New World Handicap System

[Roadking2003]

This is true.

Two things that we can say for certain;

There will be no WHS next year. There will only be various handicap systems that are much more similar than they have been in the past. The need for a WHS has been grossly exaggerated. 99.999% of all golfers in the world have no need whatsoever for a WHS. But the USGA, R&A and other ruling bodies will pat themselves on the back and proclaim they have achieve something wonderful. They fail to realize that wonderful and useful are two different characteristics.

[Mr. Bean]

'The need for a WHS has been grossly exaggerated. 99.999% of all golfers in the world have no need whatsoever for a WHS.'

I believe this as any other handicap system is meant to be used by those who need a handicap. Those who do not need should not bother themselves with the issue at all.

[Roadking2003]

 

True. But the number of golfers who actually need a WHS is miniscule. I've played a few thousand rounds of golf over almost 60 years and played all over the world. I've never met nor even heard of anybody who needs a WHS.

[Mr. Bean]

Well, that's just too bad.

[Tocgolfer]

I think a minority of golfers will turn up at the course when the WHS starts and check their handicap and if they are half serious check their daily handicap and step on the first tee and play. I think most golfers will just go and play and see if they played better than they did last time and can win a few holes against their friends and gain bragging rights.

[Newby]

I doubt you have played much club golf in the UK.

They may not need a WHS but they certainly want a handicap system and WHS seems to be better than the one we have.

[Roadking2003]

Exactly. Just like we have for 40 years.

[sui generis]

I see, however you contend that somehow WHS will interfere with this?

[Roadking2003]

I've only played about 25 - 30 rounds in Ireland and the UK, so not much.

 

But you are missing my point entirely. We all NEED a handicap system. And most of the existing systems could use some improvement. And the WHS project will probably deliver some needed improvements.

Those needs have nothing to do with a need for the WHS and could have been met without any effort to implement a WHS.

[Sawgrass]

"Those needs have nothing to do with a need for the WHS and could have been met without any effort to implement a WHS."

 

I would imagine that the effort made by the various countries/entities to unify a system has made that end product superior to what any individual entity once had.

[Newby]

I doubt that a move by an individual authority would have been as 'relatively' easy as a coordinated move. Apart from anything else, the cost of software (and hardware) can be spread more widely. The fact that others think or are persuaded that a particular aspect is a good idea is often a stimulus for change.

Certainly,over here in my travels around clubs, by far the majority see the major changes affecting CONGU (ie 8/20 and slope) to be very good ideas in their own right. No one seems concerned by the perceived minor regional variations. The aim of ultimately realising a uniform system is also thought to be a 'good idea' but not a show stopper if not achieved in the short term.

[bladehunter]

i hate to agree. Lol. But. I’ve never once used a handicap when not playing in a organized net event. As in a casual yet competitive round. Never had it mentioned. Never asked , nothing. So the need for a world wide handicap escapes me completely.

That being said. I don’t guess I care. They can call it intergalactic handicap system and I still won’t be using it really. Just to qualify entry into events that require it etc.

[davep043]

I can't say that I've ever felt a burning need for a unified handicap system, I doubt that many people have. I didn't feel a burning need for a major revision to the Rules of Golf either. But the Ruling Bodies job is to look forward, and to look for ways to improve golf. The revisions to the rules are an improvement in my opinion, even if there are a few changes that I don't particularly care for. Also in my opinion, the idea of bringing all handicap systems closer to one another is an improvement. If, 20 years from now, we have a truly unified handicap system, we'll look back at this as a first step tin getting there. In many ways, the world is getting smaller, which magnifies differences. The WHS is one way of decreasing those differences.

[DaveLeeNC]

Interesting that you should say that. Well over 50% of the rounds that I play meet the conditions that you describe as never encountering.

dave

[jcfloydiv]

will it have a similar app system to use?

[sui generis]

Yes, 2020 GHIN app is supposed to appear as an update to the current app.

[Colin L]

Somewhere in this thread or the other WHS one running at a forum near you I listed 12 areas in which Authorised Associations had choices on.procedures. If I find the time `I'll do an analysis of these to see if I can reassure myself that my immediate impression is sustainable. I don't see any of them impacting at all on the core system of WHS in such a way as to make my WHS Handicap Index anything other than comparable with everyone else's as it is founded on the same calculations. Discretionary items about the processes of acquiring and recording scores don't to my mind threaten the integrity of that core system.

But we'll see. I don 't like presenting an impression as a conclusion without assembling and considering the facts - call me old-fashioned if you like.

It's a busy period, however, and it may take time. Talking of which, I wish you all a very enjoyable Festive Season and all the best for 2020.

[davep043]

It was two pages back, on post 1030. As you said then, most are procedural, and not really significant in my mind. The significant remaining difference seems to be which scores are acceptable to post and/or must be posted. These seem to me to reflect "cultural differences". I won't be surprised if, a few years down the road, we see some movement to decrease these differences further.

[bladehunter]

Yep. And I get that. I’ve heard it said here plenty that guys use handicaps weekly. I just have never run across it. Except on here I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ask what someone cap is.

 

I dont know. It’s very curious to me the differences within this game that people see.

[Colin L]

That is a truly astonishing difference. I use my handicap virtually every time I play. Don't you guys compete with each other even in a bounce game? I know you guys don't play much match play which here is the normal format for our social golf, but whatever format you play, how do you put yourselves on an even footing for all these bets I keep hearing about? Or have I misunderstood?

[davep043]

As a very low handicap player, he plays only scratch games. Most of us don't have the game to be able to do that without continually finding the wallets of the better players, so we have to use handicaps.

[Roadking2003]

Actually, it's the opposite. Individual moves are always easier than coordinating various groups around the globe. 99% of the effort put into a WHS is coordinating the groups and getting consensus.

 

As somebody who spent a career with various software development projects I can assure you that the WHS software is so simple, the cost and effort is miniscule.

[bladehunter]

Well. When we play a skins game. It’s always gross. 5-$25 buy in , depending on the mood of the day. Plenty of rounds at our course have par taking a skin. When you have 20 plus players in a lot of birdies get canceled. So it seems to work.

 

The other way is Stableford with a blind draw partner. With a running week to week sheet. Which I know is handicapped technically. But not in the same way in my opinion. It’s cheat proof ,

[klebs01]

Those aren't primary games where I live. Most games at both clubs I've been a member of are partner bestball match play, which is handicapped. So we use our handicaps at least weekly. Even if all four players are low single digit caps.

[Newby]

deleted

[Roadking2003]

Yes, we use handicaps 99% of the time when we play. And yes, we play some form of match-play almost every time we play.

 

I think most clubs all over the USA are just like my club; we always use handicaps (except the open flight for the club championship) and we use match-play much more often than stoke-play. In fact, I've played 141 times this year and cannot remember any round that was stroke-play and 100% of those rounds were with handicaps.

 

Maybe public course play is different. All four of the private clubs that I have been a member of used handicaps and match-play.

 

[bladehunter]

We do have a net match play bracket once a year that takes 2/3 months to crown a winner. I never have to worry over it more than one round though. Lol , and no single digit has ever won it in my time.

Otherwise the only other match play I’ll see is if we decide to team up and play so and so vs me and somebody. For instance.

[ThinkingPlus]

My cap gets used at our local comps and weekend casual games, but most all the local comps have an award for gross score (at least the solo play). Some of the pairs play is net score only so I'm pretty happy if my partner and I win one of those. The weekend team "best 3 of 4" game is mostly donation day unless I shoot even or better. I play weekends mostly to be social or get lucky now and again to make birdie/net par on the "easiest" (it isn't) hole on the course (woohoo!). Looking forward to (CR - par) adjustment so I can get set back to zero!

[Augster]

Maybe I read it wrong....is he saying he rarely uses his handicap in casual rounds? Preposterous if I read that correctly. The ONLY rounds I don’t use my cap is solo rounds. I played 2 solo rounds last year.

The other 150+ rounds in 2019 (and 2018, 2017 etc pick a year) I needed to know my cap and gambled using my cap in casual and tournament rounds.

I only know and play with 2 people that we play “straight up” without needing a cap. And both of those guys finally got on GHIN this year, and it turns out I needed shots all along and now I get shots. I’m either getting shots or giving shots in nearly every round I play.

[bladehunter]

very curious.

I went back and looked. I played exactly 47 rounds this year to date. 4 were net. One was match play bracket. One Match play inter club and two net club events .