According to the United States Golf Association (USGA), the
WHS will “bring the game of golf under a single set of rules for handicapping
and provide a more consistent measure of players’ ability between different
regions of the world.”
I don’t know the “how details” but from what I’ve read, the
WHS will:
- use your six lowest scores from the last 20 scores posted which is likely to lower handicap indexes;
- update daily instead of twice a month which will encourage all golfers to post scores immediately after the round and not wait a day or two;
- provide different handicapping based on that day’s challenge game be it a skins game or the Stableford System or just playing a straight up match; and,
- allow no score greater than “net” double bogey (without a stroke on a hole, double bogey will be the highest score recorded; with one stroke, a triple bogey is possible; with two strokes, a quadruple bogey is allowed).
I’m very much interested to know more of the details. My wish,
though, is for a system that considers how overall well someone plays a round
or several rounds. It would require a more detailed look at hole-by-hole
scoring and not just a nine-hole or an 18-hole total score. As examples,
consider the following three scenarios:
Golfer A has a GHIN index of 7.3 and shoots a 79. Within the
18 holes, he has one birdie, 10 pars, six bogeys, and one double bogey. That’s
about right when the score and the index are compared. Golfer A’s handicap
fluctuates based on scoring a few more birdies or a few less bogeys.
Golfer B has a 15.4 index and has a 91, a little high for
his index. He has eight pars, four bogeys, three double bogeys and a triple bogey.
Golfer B’s handicap could be lower if he could get a handle on those doubles
and triples.
Golfer C is the anomaly to the system. He has 16.1 index and
shoots an 86. On this day, which is like
many other rounds he’s had, Golfer C has two birdies, seven pars, five bogeys,
one double bogey, and three triple bogeys. His 86 includes 14 holes of three-over
par golf and four holes of 11 over par. Those four holes, based on his handicap,
would be allowed in the WHS.
Bottom line: Golfer C is much better than his handicap shows,
and the handicap system does not take that into account. His birdies, pars and
bogeys are a display of his ability. His triples came from hitting a couple of
lousy shots and not concentrating after reaching the green where he three putted.
His 86 could have easily been an 82 or 83. His index over his last 12 months of
posting ranges from 15.3 to 17 as a result of less than a handful of holes each
round.
There is probably no handicap system that’s perfect.
Hopefully every golfer is trying to get better with each round and not trying
to maintain a higher index just a score a few dollars at the end of the day.
REMINDER: Make sure you’re posting your score after each
round. There’s an easy-to-use App for the GHIN system, and there’ll probably be
one for the WHS. And, be honest with yourself by posting your correct score.
Some players knock off a stroke or two, thinking their score is too high; some players
think a score is too low to post and don’t post. Same is true of unusually high scores. In either case, you’re cheating
yourself and your fellow players. By the way, according to the USGA,
failure to post a score is a no-no and can result in the posting of a “penalty”
score, usually an ever par score. Don’t let this happen to you.
For more on posting scores, go to Questions
and Answers about Handicapping.
