If you ask any traditional club member or nomadic golfer about the World Handicap System (WHS), they will most likely have an opinion that leans one way or the other.
This divisive topic is heavily debated far and wide, often forming the basis of many post-round clubhouse conversations where golfers struggle to agree on the benefits and limitations of the World Handicap System’s impact on the sport.
Whether you love it, hate it, or feel totally indifferent, understanding the reasoning behind certain decisions and processes can help to provide clarity on what is a complex issue.
So, in order to educate and empower golfers, we put your questions to the England Golf WHS and course rating team and, in this article, share their responses…
Your World Handicap System Questions… Answered!
On a scale of 1-10, how pleased have you been with the WHS roll out?
The WHS rollout from England Golf was very successful, there were a lot of education materials and England Golf-led workshops given to counties and clubs to support the implementation. Of course, there are always learnings to take, and these have been put forward in our work plans for continuing the WHS education to every golfer, club and county.
What would you say is the biggest strength of the WHS?
There are many strengths of WHS and at different levels of the game. The amount of scoring data which is now available to the governing bodies is key, which will of course support decision-making and reviews. A key aspect though, is the increase within participation and opportunities for the sport to become more inclusive. WHS has been able to bridge the gap between hitting balls on the driving range, to a golfer walking onto the course. With a golf club being able to have more tee sets rated for both genders, it now provides the opportunity for more people than ever before to obtain a handicap and look to improve.
Would you ever consider revising the average number of rounds for counting cards to more like four from 20?
This isn’t something within England Golf’s power. The rules of handicapping is written and published by the R&A and USGA. We do have stakeholder forums and input, however, any changes only happen every four years, which is the year after the rules of golf revisions.
The score differential equation still…
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