How English golfers have described the World Handicap System in the new global R&A and USGA survey

What do English golfers really think about the World Handicap System? It probably won’t surprise to you to learn the answer is mixed.

Golfers in the country have reportedly told chiefs that while some recognise its flexibility, others think it’s too difficult to understand and relies too much on the integrity of players.

Last August, the R&A and USGA launched a global survey about WHS and asked golfers for their views. It was the first time since its introduction in 2020 that there had been such a consultation exercise.

The two governing bodies were looking for honest feedback and insights, saying they were “invaluable to the ongoing review of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System”.

The individual responses to the survey were confidential and anonymous. The overall results have not yet been released but NCG has learned some of the key takeaways provided by English golfers to that global survey:

• Many of them found parts of the system too complex when compared to the old CONGU UHS. That was especially true of those of a certain demographic
• Manipulation was the most commonly mentioned issue
• While there were those who recognised the flexibility and inclusiveness of WHS, others considered it to be relying heavily on honesty

The results back up other surveys into the system, with NCG’s own Club Golf Survey – filled in by more than 3,500 golfers – revealing that while the largest single group of respondents (35.3%) thought WHS was better than its CONGU predecessor, 30.2% felt it was worse than what had been in place before.

What do we think about these comments? Let’s take the takeaways in turn…

What do we think of the World Handicap System survey results?

The system IS complicated

If it wasn’t, why are governing bodies still holding education workshops and why are those meetings packed out with handicap committee members? Remember this system has now been in place for the better part of five years.

You might think that for those who are in charge of running it at clubs there wouldn’t be too many surprises. And yet when I attend such meetings, it becomes clear some volunteers aren’t always aware of how they can make the system work for them.

Players, meanwhile, have had to get to grips with Course Rating and Slope; Indexes, Course and Playing Handicaps; eight out of 20 and score differentials; only for changes to come with Course Rating minus Par in 2024 and a likely alteration of the way allowances are handed out in competitions next year.

That’s a lot to deal with. It’s all very well telling golfers, ‘just go out and enjoy yourselves’, which has been the WHS mantra since 2020, but many DO want to know what’s going on and they want it to be understandable.

I have spent the last seven years writing about WHS and there are parts of it that still leave me scratching my head. Some of that is because of the availability of information.

It remains frustrating that the maths behind Course Rating and the Playing Conditions Calculation, to name just two, aren’t available to the wider golfing public. Not only does it propagate the conspiracy theory that there is something to hide, it also restricts the gathering of knowledge.

But some of it is because when you open the bonnet it is tough to figure it out. We have to find a way of better explaining it to committee volunteers and to golfers. There will never be true buy-in until that happens.

I enjoy the flexibility provided by WHS

For all that some golfers target general play, claiming it’s part of the ‘cheat’s charter’, there is also a good section of the playing population who are very happy it’s available.

I happen to be one of them. I don’t get to play in as many competitions these days – parental commitments at weekends being the biggest obstacle – and the chance to record a score for handicap when I do play, outside the confines of a competition, keeps me sharp.

I’ve never liked playing golf socially, I like to have something on it – whether that’s a couple of quid, a pint, or a scorecard.

Without this, my handicap would be hopelessly out of date. I could go months without a meaningful score being returned. General play prevents that.

With lots of clubs now requiring a certain number of scores in a calendar year to be eligible to play in competitions, removing the chance to record those as and when I can doesn’t feel particularly inclusive.

Sometimes I feel in the mood. Sometimes I get to play a trophy course and I want to test my handicap against it. WHS has allowed us to do that.

We’ve got to get to grips with the issue of manipulation – but a lot of that is in our hands

It is the single biggest issue with the system. Deal with this and the concerns of lots of players about WHS will ease. Some of it is perceived. Some of it is social media rage. But are there people cheating under WHS? Yes, there are.

We play a sport that depends on honesty. Lots of the rules to which we play rely on integrity – many ask golfers to do what is right and to interpret how they should act. It is not too dissimilar in the realm of handicapping.

The best description I’ve heard about WHS is it’s a calculator. You enter information, it completes a calculation and spits out a number. Put in the wrong calculation and don’t be surprised if you get a figure you might not necessarily like.

The system isn’t the manipulator, golfers are. What the system does provide, though, is tools to help catch those who are fiddling. The key is knowing how to use them.

I’ve seen the evidence of this in real time, and watched the jaws of committee members drop when they realised just how they could track their members under WHS.

Whether it’s using the MyEG app to see when scores were declared and when they were returned – you would be stunned if you could see the numbers of golfers who can apparently play 18 holes within two hours – or seeking out differences in competition versus general play scores, or any of the myriad other reports at hand, there are more tools to catch the nefarious than there ever was under the old CONGU UHS.

While the system may cause many golfers concern, we also need to switch the focus back onto those who are cheating. Let’s stop excusing what they are doing, and use the measures we can to stamp them out.

Now have your say

What do you think about these results? Does it change your opinion in any way about the World Handicap System? Let us know by leaving a comment on X.

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