There were six different handicap systems in use around the world before the United States Golf Association and R&A brought them all the under the wing of the World Handicap System in 2020. Each previous format had its merits, but they all produced different results.
With the WHS, players can compare themselves more accurately now than ever, and handicaps can travel the world with ease. As the WHS enters its fifth year, the USGA and R&A have made their first updates to the system – effective Jan. 1, 2024 – based on data and feedback from the 125 countries now using the system.
“It’s very much a natural, logical evolution of WHS,” Steve Edmondson, USGA Managing Director of Handicapping and Course Rating, told Golfweek. “We’ve got such a rich, robust data repository. We have over 70 million scores posted in the U.S. alone on an annual basis, well over 100 million worldwide. We can use data, we can use golfer feedback, and that’s what we have done.”
“What you’re seeing with these revisions is we’re very much continuing to evolve to meet the game where it’s moving and golfers where they’re playing,” he added. “Hopefully that’s reflective in the revisions themselves.”
Here’s what you need to know about the four significant updates coming in 2024 for the World Handicap System.
Inclusion of short courses, length reductions
The governing bodies want the game to be more inclusive and have taken a step towards achieving that goal by reducing the length requirements for traditional 18-hole, 9-hole and even par-3 courses. An 18-hole course may be as short as 1,500 yards, while a 9-hole course may be as short as 750 yards.
For example: Pinehurst Resort’s par-3 course, The Cradle, can now be included as it plays to 789 yards.
“There are just over 700 par-3 courses in the U.S. alone that were not part of the WHS. So you’ve got people coming in through that channel and they ask if they can get a Handicap Index but the answer was, ‘Oh no, you can’t because scores aren’t accessible for handicap purposes here.’ It’s just not a great experience,” Edmonson explained. “So we’ve done an awful lot of research and we feel really good with this minimum requirement. When you get beneath (the requirements) it turns more into pitch-and-putt and that’s just different. You don’t have full shots anymore.”
Players on average will play to their handicap anywhere between 20-25 percent of the time, more so on the lower end. At short courses, players are more likely to play to their index a little more often, around 27 percent of the time. Makes sense, right? Players have fewer lengthy holes and spots to find trouble.
“So it’s still within the realm,” said Edmonson. “So it holds up really nicely. We believe we’re welcoming more players to the game in a more comprehensive manner.”
Expected score for a hole not played
Here’s how it works now: when you play 9 holes, you get a 9-hole score differential which is either combined with a previous score waiting to be paired or it gets put in a holding tank to become a waiting score to create an 18-hole differential later on. Two independent 9-hole rounds are being combined, which doesn’t always accurately depict a player’s ability.
Think about it, you could play a great 9-hole round one day followed by another really good 9-hole round a month later, and now that 18-hole score differential might be higher than otherwise expected if you played 18 holes. The downside of that is a really good 9-hole round paired with a horrific 9-hole round would wash out a player’s demonstrated ability on that first day. Weird, right? That’s why the WHS is making its second change.
For holes that aren’t played, a player’s expected score will now be used to tabulate an 18-hole score differential by using a 9-hole score and data based on golfers with the same Handicap Index. Thanks to millions of rounds of data, the WHS can define an accurate statistical value for unplayed holes that will be more telling of a player’s ability.
Adjustments to the Playing Conditions Calculation
Unlike the Bishop in “Caddyshack,” most of us don’t play the best rounds of our lives in inclement conditions. But when the Playing Conditions Calculation was implemented to account for poor weather, course conditions and seasonality, the model was rather conservative.
“I can’t tell you how many calls that we had to ask why the PCC wasn’t applied on certain days when the weather was coming down sideways and then we explained that the model was very conservative,” said Edmonson. In response, national golf associations around the world were given the discretion to change the PCC to be a little less conservative in July of 2022 ahead of the 2024 revisions, which will see a modified system that will produce an increased likelihood of an adjustment for abnormal playing conditions.
“We have seen in the U.S. alone that we have gone from about an average 5 percent incident rate to a 10 percent incident rate on average in season,” Edmonson explained. “Out of season, meaning fall and spring conditions, we are seeing as high as 30-35 percent because you’ve got balls rolling forever or balls with zero roll. Hopefully, we’ll get to that right balance of what golfers expect.”
Improved handicap reviews
The WHS isn’t just a formulaic system full of numbers and statistics. There’s a human element, as well, with handicap committees, which are always in a difficult position when it comes to adjusting scores. New reporting tools have been developed for national associations to incorporate into their handicapping software to assist in the review process.
“We’re providing clubs tools that will look at players, look at their scoring frequency, look at the number of low and high scores, these anomalies and outliers, and we will flag players and provide recommended adjustment where necessary,” said Edmonson. “If a player is playing two or three standard deviations outside of their scoring pattern, we’re going to flag them. When you have so many of those scores, we’re going to say this is more than an anomaly and there should be an adjustment made as a recommendation by the USGA.”
“In the end, the clubs will have final discretion, so if they know a player has something going on such as a health issue, for example, the club can override the recommendation or apply it and say it was recommended from the WHS by the USGA. They have a little bit more reinforcement that way.”
The numbers and models show that if you were to run the tool on an annual basis, about 7 percent of a club would be flagged, and some would be for upward adjustments. Now if you run the tool month over month, it’s a little over 1 percent that would be flagged.
“So that’s going to be our recommendation,” Edmonson said. “Run it month over month for a 12-month span and you’re probably going to get 1-1.5 percent of the club flagged, and then the club will have final discretion on the matter.”
Future plans
Most golfers know a fellow player who believes they aren’t good enough to hold a handicap. Edmonson laughs at the thought because it goes completely against the goal of the Handicap Index.
“That’s still a myth that still we get challenged on,” Edmondson said of the not good enough notion. “We were very intentional with the 2020 release to say our maximum Handicap Index is 54.0 for both men and women. We did that for a very deliberate reason. A Handicap Index is meant to provide greater enjoyment. It’s not meant to provide greater enjoyment for just those that are elite or better at the game, it’s meant so you and I can go out there, you’re a 12, I’m a 24, and we can compete and have fun and it does precisely that.”
“The message is to double down and make sure that players understand a Handicap Index is absolutely for everyone. It’s not for competition purposes only, even though it’s great for that purpose. Tracking one’s individual game and performance has really resonated and started to make a difference because so many people coming into the game who want to see their progress over time.”
The governing bodies will continue to review the WHS at regular intervals, just as they do with regard to the Rules of Golf and Rules of Amateur Status.
“We have made good progress in the early stages of WHS but we know there are always areas that can be improved as we gather more data and information on the system from around the world,” said Claire Bates, the R&A’s Director of Handicapping. “Conducting a regular review process is important in terms of good governance and enables us to examine some of the key areas in which we have received feedback.”
Beyond 2024, the WHS will likely delve deeper into hole-by-hole characteristics. There currently isn’t enough information for the hole characteristics, and the WHS would love to have a system where it knows the uniqueness of every golf course carry versus tree line versus whatever the significant obstacles are, and then be able to compare how different players fared.
The folks at the USGA want to continue to evolve and improve the WHS for all different types of players. They want a system in place that represents an ever-evolving sport that meets the game where it’s moving next.
To learn more about the WHS and take the next step towards holding a handicap, visit here.
