promoted into the top 8, so you could replace 4 or 5 under handicap with 4 or 5 above. That is 10 shots, and averaged over the 8 rounds puts your handicap up by 1.25.

For example, I know that the 2 oldest scores in my current 20 are not on my top 8, but my third oldest is one of my better scores, so if I want to keep my notional WHS stable, I need one good round or a couple of decent ones in the next 3.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

In the main you will not have to worry about in anyway.

If you play in a qualifying Comp all you have to do is to remember is check the computer or the CDH data base before playing again to see what what your Handicap Index is on the day of play next time you play. If it a rubbish round nothing is likely to have changed.

The Course Handicap is simply looked up on a chart, which will be displayed at the club

The only calculation you will have to do for yourself is to work out your Playing Handicap and if you only ever play singles comps it (probably) will be 95% of your your course handicap for all competitions.

Well, that is different from what I earlier thought was the case, and which Rulefan confirmed.
I was of the opinion that I had to calculate nothing. I input my handicap index( which is like I have my handicap now), and the computer calculates my playing handicap and informs me .
I.e. I go to a strange course and just do the above.
If however, the computer gives me a value which I then have to use to calculate ( using my computer, aka brain) using another value that I have to locate, then I can see all kinds of "fun" arising.


So, which is it please, gentlemen?

 

[jim8flog]

Well, that is different from what I earlier thought was the case, and which Rulefan confirmed.
I was of the opinion that I had to calculate nothing. I input my handicap index( which is like I have my handicap now), and the computer calculates my playing handicap and informs me .
I.e. I go to a strange course and just do the above.
If however, the computer gives me a value which I then have to use to calculate ( using my computer, aka brain) using another value that I have to locate, then I can see all kinds of "fun" arising.


So, which is it please, gentlemen?

All of the briefing material I have read says that there will be charts not computers. Many courses like mine only have one PSI computer and the only time it is used is when inputting the scores from a round. Your course handicap is supposed to be on the card before you go out to play and certainly would be needed to be known for match play.

Does your club have more computers for you to access?

 

[jim8flog]

Am I right in expecting some volatility in handicap index for mid handicappers like my mate whose gross scores recently range between 111 and 88 Currently off 18

One of the other things is that the WHS includes a 'memory of a low Handicap Index' and your handicap index cannot go up above that low handicap index by more than 5 shots in a rolling 365 day period. It is also restricted in the amount of any one movement above 3 strokes.

 

[IanM]

Interesting comments all to my earlier post...and I don't remember reading anything about the item Jim mentions above...

 

[jim8flog]

I would add that the charts are very simple to use.

You would only have ones relevant to the slope indexes where you play, which for most courses would be 3 one for reds one for yellows and one for whites.

Look at the chart for the tee you will be using, find your Handicap Index in the left column and find your Course handicap in the right column.

 

[jim8flog]

Interesting comments all to my earlier post...and I don't remember reading anything about the item Jim mentions above...

Firstly (late night) i should have said 5 strokes but it is 'smoothed' so can take time


5.7 Low Handicap Index
The Low Handicap Index represents the demonstrated ability of a player over the
365-day period preceding the day on which the most recent score in their scoring
record was played and provides a reference point against which the current
Handicap Index can be compared.
l A Low Handicap Index is established once a player has at least 20 acceptable
scores in their scoring record.

Cap
The procedure that reduces or limits the amount by which a player’s Handicap
Index can increase when measured against the player’s Low Handicap Index. There
are two trigger points within the cap procedure:
l Soft cap – the point after which there is a reduction in the rate of upward
movement of a Handicap Index.
l Hard cap – the point which sets the maximum limit for the upward movement
of a Handicap Index.
(See Rule 5.8.)

5.8 Limit on Upward Movement of a Handicap Index
There are two trigger points within the cap procedure:
(i) The soft cap. The soft cap is triggered when the difference between a player’s
newly calculated Handicap Index and their Low Handicap Index is greater than
3.0 strokes.
When a calculated Handicap Index increase is greater than 3.0 strokes, the
value above 3.0 strokes is restricted to 50% of the increase.
(ii) The hard cap. The hard cap triggers to restrict the amount by which a
player’s Handicap Index can increase, after application of the soft cap, to no
more than 5.0 strokes above their Low Handicap Index.

 

[IanM]

Thanks. We'll get used to it. Initially I am sure I will just get on without worrying how its worked out too much.

I think they lost me with all the videos telling how this will encourage more people to play golf!?

I can see our seniors ignoring it and running their sectional handicaps on the old system

 

[rulefan]

Well, that is different from what I earlier thought was the case, and which Rulefan confirmed.
I was of the opinion that I had to calculate nothing. I input my handicap index( which is like I have my handicap now), and the computer calculates my playing handicap and informs me .
I.e. I go to a strange course and just do the above.
If however, the computer gives me a value which I then have to use to calculate ( using my computer, aka brain) using another value that I have to locate, then I can see all kinds of "fun" arising.


So, which is it please, gentlemen?

1) Boards are the basic facility. And realistically can only give Course Handicap.
2) If clubs use PSI entry terminals, the competition entry will show (and/or print) Playing Handicaps
3) If the club has an appropriate ISV and the comp has been set up properly, the player will be able to see their PH on their phone app or home PC.

 

[nickjdavis]

1) Boards are the basic facility. And realistically can only give Course Handicap.
.

But as I've previously demonstrated, using the boards may result in you having a higher playing handicap than you are entitled to.

Rule 6.1b says that the fully calculated Course Handicap is used without rounding all the way through to the Playing Handicap Calculation

A 5.1 index player on a course with slope 124 will have a decimal Course Handicap of 5.59646 which if he was playing in a singles strokeplay comp off 95% would result in a Playing ~Handicap of 5.3166 which would be rounded down to 5

The same player using the Course Handicap Tables to look up his Course Handicap will see that his Course Handicap is shown as 6. 95% of 6 is 5.7....so this would be rounded to 6.

Two players...same index....different playing handicaps depending on which method they use to determine their course handicap.