Nothing is more important to a Golfer than their Handicap … except maybe the Handicap of their opponent! Yet changes to the Handicap System as we know it will be coming in January 2020 when the World Handicap System goes into effect. What is the World Handicap System and how will it affect you?

Currently there are six different Handicap Systems in use around the world. The World Handicap System will unify these six systems into one single unified system, providing golfers worldwide with a more consistent means of establishing and maintaining a handicap. The WHS will be adopting both the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating and Slope System that we currently use here in the USA, so the changes will not be as drastic for us as they will be to players in other parts of the world. Still, there are some significant changes that you will need to be aware of once the new WHS takes effect in January. Here’s our “Top Ten” list of things you should know …

The Top Ten Changes:

1. Maximum Score for Handicap Purposes – Net Double Bogey
   This change replaces the previous “Equitable Stroke Control” system and will provide clarity on what players may post for Handicap (purposes only) for their Maximum Score for a hole. No more looking up on a chart to see the maximum score that you can post … Net Double Bogey is it! This change will prevent high individual hole scores from inflating a player’s Handicap Index, ensuring that the occasional bad hole does not impact a Handicap Index too severely and instead, reflect their actual demonstrated ability.

2. Frequency of Handicap Index Updates
   Under the World Handicap System, Handicap Indexes will be updated every day when a score is submitted. No more 1st and 15th days of the month. A player’s Handicap Index is recalculated and ready for the next day, so it’s important to post your score on the day that you play. On days where no score is submitted, no update will take place.

   Another reason why it’s important to post on the day that you play is that scores made at each course will be used to determine that course’s daily Playing Conditions Calculation (see item 3). This will allow for the appropriate adjustment (if any) to be made based on the playing conditions on that day.

   For competitions that span multiple days, as is the case with many of our competitions, the recommendation for Committees will be to use the Handicap Index at the start of the competition for all rounds. The Mayacama Tournament Committee will adopt this recommendation for our competitions.

3. Playing Conditions Calculation
   Under the World Handicap System, a player’s performance in a round is measured against the Course Rating and Slope Rating of the tees that were played. However, these values are based on normal playing conditions and factors such as weather or course set-up can make a course play harder or easier than normal. When abnormal course or weather conditions cause scores to be unusually high or low on a given day, a Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) will adjust Score Differentials to better reflect the player’s actual performance on a particular day. This mechanism works by a statistical procedure which evaluates acceptable scores submitted each day and compares them to the expected scores of those players. The PCC is calculated automatically, so there is no additional work for players or club administrators.

   Since scores made each day are used to determine if an adjustment is needed, it is important that players submit their scores on the same day of play. The PCC is designed to be conservative and generally won’t result in an adjustment unless there is strong evidence to suggest it is necessary. Adjustments will range between -1.0 (when the golf course is playing easier) and +3.0 (when conditions are more challenging) and will be applied within the Score Differential calculation.

   By including a Playing Conditions Calculation, the World Handicap System recognizes that a high score in harder playing conditions may be better than a good score submitted in easier conditions. This helps to ensure that the Handicap Index of each player will reflect their ability, regardless of the conditions in which they play. This is a change for the good!

4. Acceptable Score For Handicap Posting
   Like our current system, the World Handicap System aims to provide golfers with plenty of opportunity to submit scores for handicap purposes. The more acceptable scores a player submits, the more accurate their Handicap Index will be.

   It will continue to be mandatory for Scores from 18-hole stroke play and 18-hole Stableford competitions to be posted. Other formats currently used for “Acceptable Scores for Handicap Posting” (Single and Four-Ball Match Play, Four-Ball Stroke Play) will also be mandatory at Mayacama with certain guidelines (conceded holes/ unfinished holes, etc.).

   While most of our competitive and recreational formats of play are acceptable for posting, the following rounds are not eligible for handicap purposes. Examples include:

   • Rounds played while being coached
   • Rounds played using multiple balls such as a practice round
   • Rounds played in scramble or alternate-shot formats.
   • Playing alone, however it is ok to post when playing alone with a caddie

5. Basis of Handicap Calculation
   Your new handicap in 2020 will be more responsive to good scores by averaging your eight best scores out of your most recent 20. This is a change from the current “10 best of the last 20” with a .96 multiplier. In most cases, your handicap will change less than one stroke, so if you notice a change in January despite not having played, this is why. With this change, the system will be responsive to good scores and reflect a player’s ability on their better days.

6. Exceptional Score Reduction / “T-Scores” / The “Cap”
   This is a good one … Tournament Scores (“T-Scores”) are out! Instead, Handicap calculations will include a memory of all past performances over the past 12 months. The new calculations will use a player’s Low Handicap Index to ensure that their Handicap Index accurately reflects performance over time and does not increase too quickly, known as the ‘cap’. A “soft cap” will slow the rate at which a handicap increases once a golfer climbs 3.0 strokes above their low watermark of the past twelve months. A “hard cap” will prevent a handicap from increasing more than 5.0 strokes within a year. Of course, if there are exceptional circumstances (i.e., illness, physical setback, etc.), the club can intervene. The calculation will also account for any submitted individual score that is seven strokes or better than a player’s current Handicap Index by making an automatic adjustment.

7. Maximum Index of 54.0
   The WHS aims to be inclusive and accessible by allowing a maximum Handicap Index of 54.0 for all golfers (current maximum was 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women). By encouraging novice golfers to get a Handicap Index, they will be able to track their progress in the game, stay motivated to improve, and have more fun on the golf course while playing with any other golfer. For competition purposes, the Mayacama Tournament Committee will continue to limit Course Handicaps to a maximum limit (36 for women and 24 for Men) for all Club Competitions.

8. Minimum Scores Required to Establish a Handicap Index (54 Holes)
   A primary focus of the World Handicap System is to encourage all golfers to establish and maintain a Handicap Index, and to make it easy to get one. Regardless of ability, there’s a benefit for everyone who enjoys golf to obtain a Handicap Index. Under the WHS, a player can get a Handicap Index by submitting any combination of 9 and 18-hole rounds that total 54 holes.

9. Playing From Different Tees / Course Handicaps
   This one’s sure to bring controversy to the Mayacama Skins Group!
   Starting in 2020, Slope Rating, Course Rating and Par will now be used to determine a players Course Handicap, so depending on the tees that you play, expect to see some changes to your Course Handicaps. No longer will we use the difference in Course Rating between tees to adjust a player’s Course Handicap when playing from a different tee. Instead, the new tables will assign a Course Handicap for you based on the tee that you play. It’s based on how many strokes a player needs to play to par from that tee. The only adjustment that would be made would be if the pars are different, and that’s not the case for our course.

10. What Happens To Your Handicap When The WHS Takes Effect?
    Normal score posting will continue until December 31. Then we will go dark as tens of millions of existing scores in the U.S. are uploaded to the new GHIN platforms and used to calculate an initial Handicap Index under the WHS. For most of us in the USA, handicaps will change only slightly as we are coming from a system which is generally similar to the WHS. However, this will be dependent on many factors – including the number of scores available upon which the calculation of an initial WHS Handicap Index can be based. The more scores available in the scoring record at the time of transition, the less impact golfers may see on their new WHS Handicap Index. We don’t expect to live through another Y2K effect … after a few days and a quick reboot, the WHS and your new Handicap will commence!

    Critical Note
    Please note that on January 1, 2020 GHIN will decommission GHP Online. Furthermore, all GHIN services will be unavailable for at least five days, beginning January 1. This includes score posting. This will be communicated to all NCGA members through the eRevision, course posting kiosks, social media, etc. Please hold all scores to be posted until GHIN services are resumed.

A Change To The Stroke Index Will Be Forthcoming
One other change that will impact players is a new method for calculating and assigning the Stroke Index Table for our scorecard. Specifically, holes will be re-ranked based on their raw difficulty versus par, with the top-rated holes spread throughout each nine. We will be obtaining new data over the next few months to help determine the new Stroke Index, along with assistance from the NCGA Course Rating data. We expect to have the new Stroke Index in effect as soon as possible…stay tuned!

For additional information on the World Handicap System, please refer to the following links:

https://www.whs.com/

https://ncga.org/world-handicap-system/

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping.html

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping.html