WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM

Takes effect in Wales 2nd November 2020

Visit www.walesgolf.org/world-handicap-system for more information

Club Information

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Overview

We are now drawing ever closer to the launch of the World Handicap System (WHS) in Wales.

The World Handicap System includes 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 Handicap Index on any golf course around the world.

• Compete, or play recreationally, with anyone else on a fair and equal basis.

Behind the scenes a tremendous amount of work has gone on for nearly a decade to create the WHS. Its introduction will hopefully create a modern consistent approach to handicapping, be more inclusive and hopefully help attract new players and offer greater opportunity to those currently in the game. The ability to transport your Handicap Index to anywhere in the world will mean our golfers in Wales will be able to play under the same global rules, competing on a fair and equitable basis making golf a more enjoyable game.

This information booklet will hopefully give you a one stop shop where you can find all of the information and resources that you need. Please use this information alongside other resource available to help inform your members of all the impending changes, and get them up to speed with what will be different when the tee up the ball for the first time with a WHS Handicap Index. For the transition to this new system to be successful education will be key. This change will affect everyone from the very top of the amateur game to those just taking their first steps onto the golf course. We encourage you to use this booklet and the additional resources that have been created to help educate players in your club to the changes that will come into effect on 2 November 2020. As ever if you have any questions please contact us at handicapping@walesgolf.org and we will endeavour to answer your queries.

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Course and Bogey Rating

• The evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal course and weather conditions.

• Based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring difficulty of the scratch golfer.

• Expressed as the number of strokes taken to one decimal place.

• The evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for bogey golfers under normal course and weather conditions.

• Based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring difficulty of the bogey golfer.

• Expressed as the number of strokes taken to one decimal place.

What is Bogey Rating?

What is Course Rating?

What is assessed when Rating a Course?

Length Obstacles (Difficulty Factors)

Measured length of hole Topography Penalty Areas – Lateral

Roll Fairway Penalty Areas – Crossing

Elevation Green Target Trees

Doglegs/Forced Lay-ups Recoverability from Rough Green Surface

Wind Bunkers (Psychological)

Altitude

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Slope Rating

A Slope Rating is the number which indicates the relative playing difficulty of a course for bogey golfers, compared to scratch golfers. It is the combination of the Course Rating and the Bogey Rating that allow us to calculate the Slope Rating of a set of tees.

That difference in the two rating figures is then multiplied by a fixed number to arrive at the Slope Rating. Slope Ratings range from 55 to 155 - with 155 being the most difficult.

What is Slope Rating

Important Information Slope Ratings are gender specific and you must

ensure the tee you play off has been rated for your

gender

NOTE:

It is a common misconception that the Slope Rating compares the difficulty of one course to another. IT DOES NOT, it compares the difficulty of a course, playing from a specific set of tees, for the Bogey

player compared to the Scratch Player from the same set of tees. It does not indicate the relative playing difficulty of that set of tees versus a set of tees at

another course.

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Handicap Index

Your Handicap Index is the measure of your playing ability and will be the most important thing for a golfer to know.

The new Handicap Index will offer a consistent way of measuring a golfers ability that is transferrable throughout the world and will allow a golfers index to be fully portable:

• Remembers previously demonstrated ability within a 12 month period. This ensure the Handicap Index does not stray too far from the demonstrated ability within a short period of time.

• Caps the upward movement of a handicap index within a defined period of time to safeguard against handicap manipulation.

• Applies additional adjustments to the Index when an exceptional score is submitted.

In order to gain a Handicap Index you need to:

• Be a member of an affiliated Golf Club

• Complete 54 holes made up of any combination of 9- or 18-hole rounds and submit this to your club.

• There is no time limit on completing the submission of these scores.

• Your first Handicap Index will be the lowest of the 3 rounds minus 2.

• Your Handicap Index will continue to develop until it contains 20 scores.

What is a Handicap Index?

How do you get a Handicap Index?

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Course Handicap

• For your Index to be portable to all courses it must be converted into a Course Handicap.

• Your Course Handicap will give you the number of strokes that you receive when you play your round.

• Each club will need to make available a handicap look up chart, or use an app or the club software.

• Simply select the tees you want to play and look up your handicap index to ascertain your Course Handicap.

• If you are playing in a competition or match you may need to know any handicap allowance that needs to be applied.

What is a Course Handicap?

Important Information If you can’t get access to the look up chart, an app,

or your clubs handicapping software, then you can

work out your course handicap manually using this

formula.

Handicap Index x (Slope Rating/113)

= Course Handicap This is an example of what your Course Handicap lookup chart

should look like.

Handicap Index Course Handicap

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Playing Golf

3. Work out your Playing Handicap (competition only)

2. Look up your Course Handicap

How To Play Golf—World Handicap System

1. Arrive at the Course

Arrive at the course with the knowledge of where or

how to find out your Handicap Index. This could be via

an app, website or at your golf club itself. Look up your Course Handicap via the

look up chart which should be placed

in an easily accessed location at your

golf club. Simply look up where your

Index falls on the chart, for the tees

you want to play that day, and read

across to your Course Handicap.

4. Play Golf

If you are playing in a

competition, you may

need to work out your

Playing Handicap for

the format of play you

are competing in.

5. Submit your score

Get out there and enjoy your round of golf.

Submit your score as soon as possible

after your round. Ideally straight into

the club’s competition software.

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM

Playing Handicap

Fourball Matchplay Our Golfers

Individual Stableford

Format of Play Type of Round Recommended Handicap

Allowance

Stroke play Individual 95%

Individual Stableford 95%

Individual Par/Bogey 95%

Individual Maximum Score 95%

Four-Ball 85%

Four-Ball Stableford 85%

Four-Ball Par/Bogey 90%

Match play Individual 100%

Four-Ball 90%

Other Foursomes 50% of combined team handi-

cap

Greensomes 60% low handicap + 40% high

handicap

Pinehurst/Chapman 60% low handicap + 40% high

handicap

Best 1 of 4 stroke play 75%

Best 2 of 4 stroke play 85%

Best 3 of 4 stroke play 100%

All 4 of 4 stroke play 100%

Scramble (4 players)

25%/20%/15%/10%

from lowest to highest handi-

cap

Scramble (2 players) 35% low/15% high

Total score of 2 match play 100%

Best 1 of 4 Par/Bogey 75%

Best 2 of 4 Par/Bogey 80%

Best 3 of 4 Par/Bogey 90%

4 of 4 Par/Bogey 100%

When playing in competitions you may need to be aware of what your competition or playing handicap

allowance is, and how to work it out for the format of play you are playing in.

Emily: Handicap Index 13.8

Rachel: Handicap Index 18.6

Jane: Handicap Index 5.7

Alice: Handicap Index: 23.8

The club has put on an individual stableford

on the red tees event which Emily and Alice

are playing in.

They both look up their course handicaps on

the clubs look up chart for the red tees with

a slope rating of 119.

Emily: Course Handicap = 15

Alice: Course Handicap = 25

For results purposes they competition

software will work out the playing handicap

which for this format is 95% of the course

handicap. If you want to you can work this

out before you play or your Committee can

give you your shots, but its not an absolute

requirement.

Emily Playing Handicap = 14

Alice Playing Handicap = 24

Emily and Jane are playing Alice and Rachel in

fourball match play on the red tees with the 119

slope rating

Emily: Course Handicap = 15

Jane: Course Handicap = 6

Alice: Course Handicap = 25

Rachel: Course Handicap = 20

They all then need to apply the 90% allowance

leaving their playing handicaps for that event on

the day as

Emily: Playing Handicap = 14

Jane: Playing Handicap = 5

Alice: Playing Handicap = 23

Rachel: Playing Handicap = 18

The shots received by each player would then be

Emily: Strokes received = 9

Jane: Strokes received = 0

Alice: Strokes received = 18

Rachel: Strokes received = 13

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Submitting a Score

A player should submit their score as soon as possible on the day of play in order for their Handicap Index to be updated promptly

• This should be at the venue being played.

• Must be submitted hole by hole.

• By using the technology available at the club.

The Handicap Index will then be updated overnight

• In an authorised format of play.

• Over a minimum number of holes (10 if you are playing an 18 hole round).

• By the Rules of Golf.

• With at least one other person.

• On a course with a current Course Rating and Slope Rating.

How do you submit a score?

What Scores are acceptable?

Format of Play Type of Round Number of

Holes

Organised Competition 9 18

Individual

Strokeplay

General Play 9 18

Stableford

Organised competition 9 18

Stableford

General play 9 18

Par / Bogey

Organised Competition 9 18

Par / Bogey

General Play 9 18

Maximum Score Organised Competition

9 18

Maximum Score

General Play 9 18

What formats of play are acceptable?

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Handicap Committee

The Handicap Committee plays a vital role in the successful administration of a player’s Handicap Index.

Every club must have a Handicap Committee and its job is to:

• Ensure clubs members Handicap Index is reflective of the player’s golfing ability and intervene if this is no longer the case.

• Ensure that players are treated fairly and consistently from golf club to golf club.

• Set appropriate Terms of the Competition for all participating players in all club competitions.

• Ensure information regarding the WHS is readily accessible to all members.

• Ensure there is a consistent and reliable method for players to register for and return scores after their round. Ideally this should be done digitally to allow quick and efficient connection with the handicapping software provided to your club.

• Apply adjustments and penalty scores to handicaps should the need arise.

What is the Role of the Handicap Committee?

Important Information A player will no longer hold or lose a ‘C’ status and

handicap categories will no longer apply. A Handicap

Index will always remain competitive as long as a

player remans a member of an affiliated club.

WORLD HANDICAP SYSTEM Resources

To help you with your clubs player education, we have put together some helpful resources which you can use to educate your players on the major changes coming in November.

Posters can be accessed on the Wales Golf Website. Please post them around your golf club.

Informational Videos can be accessed via the Wales Golf Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz4YC67pokRVx7-lmRAb8xuXQSsPruSjG

Please keep an eye on our social media accounts and website for links to further workshops and webinars. https://www.walesgolf.org/workshops-roadshows/ Use our club presentation to educate your members.