A competition over 14 holes that counts towards your golf handicap? Yes, it can happen under the World Handicap System.
The Rules of Handicapping – and specifically Rule 3.2 – allows events to be held over a “non-standard number of holes”.
We all know that 9-hole rounds can count, but if your committee wants to hold a competition over 10 holes, 12, 14, or any number up to the standard 18-holes, they can and your score can still be added to your WHS record.
Why might clubs hold competitions over a non-standard number of holes?
To do that, those rounds are scaled up to 18 holes using the Expected Score method.
Why would committees do this? For those clubs with courses with fewer than 18 holes, it allows them to stage counting competitions over their layout without always necessarily having to route in a standard number of holes.
It also allow clubs flexibility to play events over the winter months, when darkness frequently becomes an issue when lots of people want to play. When course conditions permit, a competition over a non-standard number of holes allows events that are still meaningful from a handicap perspective.
Have your say
What do you think? Should rounds like this be allowed to count for the World Handicap System? Would you want to play a WHS qualifying competition round over 13 holes, for example, that could alter your WHS index? Let me know your thoughts with a comment on X.
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