England Golf Guidelines on Course Measurement Under the World Handicap System

Following the introduction of the WHS in 2020, England Golf has provided an insight into how greenkeepers/Committees can support the new initiative at their golf courses.

An important aspect of the new universal system is that the course must conform to ‘Specific Standards’, which are fundamentally the same as have always applied to formal club qualifying competition, such as: the tees to be used must have a current ‘Course Rating’; and the course – as presented for play – must meet the specified requirements of a ‘Measured Course’.

What is a Measured Course?

A Measured Course is any set of tees where the measured length has been certified by a specialist service provider and for which a Course Rating has been provided. Clubs are required to have a current ‘Certificate of Course Measurement’ for each set of tees from which qualifying scores may be returned.

The Four Yards Rule

For course measurement purposes clubs are required to place a ‘permanent marker’ – a marker that can’t easily be lifted and then replaced in a different position – for every tee on each teeing ground.

The Four Yards rule defines how much ‘usable’ distance there must be behind such permanent markers.

The teeing ground is defined by the Rules of Golf as a ‘rectangular area two club lengths in depth’ – and to meet the requirement that ‘a player should have the full use of the teeing ground’ they must be able to tee up a ball at the rear of the teeing ground, take up their stance on level ground – on grass cut to normal teeing ground height – and have room to swing a driver unimpeded by any obstacles behind or above. As players come in all sizes and shapes and with different swing arcs, for simplicity and consistency purposes that has been set as a minimum distance of four yards clear behind each permanent marker.

On many older courses the permanent markers may be as little as two yards from the rear of the teeing ground as they conformed to the very old two yards rule. Although there is no requirement on clubs to move old permanent markers to conform to the four yards rule, any new course measurement or rating will deduct any shortfall on those four yards from the length of the hole. This will give ‘measured’ and ‘rated’ lengths that may differ from the lengths specified on score cards and tee furniture.

On new tees – and on tees on holes where other changes affecting the playing length occur – the permanent marker must be repositioned a minimum of four yards from the back of the usable teeing ground.

Hole lengths are always measured to the centre of the green, with the assumption being that the day‑to‑day pin positions will be evenly distributed between front, middle and back across the full course.

Other rules affecting a ‘Measured Course’.

To enable ‘wear and tear’ on tees and also other issues that may affect the course length to be managed, several ‘adjustments to a measured course’ are permitted:

The 10 yards rule

This permits the ‘tees of the day’ on each hole to be positioned up to – but not more than – 10 yards in front of, or behind, the ‘permanent marker’ for those tees. The principle being that if half of the tees are placed behind the permanent markers and the other half are placed in front of them, then the full ‘measured length’ of the course can still be presented for play.
This may be more feasible on some tees than on others and may determine which tees can be made available for ‘pre‑registered social score’ purposes 365 days of the year.

The 100 yards rule

Recognising that it may not always be possible to position the tees of the day such that there is an exact balance between those which are forward and those which are back, an overall difference of up to 100 yards between the length of the course as presented and the ‘measured length’ is permitted.

The 300 yards rule.

Recognising that situations may sometimes occur, such as essential repair work or flooding, which necessitates shortening or lengthening one or more holes by a total of more than 100 yards but less than 300 yards on a ‘temporary’ basis, WHS provides a mechanism whereby a ‘Temporary Rating’ may be provided that will permit qualifying scores to continue to be returned for up to a year.

Changes greater than 300 yards and new tees.

Where length changes are in excess of 300 yards, or where a new set of unrated tees are introduced (such as for winter play purposes) a ‘Provisional Rating’ may be provided, thus permitting qualifying scores to be returned from those tees while waiting for the course to be physically rated.

Temporary and provisional ratings can only be calculated and issued by the relevant handicap authority.

Detailed advice and guidance on all such matters, on a situation‑by‑situation basis, is available to clubs, free of charge, from their local county course rating team.

Measuring Procedure

Examples of a procedure for the measurement of a par 3, par 4 and par 5 hole are illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

In the case of a hole with a dogleg if the pivot point is not easily discernible, a pivot point that is approximately 250 [210] yards from the set of tees that are most commonly used for Qualifying Competitions should be selected.

Figure 1

Measuring set-up for a Par-3 Hole

Figure 2

Measuring set-up for a Par-4 Hole

Figure 3

Measuring set-up for a Par-5 Hole

You can download a copy of this document by clicking on the download button below:

7th April 202323rd April 2023

Guidance to the Rules of Handicapping – Updated 2023 Version 1.7

The Guidance to the Rules of Handicapping as Applied to GB&I, England, Wales and Ireland has been updated for 2023.

The changes to note in this version, Version 1.7 are:

Directive added that scores for initial handicaps do now need to be pre-registered and reinforcement that such cards do need to be pre-registered.
Advice added that the Committee is responsible for the players handicap on the scorecard (unless a local rule to the contrary is in place). Added advice that the local rule is not recommended by CONGU®.
Removal of DQ sections for no or wrong handicap on scorecard.
Additional advice regarding the retention of scorecards.
Clarification of the situation of returning scores from outside GB&I until interoperability is in place.

Scores submitted from outside GB&I must be returned by the player to his/her home club as soon as possible after the round along with the PCC for the day played. This score can then be added to the players’ record. Until global operability is in place, any international score (outside of GB&I) with a known PCC value, that is being manually recorded is adjusted by an equal opposite value, changing the adjusted gross score.

Confirmation of the make-up of the Handicap Committee.

The Committee must be made up of at Least 3 people and most of these should be members (this is part of your affiliation requirement so it’s vital that it is in place all year round). This is a CONGU®/ England Golf Requirement and is not part of the Rules of Handicapping.

Definition of an Elite Golfer added.

CONGU® direct that the definition of an Elite Golfer is a male golfer with a Handicap Index of 0.0 or lower, or a female golfer with a Handicap Index of 2.0 or lower.

Removal of the reference to 4BBB and Matchplay trial for Golf Ireland.

It would appear that Golf Ireland have now abandoned their trial of accepting scores from Match Play and 4BBB formats and fallen inline with the rest of GB&I

Where there is local rule for a player to record handicap on card, Golf Ireland direct that Handicap Index is a minimum requirement.

Under the Rules of Golf (2023), unless an appropriate local rule to the contrary is in place, it is a Committee Responsibility to enter a players’ handicap on the card, and a player can no longer be disqualified by a failure to record a handicap on the score card. The CONGU® recommendation is NOT to implement such a local rule. In situations where the local rule has been implemented, the following advice applies:

To avoid a DQ under Local Rule the player must put his/her Course Handicap on the scorecard. This is expressed as an integer and represents the number of strokes the player receives for handicap purposes for both Competition scores and General Play returns. Golf Ireland direct that recording the Handicap Index is a requirement in Ireland.

You can download an updated version of the Guidance to the Rules of Handicapping as Applied to GB&I – England, Wales and Ireland Version 1.7 by Clicking Here or Clicking on the Download Button below:

An updated version for Scotland will be published soon.

7th November 20227th November 2022

WHS Mixed-Tee Handicap Calculator

The WHS Mixed Tee Handicap Calculator has been updated to include 9-hole Scrambles

You can download a copy by clicking on the download button below:

22nd October 202222nd October 2022

Can any set of tees be rated for Ladies or is there still a maximum length?

One of the features of the WHS was to have all tees rated for both genders, so allowing players to play from a set of tees that best suited their playing ability or choice.

In the beginning, to ensure that all 1800 courses in England were rated as quickly as possible before the WHS was introduced, England Golf prioritised rating a club’s existing tees and retained the maximum limit of 6100yds for the length of a course for women.

With this programme now completed, rating teams may have more time to be able to look at requests for other courses to be rated especially now that more clubs are adopting gender-free tees.

England Golf have, therefore, taken a more relaxed view and as part of the ongoing development process, are giving clubs the option to ask for longer tee sets to be rated for women if they can demonstrate a need for it.

It is doubtful if a county would turn down a request for a longer course to be rated if their rating team has the time to carry it out.

There will be a cost to carry this rating out.

In the short term, your club can be issued a provisional rating which is based upon yardage and the obstacle values on one of the other rated sets of courses. That would be for two years, by which time the county would have to find time to come and formally rate. So, there is a quick fix if you feel like it is needed in the short term.

Within those two years, that tee would have to see some usage. If your club was given a provisional rating and then, in two years’ time, there’s only been a dozen rounds of golf played on that course, it’s probably very unlikely your county would see fit to formally rate a course that’s seen so little use and it could also be seen as an unnecessary additional cost to your club.

15th September 202215th September 2022

Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) – Updated August 2022

Update on the Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) August 2022

At the end of each day, the playing conditions calculation takes place automatically to determine if scores made at the course were significantly higher or lower than the expected scores of the players who made them, primarily due to weather and/or course set up.

If scores were abnormally low or high, a PCC adjustment between -1 and +3 will be applied in the calculation of Score Differentials™ of everyone who played that day. A negative (-) adjustment means the course played easier than expected and a positive (+) adjustment means the course played more difficult than expected. A PCC of 0 means the course played as expected, which will be the case on most days.

The PCC:

Uses scoring data so no action is required by the club/course staff or golfer (except for posting scores),
Includes only scores made by players with a Handicap Index® of 36.0 or below,
Considers both 9-hole and 18-hole scores in the calculation, and
Only takes place if at least 8 scores were posted on a given day.
(Rule 5.6, Rules of Handicapping)

Date published: 22 Aug 2022

Since the launch of the World Handicap System in November 2020, England Golf has received feedback from golfers, clubs and counties on a wide range of topics.

One of the most talked about aspects of WHS has been the Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) and its lack of movement compared to the old Competition Scratch Score (CSS).

England Golf have been analysing this very carefully across GB&I and have presented this to The R&A to help with their own research and that of other countries on this topic. As a result of this work, we can report that a change will be made to the algorithm that calculates PCC.

Statement from The R&A/USGA

Analysis of scoring data provided from 24 countries around the world indicates that a change to the rounding method used within the current PCC algorithm would increase the instance of an adjustment for abnormal conditions by an average of 5%.

For example, in countries where an adjustment for PCC only occurs on average 10% of the time on eligible days, this change will increase the average to about 15%.

This small change, recently approved by the Handicap Operations Committee, is in response to feedback from national associations that the current PCC algorithm is too conservative.

While this may feel like a small change, we expect the impact to be significant in highlighting days where a player’s performance was significantly different from that expected by the system.

Please note that there will be no change to the visibility of the calculation. This is an algorithm built within the WHS and is not available to clubs.

This change will not be made retrospectively and will take place on or around Monday 22 August 2022.

Mixed and Multi-Tee Events – Handicap Adjustments

Following the introduction of the WHS it is becoming more prevalent that clubs are allowing mixed competitions and play from different tees, according to a player’s playing ability or designated non-gender tees within the same competition. One of the intentions of the WHS was to encourage Mixed Tee events, seeing them as the future of golf competitions.

In such cases additional adjustments to playing handicaps are required to make play equitable.

Where players are playing from tees that have been allocated CRs, an adjustment MUST be applied to the handicaps of players playing the course with the higher CR. These adjustments are calculated differently depending on whether the format is Medal Strokeplay or Stableford (and Par/Bogey), 18-hole or 9-hole Competitions.

Many of you, however, are still having concerns as to how and why these adjustments are necessary.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the number of strokes, in Medal Play, or the number of points, in Stableford or Par/Bogey Competitions, that you are required to score to play to your Course Handicap.

A frequent question that is asked is, “When players are competing from different tees, why do we have to make a second adjustment (Handicap Adjustment)?”

Now there are a number of reasons for it, which players are not always aware of. Namely:

When organising Mixed competitions of any type, stroke play or match play, it must be realised that the competition is effectively being held over separate courses as all the tees will each have their own Course Ratings albeit that they may share common fairways and greens.
It is important to remember, that golf handicaps level the playing field when competing from the SAME tees, unless it is a mix-gendered competition. Handicaps in golf, though, do not level the playing field when players play from different sets of tees or from the same tee with different Course Ratings (i.e., men and women’s ratings).
It would be entirely unfair if this difference is not accounted for by making an alteration to the handicaps of the players playing the harder course (that with the higher Course Rating) hence the requirement that handicaps MUST be adjusted.
Course Rating is, by definition, the score a Scratch player would be expected to return over a particular course. All handicaps are then adjusted relative to players’ performances against that score. It may seem obvious to state (but seems to be a point not appreciated by a good number of players and committees) that for instance the Ladies’ Course Rating is determined against the performance of a Scratch handicap lady player and the Men’s likewise for a Scratch man.

As you will know from the performance of professional golfers in both Europe and the USA, the best ladies cannot return scores that compare with the best men. As there is no compensation allowed in professional golf, ladies and men do not (generally) compete in mixed events for a single prize, or if they did the winner would only be a man. It could be argued that a club running a competition without making the adjustment for any difference in the Course Ratings is introducing a Condition of Competition that is, at best outside the spirit of, and at worst contrary to, Rule of Golf 3.3b (which does not allow a player to declare a handicap higher than that to which they are entitled). The argument being that if an upward adjustment is not applied to the player on the harder course (higher Course Rating) those on the easier course are effectively playing off too high a handicap, contrary to Rule of Golf 3,3b

To provide equity, then, when competitors are playing from 2 or more different sets of tees, adjustments MUST be made to the Playing Handicaps of some players.

NOTE: These adjustments are used solely to determine competition results and do not affect the player’s Scoring Record or Handicap Index calculation.

On another point, following the introduction of the World Handicap System, many players, also, question the adjustment where players are competing from different sets of tees, or men and women are competing from the same set of tees considering the tees have been allocated a Course Rating and a Slope Rating for both genders.

This can be a difficult concept to understand, and I hope that what follows may help you to understand the position better.

So, we need to define what the Slope Rating does, as many players think the different Slope Ratings automatically take care of the difference in the two sets of tees.

This is a myth. The Slope Rating is used to convert your Handicap Index to a Course Handicap, which allows you to receive the number of strokes you need to play to the level of a scratch golfer for a particular set of tees. In other words, it is the number of strokes you need to play to the Course Rating for that particular set of tees, i.e., what score you need to Play to your Handicap from that particular set of tees.

With Stableford, Par/Bogey Competitions it will be the number of points you need to play to your handicap for the particular set of tees you are playing.

As an illustration:

James and John are playing against each other. They each have a 15.8 Handicap Index.

John plays from the White tees which has a Course Rating of 68.5, a Slope Rating of 121 and Par of 70. If you were to look at a handicap table, you would find that John’s Course Handicap is 17.

James plays from the Yellow tees, which has a Course Rating of 64.6, a Slope Rating of 107 and a Par of 69. James’s Course Handicap is 15.

So, what do they each need to score to ‘play to their handicap’?

To find this number we can use what is called a target score, which is the Course Rating added to their Course Handicap. In our example the target scores would be as follows:

For Medal, Gross Score & Maximum Score (18 hole)

John’s Target Score = 68.5 + 17 = 86

James’ Target Score = 64.6 + 15 = 80

For Stableford, Par/Bogey Competitions where point count is used:

John’s Target Point Score = 36 – (68.5 – 70) = 37.5 (Rounded to 38)

James’ Target Point Score = 36 – (64.6 – 69) = 40.4 (Rounded to 40)

For Medal, Gross Score & Maximum Score (18 hole)

If John scores 86 playing exactly to his handicap his Net will be 69.

If James scores 80, again playing to his handicap, his Net will be 65.

James wins every time.

This is because the course rating is 3.9 (rounded to 4) strokes different from the White tees to the Yellow tees. So, if players compete from different tees a second adjustment needs to be made to equalise their handicaps by adding the difference in the Course Rating to John’s handicap or subtracting the difference in Course Ratings to James’s handicap.

In equity they should both end up with the same Net score if they play to their handicaps.

To adjust ‘off the lower rating’ you would give John a Course Handicap of 21 (17+4), which will now produce the following results: Table 16

Name	Gross Score	Course Handicap	Net Score
John	86	21 (17+4)	65
James	80	15	65

Or adjust using ‘off Higher Course Rating’, and give James a Course Handicap of 11 (15-4), which will now produce the following results:

Name	Gross Score	Course Handicap	Net Score
John	86	17	65
James	80	11	65

For Stableford, Par/Bogey Competitions where point count is used (18-holes):

Name	Stableford Points	Points to Play to Handicap	Score
John	38	38	38
James	40	40	40

James wins every time

This is because the points required to play to handicap is 1.9 (rounded to 2) points different from the White tees to the Yellow tees. So, if players compete from different tees a second adjustment needs to be made to equalise their handicaps by adding the difference in the Points Required to Play to Handicap to John’s handicap or subtracting the difference in Points Required to Play to Handicap to James’s handicap.

Name	Stableford Points	Adding Adjustment for Difference in Points to Play to Handicap	Net Score
John	38	+2	40
James	40	0	40

Name	Stableford Points	Subtracting Adjustment for Difference in Points to Play to Handicap	Net Score
John	38	0	38
James	40	-2	38

Adjustments for 9-Hole Competitions are different because the calculation takes into account (Course Rating – Par), which in GB&I it does not for 18-hole Competitions.

Medal, Gross Score and Maximum Score (9-Holes)

A player competing from a set of tees with a higher Par receives additional strokes equal to the difference in Pars

Stableford and Par/Bogey (9-holes)

No adjustment is required. It is accounted for in the calculation of a 9-hole Course Handicap.

In the illustrations above, we have reached our desired goal, where both players have scored to their Course Handicap and their net scores result in a tie.

In some jurisdictions it is recommended that the adjustment be made to the smaller group of players. Example: A tournament has 48 players; 40 are playing from the harder rated tees and 8 are playing from the easier rated tees. An adjustment is made to the course handicap of the 8 players playing the easier rated tees and no adjustment needs to be made to the larger group of players.

Nowhere in the above example has the word par been mentioned. Players often try to throw par into the mix when trying to figure if scores are equal. Par is of little relevance in the handicap system and is a poor indicator of predicting score. For example, one course may be 5500 yards long and have a par of 72 and another may be 7200 yards long and have a par of 72. It is highly unlikely that scores on these two courses would be equal for any level of golfer.

In the example, we have used both Course Rating and Slope Rating. The point is that Slope Rating by itself has little meaning within the Handicap System. There must be a Course Rating standard to connect to the Slope Rating in order for there to be any meaning. If there is one thing to remember from all of this, it is that the Slope Rating is used to convert your Handicap Index to a Course Handicap for a particular set of tees, which allows you to receive the number of strokes you need to play to the level of a scratch golfer for that particular set of tees.

There is then the question of ‘Which Courses to use?’

WHS states quite clearly that each set of players should play a course for which the Course Rating (CR) has been allocated for them, whenever possible. Normally this will mean that the men play from the Men’s Tees using the Men’s CR and the ladies from the Ladies’ Tees using the Ladies’ CR. Even then a handicap adjustment must be applied if the Ladies’ and Men’s CRs are different.

Which card to use in Mixed Foursomes and Four-Ball formats?

In Foursomes competitions from mixed tees, when a single ball is in play, the Committee must specify in the Terms of the Competition which single set of tees will determine the Pars and Stroke Index that are to be used but it is recommended that the Ladies’ Par and Stroke Index is used. This does not then require Ladies to play holes that have a lower Par than would be recommended. It does mean that Men may return somewhat higher scores than against their own Par, however, to do otherwise would militate against Ladies making an appropriate contribution.
In Four-Ball formats from mixed tees, where players play their own ball, individual players score using the card and Stroke Index appropriate for the tee they are playing from

How do Handicap Allowances and any other adjustments get applied in an 18-hole mixed/multi-tee event?

The WHS facilitates play between golfers of any gender, ability or age, as players can compete for the same prize in a competition playing from any rated set of tees
When playing in an 18-hole mixed or multi-tee event, whatever the format of play, the first step is for each player to calculate their own individual Course Handicap
Next, the applicable Handicap Allowance for the format of play is applied to the Course Handicap, giving the player their Playing Handicap
Next, those players playing from a set of tees with a higher Course Rating add additional strokes to their Playing Handicap – equal to the difference between the Course Rating of the tees they are playing from and the tees being played with the lowest Course Rating
In Four-Ball formats, strokes are only allocated after each player has calculated their individual Playing Handicap. Strokes are then taken from the player with the lowest Playing Handicap
In Foursomes and Greensomes, any adjustment for the difference in Course Ratings would be half of the combined adjustment for each side

A few further examples and summary.

To make competitions from tees with different Course Ratings fair, an adjustment to players’ Course Handicap must be made. An upward adjustment in handicap for players playing from tees with higher Course Ratings (Option 1) or a decrease in handicap for player playing from tees with lower Course Ratings (Option 2) can be applied.

As a Rule of Thumb, when golfers compete from tees that have different Course Ratings, either add OR subtract strokes…

A Two-player example:

In this two-player competition, Roy plays from the White tees and Tom plays from the Yellow. In a simple situation where you just have two players, the RULES OF HANDICAPPING recommend adjusting the Course Handicap of the player playing from the tees with a higher Course Rating. In this case, John is playing from the White tees with the higher Course Rating of 71.3, so you would add the difference in Course Rating (rounded to nearest whole number) to John’s Course Handicap of 12.

White Course Rating – Yellow Course Rating = Difference in Course Rating
71.3 – 68.7 = 2.6 rounded to 3

Item	Roy	Tom
Tee	White	Yellow
Handicap Index	11.2	16.7
Slope Rating	125	116
Course Rating	71.3	68.7
Course Handicap	12	17
Handicap Adjustment (Option 1)	+3	0
Playing Handicap (Option 1)	15	17
Handicap Adjustment (Option 2)	0	-3
Playing Handicap (Option 2)	12	14

A Three-player example:

In this three-player competition, Roy plays from the White tees, Tom plays from Yellow and Jane plays from Red tees. In a simple situation where you just have two players, the RULES OF HANDICAPPING recommend adjusting the Course Handicap of the players playing from the tees with higher Course Ratings. In this case, Jane and John playing from the White and Red tees with the higher Course Rating of 72.7 and 71.3, so you would add the differences in Course Ratings (rounded to nearest whole number) to Jane and John’s Course Handicap of 12 and 17.

Red Course Rating – White Course Rating = Difference in Course Rating
72.7 – 71.3 = 1.4 (Rounded to 1)

Red Course Rating – Yellow Course Rating = Difference in Course Rating
72.7 – 68.7 = 4

Item	Roy	Tom	Jane
Tee	White	Yellow	Red
Handicap Index	11.2	16.7	21.2
Slope Rating	125	116	126
Course Rating	71.3	68.7	72.7
Course Handicap	12	17	24
Handicap Adjustment (Option 1)	+1	0	_4
Playing Handicap (Option 1)	13	17	28
Handicap Adjustment (Option 2)	-3	-4	0
Playing Handicap (Option 2)	9	13	24

In a Competition situation where you have many players, you can determine what the most efficient route to adjust handicaps would be: adjusting handicaps of player playing from higher Course Ratings or lowering the handicaps of players playing from tees with lower Course Ratings. The effect is the same.

In the above three-player example, if we chose to lower the handicaps of players playing the two sets of tees with the lower Course Ratings (Yellow and Red), then John’s playing handicap would remain at 12, Tom’s would lower to 14 and Dave’s would lower to 15.

A Men and Women competing from same tees with different Course Ratings Example:

In this two-player competition, John plays from the Yellow tees and Jane plays from the Yellow. In a simple situation where you just have two players, the RULES OF HANDICAPPING recommend adjusting the Course Handicap of the player playing from the tees with a higher Course Rating. In this case, Jane is playing from the Yellow tees with the higher Course Rating of 72.8, so you would add the difference in Course Rating (rounded to nearest whole number) to Jane’s Course Handicap of 18.

Yellow Course Rating for Women – Yellow Course Rating for Men = Difference in Course Rating:

72.8 – 68.7 = 4.1 (Rounded to 4)

Item	John	Jane
Tee	Yellow	Yellow
Handicap Index	11.2	16.7
Slope Rating	116	119
Course Rating	68.7	72.8
Course Handicap	11	22
Handicap Adjustment (Option 1)	0	+4
Playing Handicap (Option 1)	11	26
Handicap Adjustment (Option 2)	-4	0
Playing Handicap (Option 2)	7	22

If you have a Competition with, say, 100 players and 88 play from the White tees (like John) and 12 play from the Yellow tees (like Tom), it may be less work for a Competition Committee to adjust the 12 players’ handicaps than the 88 playing from the White tees. In such a case, the RULES OF HANDICAPPING say you can adjust the 12 Yellow tee players’ Course Handicaps downward by 3 strokes. The effect being the same.

Medal, Gross Score & Maximum Score (9 hole)

A player competing from a set of tees with a higher Par receives additional strokes equal to the difference in Pars:

Playing Handicap = [ Course Handicap X Handicap Allowance ] + Difference in Pars Table 24

Tees	Men's Tees	Men's Par	Women's Tees	Women's Par	Women's Extra Strokes
Front 9	White	34	Red	35	+1
Front 9	Yellow	34	Red	35	+1
Front 9	Blue	33	Red	35	+2
Back 9	White	36	Red	37	+1
Back 9	Yellow	36	Red	37	+1
Back 9	Blue	36	Red	37	+1

Stableford & Par/Bogey (9 hole)

No adjustment is required. It is accounted for in the calculation of 9-hole Course Handicaps.

To summarise…

If your competition includes two sets of tees or women and men competing from the same tee which has different Course Ratings, either add strokes to the players playing from the higher Course Rating (increase their handicaps) OR subtract strokes from the golfers playing from the lower Course Rating (decrease their handicaps).

If your event includes more than two sets of tees or includes players playing from more than two different Course Ratings, then keep the Course Handicap for the players playing from the lowest Course Rating and add strokes, or increase handicaps for players playing from higher Course Ratings. Alternatively, keep the Course Handicap for the players playing from the highest Course Rating and subtract strokes, or decrease handicaps for players playing from lower Course Ratings.

This article was intended to explain why Handicap Adjustments are necessary in Mixed Tee Events and provide a few illustrative examples.

You can download a document that helps in the understanding of Mixed Tee Handicap Allowances by clicking on the Download Button below:

It has not been possible to cover all competition formats here, without making the article too long.

However, you can download a document that provides details on all Handicap Calculations by clicking on the download button below.

Implementation of Playing Handicap Calculations

Handicap Calculations
It is important that these calculations are done in a consistent manner. As well as applying appropriate allowances (which are mandatory in GB&I) the calculation of adjustments for players playing from separate tees needs to be done consistently.

This document provides direction on how Course Handicaps, Playing Handicaps and Multi-Tee Adjustments must be calculated to be consistent with the WHS requirements.

You can download a copy of the document by clicking on the Download Button Below:

Reviewing and Adjusting a Player’s Handicap Index

The WHS has been 10 years in its development, based on the USGA system that has been in use for over 50 years, it will be an excellent system for managing handicaps.

I say ‘will’ because although it launched in GB&I in November 2020, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic it really didn’t get up and running until July 2021, which means it has only been running for 8-9 months.

Because it is an average-based system it works best the more data input it has; because it has only been running for a short period of time, the data for GB&I is limited and so some anomalies with players’ Handicap Indexes may occur. Given time these anomalies should be resolved or sort themselves out naturally.

It is not helped, in GB&I, by players not being required to submit all scores and so we must put up with these anomalies until the System has been running for a year or two.

Unfortunately, some Committees are trying to adjust Handicap Indexes for what they see with players who win competitions regularly. This is not the way to go about it because, in doing this frequently and only for a few players, they are manipulating the system for their own devices and could be providing players with a Handicap Index that may not be an accurate representation of their current playing ability.

Committees must also be aware that any review of Handicap Indexes must also consider any player whose Playing Ability may be declining.

Perhaps Committees would spend their time better in encouraging players to submit more scores, which would include General Play scores as well as ‘qualifying’ competition scores.

Under the WHS, there is a responsibility for your Handicap Committee to ensure that players’ allocated Handicap Indexes correctly represent their current level of playing ability. They must perform an Annual Review every year between 1^st October and 31^st March.

However, at any time that they feel, or are informed, that your Handicap Index may be incorrect, often indicated by your rapid improvement or decline in performance in competitions, then they can conduct a review of your Handicap Index before the Annual Review.

The circumstances under which a Committee may review your Handicap Index are outlined under Rule 7 of the Rules of Handicapping and there is a correct procedure for reviewing and adjusting your Handicap Index which must be followed and is given in Appendix D of the Rules of Handicapping.

All adjustments must be made through the WHS Platform.

ADJUSTING A HANDICAP INDEX

If your Handicap Index does not reflect your demonstrated playing ability your Handicap Committee should conduct a handicap review. Using all available evidence, including handicap software and reporting for analysis, the Handicap Committee may adjust or freeze your Handicap Index. Your Handicap Committee should continue to monitor your scoring record and further adjust the Handicap Index if needed. An adjustment to your Handicap Index must be, at minimum, a one stroke difference from their current Handicap Index. This adjustment must not last for longer than a one-year period. The Handicap Index will be identified with the letter “M” (e.g., 16.3M).

ADJUSTING A LOW HANDICAP INDEX

When your Handicap Index has been adjusted or frozen by your Handicap Committee, it may impact your Low Handicap Index value, thus potentially triggering a soft cap or hard cap. Your Handicap Committee should review and consider resetting your Low Handicap Index to a new value unless a lower Handicap Index value becomes eligible. An adjustment to your Low Handicap Index must be, at minimum, a one stroke difference from your current Low Handicap Index. This adjustment must not last for longer than a one-year period. Your Handicap Committee should continue to monitor your scoring record and further adjust the Low Handicap Index value if needed. An adjusted Low Handicap Index will be identified with the letter “M” (e.g., 15.0M)

Clicking on the links below will take you to the relevant references in the Rules of Handicapping:

Committee Actions (randa.org) – Rule 7

The R&A – Appendix D – Handicap Review (randa.org)

England Golf have also produced a Guide to Conducting a Handicap Review, which you can read below or download a copy by clicking on the Download Button.

9th June 202122nd August 2022

Update to CONGU Mixed Tee Handicap Calculator – Version 1.10

New Release of CONGU Mixed Tee Handicap Calculator

CONGU have just released an updated version 1.10 of CONGU Mixed Tee Handicap Calculator, which corrects an error noted for 9-hole individual match play.

Please click on the Button below to download a copy:

30th April 202122nd August 2022

Using the R&A Course Handicap Calculator and Handicap Allowances

I recently received the following comment:

‘Why do we now have two different calculation systems dependant upon whether we are in GB&I or elsewhere? The RandA handicap calculator has a bizarre statement “with course rating minus par” …or “without……….” [for GB&I].

I thought the WORLD handicapping System was meant to bring us all together??

If you go to the USGA handicap tables, they are markedly different from the RandA calculations. That won’t confuse anybody will it?

And as for the 95% issue for Strokeplay and stableford….give me strength!

So an American and a Brit playing on a course in Turkey (covid-permitting), may have the same handicap index but different playing handicaps. To misquote Churchill : “Two countries separated by a common handicapping system!”’

With reference to:

‘So an American and a Brit playing on a course in Turkey (covid-permitting), may have the same handicap index but different playing handicaps. To misquote Churchill : “Two countries separated by a common handicapping system!”’

Your Handicap Index is calculated in exactly the same way as for all players worldwide, all Handicap Indexes are therefore comparable. It is not dependent upon the jurisdiction in which the Handicap Index was allocated. A 14.7 Handicap Index in the US is the same as a 14.7 Handicap Index in England, Spain or Turkey.

Differences, however, do arise in the Calculation of Course Handicaps depending on the location of the course being played, because some jurisdictions have not adopted the WHS in toto.

The R&A Course Handicap Calculator offers you an opportunity to see what a Course Handicap might be at different courses that you may like to play.

Depending on where you are playing your round and/or who you are playing with – you may or may not be required to include Course Rating and Par in this calculation. Check with the golf club, the Committee, or the Authorised Association.

When you use the R&A Course Handicap Calculator, determine the location of the course you wish to play.

From the location, determine whether Course Rating minus Par is used:

Without Course Rating minus Par – (GB&I)
With Course Rating minus Par – (Rest of the World bar Australia)
Australia uses the Course Rating minus Par but then applies a 0.93 Multiplier so the R&A Calculator will not work for Australian Courses.

So, using the example above, the R&A Course Handicap Calculator:

Choose between a 9-Hole Round and an 18-Hole Round
Choose with Course Rating minus Par for your Course in Turkey
Enter, Handicap Index, Course Rating, Par and Slope for your Course, if you do not know them Select the ‘Look Up’ Option
Select ‘Calculate’ once you have entered all the information.
Hey Presto! You will find that both players will play off the same Course Handicap for the same course.

RE: ‘And as for the 95% issue for Strokeplay and stableford….give me strength!’

The whole idea of Handicap Allowances is to provide a fair and equitable way of determining winners in competitions, they do not affect scores submitted for Handicap Purposes

Under the WHS, equity is now based on a top 10% finish, previously it was a top 25% finish. In singles match play, the previous Handicap System slightly favoured the lower handicap player, however it is closer to 50/50 equity with the WHS.

For four-ball and other team formats, the handicap allowances have been slightly reduced to offset the increase in standard equity for individual formats. Essentially, a slight increase in equity for singles match play, as mentioned above, results in a higher handicap player having an advantage in team events. As a result, a reduction in most team formats is appropriate.

Today, a larger number of scores and/or simulations, than previously used, have been used to determine and validate the handicap allowances used in the WHS because of the access to much more data, worldwide, the USGA and R&A were able to generate handicap allowances that met the desired equity.

Previous handicap allowances were validated in the early 2000’s, however no significant changes were warranted at the time. With the opportunity to run completely new tests for handicap allowances with updated scoring data, the R&A and USGA have been able to determine the best handicap allowances to use in the current playing environment.

The WHS is a sound and fair handicapping system, based largely on the USGA system that has proved popular and stood the test of time, having been in operation for over 40 years.

My advice is to work with the system and don’t try to overthink it.

Go out, experience your golf on different courses and most of all enjoy playing it.

Tony