Do you love or loath the World Handicap System? It’s time to have your say
Golfers are being urged by the R&A and USGA to give their opinions in a new World Handicap System survey
Can you not get enough of general play? Do you believe higher handicappers get too much of an advantage in competitions?
Whatever your views on the World Handicap System, it’s time to make them known to golf’s two big governing bodies.
The R&A and USGA have put together a new survey about WHS and are asking golfers to participate. It’s the first time since the new global handicap system was introduced at the start of the 2020 there has been such a consultation exercise.
With the Rules of Handicapping on a four-year review period, and tweaks considered on an annual basis, it’s an opportunity to make your voices heard and hand out your bouquets or brickbats.
You can take the survey, which is being carried out by independent sports research company Sporting Insights and is open for the next three to four weeks, by clicking here.
World Handicap System survey: It’s important to make your views known
The R&A and USGA have stressed they are looking for honest feedback and insights, saying they are “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.”
Individual responses to the survey are confidential and anonymous.
WHS has divided opinion strongly in some sectors since it came into effect in Great Britain & Ireland in November 2020.
While some have lauded its flexibility and the way course handicaps change depending on the course and tee sets golfers are playing, others have expressed concerns about whether it can be manipulated.
This questionnaire will allow golfers globally to make their views known.
You can complete the World Handicap System survey here.
Now have your say
Will you be taking this World Handicap System survey? Let me know your thoughts about it and WHS by leaving a comment on X.
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.
