I tried to put in a score for handicap in Ireland – here’s how it went down
This was a day for which I’d waited two and a half years. The 1st tee at Portsalon, England Golf app fired open on my phone, and this was it. Finally, I was about to put in a meaningful score – one which would count towards my handicap – in another country.
When I first started writing about the World Handicap System, this was one of the things that really caught my eye. Not only could we play a bucket list course, but we could put our game to the test with a round that would appear on our records – and possibly send our marks plummeting.
But WHS arrived and ‘interoperability’, as it’s called by the technical people, did not for a lot of us. I, along with many other golfers, have endured much frustration. A couple of weeks ago, though, months of software and algorithm work behind the scenes came together and it was announced that we could finally use our digital apps on our phones to submit scores at affiliated course across the home nations.
That was pretty good timing for me as I had a trip to Ireland on NCG Top 100s duty on the imminent horizon where I could put the revamped app to the test.
And so I did. At Portsalon I teamed up with a playing partner from Scotland in our event at the Donegal course to see if WHS digital scoring really was all it was cracked up to be.
Here’s the verdict: It works! You select your course, your tees, put in your scores and then the new software goes to work.
Once I had verified my score after the round with my partner, I confirmed the numbers in the app and signed the virtual screen.
Then came the new part. As he was from Scotland, I entered his membership number into the app – as you must do with players who are not from your own country – and his name quickly appeared on the screen.
When I clicked on his name, he was then asked to sign my phone to confirm my account and for the score to be submitted. That’s a pretty cool security measure, in my opinion, as it geo-locates my position and then ensures (as much as possible) that the person I’m saying has attested my scores is with me at the time.
My golf may have been terrible (I can safely say that 94 off the white tees will never be one of my best eight from the last 20), but the process was simple and quick. I look forward now to ticking off memorable courses with a new dimension to the round.
Have you used your app to try WHS digital scoring in the UK & Ireland? Let me know with a tweet how you got on.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
