BEAUCHIEF GOLF CLUB

World Handicap System (WHS)

On 2nd November 2020, a new handicapping system WHS will be introduced into the UK to replace our existing system CONGU.

This has massive implications and a number of committee members have already attended seminars outlining the new system and how it will affect all golfers. The intention is for a system which will be universal - there are several different systems used throughout the world and they are all amalgamating.

England Golf have now started their "KNOW THE SCORE" education program for golfers and we will be adding to this page in the coming weeks in a structured manner, as per their guidance and timescale. This will generally be a sequence of posters but there will also be links to videos too. It was our intention to hold some seminars at the club but these are obviously subject to the clubhouse being re-opened and social gatherings allowed following the Covid-19 restrictions.

CLICK ON THE HEADERS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION. New items will be added approx every week.

(22/07/20) What is the WHS?

(22/07/20) Why has the WHS been created?

(29/07/20) How does the WHS work?

(05/08/20) Course Rating

Having completed our overview of the WHS, we are now spending the next two weeks looking at Course Rating and Slope Rating.

First up is Course Rating, which will be used to measure the playing difficulty of a golf course. It measures how many strokes a Scratch Golfer (a player with a handicap index of 0.0) should take on any given course. It does this by assessing two main types of challenges which, when combined, result in a common base from which to
compare players’ abilities:

The playing length of the course
The obstacles that a player will encounter (e.g. size of green and hazards)

All Course Ratings have been determined by highly trained teams, with all findings checked and verified prior to being published to ensure consistency and equity across England.

Another important factor to establish in the rating system is Bogey Rating, which is the measure of playing difficulty from a set of tees when played by a Bogey Golfer (a player with a handicap index of approximately 20 for a male and 24 for a female).

Knowing the Course Rating & Bogey Rating established by the Course Rating teams allows the WHS to assess and rationalise the relationship between the two. From this, the difficulty of the course for all other levels of ability can be deduced.

Hopefully, this provides you with a good understanding as to how Course Rating is established, and why it is important for the WHS.

Next week's topic will be about "Slope Rating"