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New World Handicap System has one major drawback

By David McPherson

CROMWELL, CT - AUGUST 07: Jim Furyk's (not shown) scorecard is shown after he shot a record setting 58 during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TCP River Highlands on August 7, 2016 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images)
CROMWELL, CT - AUGUST 07: Jim Furyk's (not shown) scorecard is shown after he shot a record setting 58 during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TCP River Highlands on August 7, 2016 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images) /
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The new World Handicap System aims to make measuring a golfer’s game more consistent around the globe. Still, one glaring drawback remains.

“What’s your handicap?” That’s one of the most common questions golfers exchange on the first tee. The standard reply: “My game!” Joking aside, thanks to the USGA and the R&A, the golf handicapping game within the game from Australia to the Americas is set for major changes come 2020.

This week, golf’s two most powerful governing bodies announced a new joint initiative: a World Handicap System (WHS). By implementing a unified set of guidelines, they hope to grow the game and make the sport a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

The WHS’s main goal is to make the rules more consistent, flexible, fair and portable for globe-trotting golfers, who often play in various locales and are subjected to different handicap rules.

These proposed changes are the result of six years of debates, deliberations and discussions. While the USGA and R&A conceived the unified system, it was created following consultations and a thorough review of the systems of several other handicapping authorities, including Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association, the South African Golf Association and the Argentine Golf Association.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these changes to better understand why you – whether a weekend warrior, golf nut, or aspiring TOUR pro – might care.

Key features of the proposed World Handicap System

  • Flexibility when it comes to game format; the WHS allows both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes;
  • A calculation that considers the impact of weather and other course conditions and how these might affect a player’s performance on a given day;
  • A consistent handicap that is portable from coast to coast, country to country and course to course. The WHS will adopt the USGA Course and Slope Rating System, which 80 countries already follow;
  • A limit of Net Double Bogey as the maximum hole score (for handicapping purposes only);
  • A maximum handicap limit of 54.0.

Consistency is one of the biggest takeaways from the proposed WHS. As someone who has chased the little white ball from Canada to Colombia, I share this frustration. When the handicap rules vary from country to country how can you count that memorable vacation round you had?

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All these changes are positive. What I believe is still missing is this: solo rounds are still not eligible/allowed for handicap purposes – a change made by the USGA back in 2015. The USGA justifies this rule by stating these rounds don’t meet its criteria of a “peer review.”

Why, I ask? Some of my most memorable games were played by my lonesome, not with any peers. Does this make the scores I tallied any less reliable? Take an early morning dew-sweep round of mine years ago at TPC Sawgrass. I made par on the famed island green at 17. The only witnesses to this feat were the blue and white herons.

So what? Isn’t one of golf’s tenets integrity and honesty? Why shouldn’t this score and/or round count for my handicap? If I lie, I’m only cheating myself. And, if I lie playing with just the birds, the chances are good I will lie when teeing it up with actual playing partners. I’ve played with many peers, who when asked, give me a score that is not what I added up – yet, I write it down on the scorecard and I’m sure they count it when figuring out their handicap.

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What do you think about the golfing solo issue and the proposed new World Handicap System? Love the new rules? Hate them? Indifferent? Join the conversation via social media using #GolfWHS2020.

Learn more about the WHS, courtesy of the USGA here.

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