R&A chiefs say they have no “concrete plans” to release the findings of a massive survey which asked golfers what they thought about the World Handicap System.
But speaking on The NCG Golf Podcast, Grant Moir, the governing body’s executive director of governance, did reveal the responses of players within Great Britain & Ireland were “different and more negative than the rest of the world”.
Last August, The R&A and USGA urged players to take an online survey, which was carried out by independent sports research company Sporting Insights.
The two organisations said they were looking for honest feedback and insights, arguing they were “invaluable to the ongoing review of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System, which have accuracy, consistency and equity as core principles – as well as enhancing the enjoyment of the game of golf for everyone.”
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Individual survey responses were confidential and anonymous, and Moir told the podcast more than 72,000 replies were received.
But some eight months on, golfers have started to ask when the results will be released.
What’s happened to the R&A and USGA WHS survey?
Snippets have been divulged, with NCG learning English golfers felt parts of the system were too complex when compared to the old CONGU UHS, that manipulation was the most mentioned issue, and that while some recognised the flexibility and inclusiveness of WHS others felt it relied heavily on honesty.
Last week, the R&A launched a WHS awareness campaign reminding players of their responsibilities under the Rules of Handicapping and calling out deliberate manipulation of handicap indexes as “cheating”.
Asked when the full survey results would be published, though, Moir told the podcast there “aren’t any concrete plans to do so”.
“It was a very helpful survey, from our perspective.” he said. “We had around 72,000 responses and, certainly, quite a large proportion of those came from GB&I.
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“We didn’t, at the time, commit to releasing the results. In some ways, we viewed this as market research that would serve to inform us as we move forward and consider revisions potentially for 2028 and beyond.
“That’s not to say that we wouldn’t consider releasing some information in relation to the survey going forward but, at this moment in time, there aren’t any concrete plans to do so.
“Generally speaking, the global response was very, very positive. What it did do – and this is part of why we’re doing this campaign with the home associations – is that it highlighted that some of the negative perceptions that are heard and seen in GB&I weren’t common to the rest of the world.
“We’re something of an outlier here, and that’s why we feel the need to try and push forward with greater education and a call to arms around responsibilities.”
Quizzed on whether he understood the R&A would face criticisms from golfers who would argue the results were not being released because the governing body didn’t like what it had been told by GB&I players, Moir added: “I get that but what I would say is that at this point in time I’m making it pretty clear that GB&I results were different and more negative than the rest of the world.
“It highlighted two clear themes that I’m happy to share. One was the concern around handicap manipulation through general play scores, which is something that we’re looking to again address in this communication, and that handicap committees need more support to carry out their role effectively.
“So the feedback that we received is certainly serving to guide our actions at this precise moment in time.”
Now have your say on this WHS debate
What do you think? Should The R&A release the full results of their World Handicap System survey, or is it time for GB&I golfers to get with the rest of the globe? You can email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or leave us a comment on X.
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