England Golf’s handicapping chief has told WHS critics “no matter how much you scream and shout and stamp your feet, it is here to stay”.
As the World Handicap System marks its fifth anniversary in Great Britain and Ireland, and with opponents of the scheme as loud as ever, Sarah Barter, the governing body’s head of handicapping and course rating, said the calculator was something golfers were going to have to learn to work with.
With record numbers of scores submitted in England in 2025, and more than 70,000 golfers subscribed to iGolf – a scheme that gives non-club members the right to hold a WHS index – its future appears bright in many quarters.
But a portion of the golfing populous remains unhappy with the system that replaced the old CONGU UHS on November 2, 2020 – citing concerns about manipulation of general play scores, perceived disadvantages for lower handicappers in competitions, and the prevalence of very high scores in formats such as Stableford events.
World Handicap System: ‘I think it’s just going to take time’
Speaking to NCG today in a wide-ranging WHS interview, Barter said: “The reality is the system is here to stay. I think the sooner people realise that no matter how much you scream and shout and stamp your feet, it’s here to stay. It’s basically something we’re going to have to work with.
“Obviously, we have to tailor it, and my job is to work with the R&A, the USGA, and my counterparts within GB&I to make sure it works best for the golfers within this country.
“I think once we move towards interoperability and having a World Handicap System – as it was described to us, where all scores can talk to each other from across the world – I think people will feel better about it as that was a really key selling point for the system.
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“I know the R&A are working really hard on that and we’re hoping to see some updates in the next year to 18 months. As we start talking about the new updates in 2028 that’s going to be a question that we ask – about how that’s coming along and what the timeline is.”
Asked if she was able to put a timeframe on WHS’s wider acceptance, Barter said: “When you’ve got generations of golfers that have worked with multiple systems – and not just CONGU – obviously everyone’s going to have a favourite system that they like and embracing a new one, once you’ve got familiar to the one you just use, is difficult as well.
“I think it’s just going to take time. If you wanted me to put a number on it, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that.
“But I think interoperability is the key feature. I think once that kicks off, people will start to feel a bit more comfortable with it and will enjoy it for what it actually is.”
Now have your say
What do you make of this WHS view and how have you found the first five years of WHS? Let me know in the comments, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
