Golfers who deliberately manipulate their handicaps have been called out by The R&A as cheats.
As the governing body launched a new World Handicap System awareness campaign in GB&I reminding players of their responsibilities under the Rules of Handicapping, Grant Moir, executive director of governance, said those who break the rules should expect to face the consequences.
Speaking on The NCG Golf Podcast, Moir said: “We don’t believe there are many golfers abusing the system to try and gain an unfair advantage, but we do recognise that even if a small number are doing this it can impact the enjoyment of competition golf and it impacts negativity on the perception of WHS.
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“So our hope with this campaign is that we’ll help golfers to better understand which behaviours and which actions are a breach of the rules, to emphasise that deliberately taking those actions is frankly unacceptable, and to call out deliberate manipulation for what it is. It’s cheating.
“The Rules of Handicapping, just like the Rules of Golf, rely to a certain extent on player integrity and we all need to be prepared to challenge behaviour that is lacking in that integrity.”
With many golfers citing manipulation – both up and down – as one of the most serious concerns about WHS, The R&A, working with the four home unions, has sent out newsletters to clubs and players across GB&I.
What are golfers being asked to do in this World Handicap System awareness campaign?
In those, golfers are reminded to:
- Pre-register for general play scores, and not to be selective about which score they submit
- Try their best, finish the round, and submit all acceptable scores as soon as possible
- Check and sign the scorecard of the player they’re marking for – making sure it’s accurate
- Submit more scores, whether in competitions or general play, to ensure the accuracy of their handicap index
- Act with honesty and integrity by following the Rules of Handicapping and not to circumvent the rules to gain an unfair advantage
Handicap committees, meanwhile, are asked to have a good understanding of the Rules of Handicapping and to educate their members, to ensure they are playing and submitting scores in accordance with the Rules, as well as conducting a regular review of each members’ handicap index to ensure it reflects their ability.
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Moir told the podcast golfers would never accept players cheating the rules and stressed handicapping needed to be seen in the same way.
“What we tend to find is that people don’t really look upon the Rules of Handicapping in perhaps the same way as they would look upon the Rules of Golf,” he added.
“When I say ‘people’ I’m emphasising this small minority. But if somebody was giving themselves a better lie in the rough, or somehow not counting strokes in their score, and that was discovered, then you know the reaction that gets among their fellow golfers within the club.
“Yet there are occasions with handicapping where people might look upon it as roguish behaviour and the terminology you would get around that doesn’t actually emphasise the gravity of what manipulation of handicaps results in – and it results in unfair advantage.
“It results in people thinking the results of the competition are not authentic and therefore it is cheating.
“We need to emphasise that it is vitally important that all golfers act with integrity in relation to their handicap because it’s our unique selling point in golf – this great leveller that we have and, to use the common phrase, we just can’t have the bad apples spoiling what is a very, very good system.
“There are so many positives about the system and we just need to be sure that everybody understands what deliberate actions to try and either decrease or increase your handicap actually are. It’s serious and we need to call it out.”
Moir stressed the point of the awareness campaign was to ensure everyone – golfers and handicap committees – understood their responsibilities and to make certain they weren’t “inadvertently doing things wrong”.
“That happens and that’s understandable but once you know, then you know,” he said. “What we’re prepared to say up front here is that deliberately taking action to try and gain an unfair advantage in relation to your handicap is manipulation. It’s cheating.
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“It’s whatever you want to call it but it’s not right and you should expect if people, using the safeguards that are in place, discover that you’re doing this – whether that be your fellow players or whether it be your handicap committee – then you should expect there to be consequences.
“And the message is just don’t do it, because golf has always relied on the integrity of its players and we need that for the handicapping system as well. Dishonesty is unacceptable and we just want everybody to understand that, just as they do under the Rules of Golf, you need to adhere to the Rules of Handicapping.”
Now have your say on this World Handicap System awareness campaign
What do you make of The R&A’s World Handicap System awareness campaign? Are handicap manipulators cheats? Do clubs need to take firmer action against those caught abusing the system? You can let me know your thoughts by email at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or by leaving a comment on X.
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