At midnight on Tuesday, December 31st, the handicap system as we know it will shut down for good. Then on Monday, January 6th, a new handicap system known as the World Handicap System (WHS) will emerge to take its place. It’s an attempt by the USGA, the R&A, and other worldwide golf associations to unify the six major handicap systems into one.
When the new system goes live, it will include the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System. Its purpose is to enable as many golfers as possible the opportunity to obtain and maintain a Handicap Index, use their Index on any golf course around the world, and to compete or play with anyone on a fair basis.
Keep an eye out for the new World Handicap System (WHS) app beginning in early December. Golfers can and should begin entering their scores in the new System at that time. Scores will be held in a cue until the new System goes live, at which time they will be automatically uploaded. Here’s a short informational video from the USGA followed by a few highlights of the new World Handicap System:
Course Rating & Slope Rating
Okay. Bear with me. This is where things get a little mathy. Course Rating is the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal course and weather conditions. It is expressed as the number of strokes taken to one decimal place and is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring difficulty of the scratch player.
Slope Rating is relative to the Course Rating, providing strokes needed to play at the same level as the scratch golfer for a specific set of tees. To calculate the Slope Rating for any set of tees, you need two measures: Course Rating and Bogey Rating.
A Bogey Rating is the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for bogey golfers under normal course and weather conditions. It too is expressed as the number of strokes taken to one decimal play and is based on the yardage and other obstacles to the extent in which they affect the scoring difficulty of the bogey player.
Course and Slope Ratings enable golfers’ handicaps to be portable from course to course and country to country. The USGA Course Rating System is going away and will now be referred to as The Course Rating System and will join The Rules of Handicapping to form the WHS.
Number of Scores to Obtain a Handicap
Under the new System, an Index will be issued to a player after three, 18-hole scores are submitted and a revision takes place. Scores can be made-up of any combination of nine-hole (6) or 18-hole (3) scores. Previously, a Handicap Index was issued to a player only after five, 18-hole scores were submitted and a revision took place.
Daily Handicap Revisions
The most exciting news about the World Handicap System is that instead of having to wait until the 1st or 15th of each month for a new Handicap Index, updates will be in real-time. Revisions will be made daily so a player’s Index will be active the day after their 3rd 18-hole score is submitted. Under the new system, the maximum handicap that can be issued to a player regardless of gender is 54.0. Previously, it was 36.4 for Men and 40.4 for Women.
Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC)
My favorite aspect of the new System is the Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) for bad weather scores. When abnormal course or weather conditions cause scores to be unusually high or low at a course on a given day, the Calculation will automatically adjust Score Differentials to better reflect a player’s actual performance by comparing the scores submitted on that day against expected scoring patterns. It will take eight scores to trigger the adjustment, and the Differential calculation will be applied to all players, even those who submit their scores on a later date.
Maximum Hole Score
Golfers of all skill levels will occasionally make a high score on a hole, which does not reflect their potential. Under the new system, the maximum score per hole will be limited to Net Double Bogey, which is the equivalent of zero points in Stableford formats.
Acceptable Scores
For Handicap purposes, Singles and Stableford formats of stroke-play competitions must be submitted by all players. National Associations have discretion within their jurisdiction to decide if other acceptable formats of play can be submitted for handicap purposes, which can be competition and/or recreational play. This gives players plenty of opportunity to submit scores and provide evidence of their potential ability.
Number of Differentials
Averaging the best eight of a player’s most recent 20 scores provides a good indicator of potential ability. When combined with memory of demonstrated ability over time, the resulting handicap provides a balance between responsiveness and control – so a temporary loss of form should not automatically lead to an excessive increase in handicap. It used to be that a Handicap Index was calculated by averaging a player’s ten best Handicap Differentials out of their most recent 20.
Exceptional Score Reduction (ESR)
Now when a player submits a score that produces a Score Differential of seven strokes or more below their Handicap Index, they will be subject to an Exceptional Score Reduction. When that Differential is between seven and 9.9 strokes below their current Index, a -1.0 reduction is applied to the most 20 recent score differentials. When the Differential is ten strokes or more below their Index, a -2.0 reduction is applied. Before, two or more Tournament Scores (Tscores) within a 12-month period that were at least three strokes better than their Handicap Index were eligible for an automatic Index Reduction.
For questions about the new system in early January, you can reach out to the Arizona Golf Association (AGA) directly at 800-458-8484. Operators will be standing by!