It’s been a common refrain on social media – “why can’t we go back to the old ways?” – but there is no way back from the World Handicap System.
Speaking on The NCG Golf Podcast, England Golf’s chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson said there had been huge positives for golf since the introduction of the averaging method four years ago and stressed the role integrity had to play in its operation.
Asked about the frequent criticisms of WHS – that it can be manipulated and it favours higher handicappers – Tomlinson told the podcast: “Any system can be manipulated, but that is always down to the integrity of the golfer and the integrity of the sports person involved and, invariably, because every score has to be signed for, it’s two people where there is an integrity level that must be maintained.
“There was a real need and requirement for a system to come in that encouraged more people to enjoy the uniqueness of a golfing handicap.
“For some 10 years, going back before the pandemic, we not only had a decline in membership but we had a decline in people actually wanting a handicap – because so many people had become so nervous about [it].
“This is all feedback from surveys we collate. People were genuinely concerned the only time they could get a handicap was when they pegged it up in a medal, or a competition.
“They would go, ‘do I need that hassle? Do I need that anxiety in my life to think at the weekend, ‘I want to go and enjoy my sport – my pastime – but I’m going to peg it up and if I start on the 1st hole with a 7 my weekend’s destroyed?’
“There was a real move away from that to be saying, ‘what is a handicap all about?’ A handicap is a way of measuring your ability. It is also a way of competing and this, of course, is where the integrity level comes in.
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“What I can say to the people who are truly concerned is: we listen, we hear. But we still have a system here that’s four years old.
WHS golf: A return to CONGU? “There is no chance”
“We continually provide feedback to the R&A and USGA with regards to how it works in practice, how we think we can tweak it, how we think we can improve it. And they listen and we go through these different stages.
“I still do think it’s a work in progress. The statistics show it was a real move forward. More people now have a handicap than they had before, and more people want to do general play scores and want to compete.
“So there are lots of positives, but we definitely hear the criticisms and we try to pass comment and feedback with regards to how we can improve the system.”
On whether there was any chance of a return to the pre-WHS CONGU aggregate system of handicapping, Tomlinson added: “No, there is no chance, and I do honestly believe people are looking at it through rose-tinted glasses. There is also a control scenario there as well.
“I think people could understand the old one easier than they can perhaps understand some of the calculations or the formula with the new one.
“But WHS is here to stay and I think it is all our duty and responsibility to try and make sure we move it forward in the best possible light.
“The means R&A and the USGA doing their bit, myself, England Golf, counties, but also golf clubs. Golf clubs, they have some more power than they think.
“I’m not pushing this back to clubs, but I’m saying we genuinely want clubs to be involved. We genuinely want people to be able to have their say, and to be able to determine what certain terms of competitions they would like. What works for people? What is inclusive, but is also fair?
“Does everybody off every handicap need to be in the same competition? We’d like clubs to ask themselves that and to not – and this is too strong a word – discriminate against certain golfers.
“Always try to be as inclusive as you can be, but also try to be as appropriate and proportional as you can be as well – because we genuinely want golf clubs to flourish and for competitions that have been played forever and a day – board competitions as many would refer to – to keep going with an integrity level.”
Listen to The NCG Golf Podcast
On this episode, Steve Carroll is joined by England Golf chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson. As well as the Respect in Golf movement, they also discuss the World Handicap System, whether the golf boom has peaked, and if the sport needs to focus on shorter formats. Make sure you listen in.
Now have your say on WHS golf
WHS golf: What do you think of the World Handicap System? Did you prefer the old CONGU system? Let us know your thoughts with a comment on X.
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