You’ve all got a World Handicap System index, but do you actually know what that number actually represents?
We’re all used to the figures we see when we open our digital apps, and which have been in place in Great Britain & Ireland since the end of 2020.
But there still can be confusion, especially when you start adding in Course and Playing Handicaps, about what the numbers really stand for.
I’ve been asked in the past, for example, if I could class myself as a single figure handicapper if my course handicap was in double digits.
While most of us knew our CONGU handicap was a measure of our potential, of what we could do out on the golf course if we had a good day, is that the same for WHS? Or is it all change? Is our index now a measure of our ability?
Potential or demonstrated ability: What does your WHS index show?
As far as the Rules of Handicapping are concerned, your World Handicap System index is about your demonstrated ability. It’s that straightforward.
The old CONGU system used to be about potential. If you hit your handicap more than a couple of times a year, you’d had a good season and had probably seen a healthy cut.
But WHS is all about the shots you need to get around a golf course. If you fall short, then you’ve failed to perform to your demonstrated ability on that round.
It’s why taking those eight out of 20 scores becomes very important, because that’s what’s producing your average score differential.
Now have your say
What do you think about your World Handicap System index? Do you think it represents how you are playing right now? Let me know by leaving me a comment on X.
- NOW READ: Is the World Handicap System giving high handicappers an unfair edge or just levelling the playing field?
- NOW READ: What is the Playing Conditions Calculation?
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