Tag: Handicap Index

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WHS 2020 – How to Use Your Handicap Index When Playing a Round of Golf

How to Use Your Handicap Index When Playing a Round of Golf

Remember! Remember! The Second of November!

The introduction of the World Handicap System (WHS) in GB&I is only a few days away.

Are yoiu ready?

By now you will have received your Handicap Index, and, having got over the shock, no doubt booked to play a round of golf on, or after, Monday 2 November.

If you have not received your Handicap Index, please CLICK HERE to find out how you can find your Handicap Index.

What do you do now?

BEFORE YOUR ROUND

Decide what type of round you will be playing and, for Handicapping purposes, understand what Acceptable Scores are.

    • All 9-hole and 18-hole Singles Competition Rounds in Authorised Formats must be submitted for handicap purposes, subject to the competition being played to the Rules of Golf and over the measured length of the course
    • General Play (Social Rounds) may be submitted but must be pre-registered according to your Club’s Pre-registration Procedure. This also includes such play as Roll-ups and Swindles etc. and can include away games if you so wish.
    • Scores from team competitions and match play will not be acceptable in England initially, although this may change based on feedback from other jurisdictions that include those format
    • Pre-register your round on the day you are playing

Because the WHS is an averaging system, the more scores you submit the more accurate your Handicap Index will be.

Follow the guidelines of England Golf Know your Score and use HCP.

This translates to:

Handicap Index: Know your Handicap Index. This is the replacement to your current Handicap and represents your ability to play a Neutral Course which has a Slope of 113.

It is calculated in the same way for every golfer worldwide and so is comparable between golfers.

It is NOT the handicap that you will play off, but it is the ‘Handicap’ that you enter a competition with.

Course Handicap: This is the handicap that your Handicap Index is converted to, in order to provide you with a handicap that is more suited to your playing your chosen course.

If the club competition software is not available consult the Course Handicap charts relevant to the tees being used. These should be prominently displayed in your Clubhouse or ProShop.

This Course Handicap will be the Handicap that you will play off for General Play Rounds (Social)

Playing Handicap: If you are playing in a Club Competition in a particular format, calculate your Playing Handicap by applying the Handicap Allowance (see the table below), for that format.

Your Course Handicap will need to be converted to a Playing Handicap, by applying a Handicap Allowance according to the Competition Format you will be playing.

The various Handicap Allowances can be seen in the table below.

File Name: WHS-Handicap-Allowances.pdf

If you would like to download a copy of the Handicap Allowance Table, please click on a Download Button below:

It is hoped that, if you are entering a Club Competition e.g. a Monthly Medal or Stableford, that you will be pre-registered for the competition and your Course Handicap and Playing Handicap will have been calculated and show on your Club’s Computer.

Finally, I would like to add an S to the HCP, which stands for Scoring and Submitting a Score.

Scoring and Submitting a Score:

    • Ensure that your Course Handicap is entered on your card, and the chosen Tee designated to avoid Disqualification.
    • Ensure Scorecard signed by a Marker (Not necessary during COVID-19 Restrictions)
    • After the round, return the card as directed. Submit your score in accordance with Club procedures as soon as possible after you have completed your round.
    • Enter your Gross Score on the Club Competition Computer for each hole, hole by hole
    • If a hole is STARTED BUT NOT COMPLETED in Stableford, Par or Maximum Score formats. For handicap purposes net double bogey will be added to the score
    • If a hole is NOT STARTED for a valid reason net par will be added
    • Blanks/dashes no longer acceptable on Score Cards.
    • All 9 holes must be played or started for a 9-hole score to be acceptable for handicap purposes
    • A minimum of 10 holes must be played or started for an 18-hole score to be acceptable for handicap purposes
    • If you did not play a hole for a valid reason, you should mark the hole as ‘not played’ (NP).

Valid reasons for not playing a hole include:

    • Failing light or bad weather
    • Player injury or illness
    • A hole being declared out of play by the Committee for maintenance or reconstruction purposes

Invalid reasons for not playing a hole include:

    • Not playing a hole for the purpose of gaining a scoring advantage (high or low)

If you fail to return a scorecard your Handicap Committee may impose a penalty or, if a score can be retrieved, enter a Penalty Score for your round. NRs are not acceptable.

The prompt submission of your score is important as it will enable:

    • Your score to be included in the daily PLAYING CONDITIONS CALCULATION

and

    • Your Handicap Index to be UPDATED READY FOR YOUR NEXT ROUND

Handicap decreases or increases will not be calculated along with the competition results

Scores will be uploaded to a new platform designated by each national golf federation, for adjustment after midnight.

Your Handicap Index will be recalculated using the Playing Condition Calculation (previously CSS) at the end of every day you play

Your new Handicap Index can be viewed early next day either on the Golf Ireland website or available app.

Your correct Handicap Index will appear on the competition software in your Home Club when you enter a competition.

So, relax and enjoy your golf

Play as many rounds as you can, but remember:

Stay Safe and Play Safe

Best wishes

Tony

PS: My next post will contain details on Mixed Tee Competitions

PPS: From Monday 9 November 2020, because the WHS will be the Official Handicapping System, all references to the CONGU Unified Handicap System (UHS) will be removed from the My Golf Website.

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World Handicap System 2020 – How do I find my Handicap Index?

World Handicap System 2020 – How do I find my Handicap Index?

Well, after all the hype and confusion we are nearly there!

With there being less than 10 days to go before the World Handicap System goes live in GB&I, many of you have been asking for ways to estimate your Transition Handicap Index.

Rather than try to work it out from your Handicap Playing Record you can get a sneak preview by using your National Members’ Portal and I have given the available links for you below.

If you have not yet received notification of your Handicap Index you can you can find it now that England Golf’s World Handicap System Members Early Access portal is now live and all you need is your CDH number to find out what you’re new index will be.

Visit the England Golf World Handicap System Platform here

Visit the Scottish Golf World Handicap System Platform here

Visit the Welsh Golf World Handicap System Platform here

The Irish World Handicap System Platform is not available at the moment

Once you have entered in your CDH number, you will be able to see your new Handicap Index and the 8 scores that contributed to it – if your club has uploaded your email address to the platform.

If your club has not yet uploaded your email address you will not be able to see which particular scores were taken into account, but you will see your Handicap Index.

This Handicap Index is not guaranteed just yet because England Golf are warning that it may still change between now and launch and there is some confusion because some New Handicap Indexes may have been miscalculated.

Some member’s historic scores were taken from the wrong tees and others have seen that Competition Scratch Score (CSS) was not taken into account in their qualifying scores.

There is a distinct possibility that some Clubs will find their Members’ Handicap Indexes being changed England Golf has assured them that they will be correct for the 2nd November.

So, wait until Monday 2 2020 until everything goes live and your Handicap Index should be confirmed.

Once your Golf Club Handicap Software has been updated you should be able to access your Handicap Index through the  Club Computer before or as you sign in to play a round.

Have fun, but don’t throw your arms up in disbelief at your Handicap Index, I will try to explain it further in the next post and take you through how to use it when you arrive at your Golf Course of choice after 2 November 2020.

Stay safe

Enjoy your gof!

Best wishes

Tony

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Handicapping – Is a Handicap Valid When Leaving a Golf Club?

Is a Handicap Valid When Leaving a Golf Club?

Another recent enquiry, concerning handicaps was:

A. If you have entered the required competitions to have an active handicap at the end of 2018 but do not join a club in 2019 is your handicap valid. There is a difference of opinion at our club- some say it would be valid for 12months and some say once you are no longer a member of a club your handicap is no longer valid. Your answer please.

A. It is a confusing situation for many because although CONGU state that as soon as you leave an affiliated Golf Club you lose your Handicap, they do state that if you re-join your club or another club within a twelve-month period your handicap can be re-instated at your previous level and if it held ‘c’ status then this is valid for the remainder of the year in which you left/resigned and the following full calendar year.

So, if you leave your club your handicap is lost immediately you leave, and this will effectively prevent you from playing in any handicap competitions/events.

Although having lost your handicap, if it was competitive (‘c’) when you left or resigned, the ‘c’ status remains valid for the remainder of the calendar year of resignation/leaving and for the full following calendar year.

The relevant clauses from the CONGU Unified Handicap System Manual are:

CONGU Clause 24.7.

24.7 A player’s handicap is lost immediately s/he ceases to be a Member of an Affiliated Club or loses her/his amateur status.

CONGU Clause 26.1.

26.1 A CONGU® Handicap is lost when a player ceases to be a Member of an Affiliated Club. When a player resigns from a club and joins another there is often a time interval between the two memberships. If the handicap of a player is to be restored within twelve months of the date on which his handicap was lost, or suspended, it must be reinstated at the same handicap the player last held. In restoring the handicap of a player whose ‘c’ status handicap has been lost in such circumstances that ‘c’ status shall remain valid for the remainder of the calendar year of resignation and for the full following calendar year. In all other cases the player shall be allotted a new handicap after he has complied with the requirements of Clause 16.

When a player has transferred to a new club within the same jurisdiction that player’s CDH number transfers with him. Clubs must obtain that number from the player (even if there has been a period of time when the player was not a Member of either club) and must follow the guidance of the software provider(s) to ensure that the CDH number is transferred correctly. In Ireland, a player transferring to a new club obtains a new CDH number.

26.2 When restoring a handicap which has been lost or suspended for more than twelve months the Handicap Committee, in addition to proceeding as required by Clause 16, must give due and full consideration to the handicap the player last held (see Clause 16.3). A Category 1 handicap must not be allotted without the approval of the Union or Area Authority if so delegated.

England and Ireland delegate responsibility for approval of Category 1 restorations to their Area Authorities. `Scotland and Wales make no delegation under this clause.

If you have held a CONGU handicap and CDH number, that CDH ID number and handicap goes with you (in Ireland each club will issue a new CDH ID number), so make sure that the handicap secretary of the club you are leaving has removed you from that club’s database. It is your responsibility, when re-joining your club or joining another club, to provide information on your previous golf experience and handicap. Similarly, it is a responsibility of the club to request that information. All handicaps remain in place for the calendar year after the player attained it.

Otherwise a minimum 3 cards must be submitted. The committee must take your original handicap into account when allocating your new one.

Enjoy your Golf,

Tony

Email: [email protected]

Rules Blog: www.my-golf.uk