What is your Handicap Index?
Calculated under the WHS, a Handicap Index is a portable measure of your demonstrated playing ability, which is consistent with how all other golfers are measured around the world. It tracks your progress and can be used in a casual or competitive round with any other player. All players are encouraged to establish and maintain a Handicap Index.
This is what was your former ‘handicap’ – and was recalculated for you automatically by the WHS system when your competition records were transferred in to it by KLGC prior to 2nd November 2020. It will be slightly different from your old handicap – so please check it prior to playing in the first Medal of the new season
How is my Handicap Index calculated? It is calculated by reference to the average of the best 8 of your last 20 scores. There are various safe guards built in to the system to prevent your handicap going up or down too much – see Handicap Adjustment below
If you are new to golf it is calculated by reference to scores submitted for 54 holes – these can be combinations of 9 or 18 holes
Frequency of Handicap Index Update Once your score is entered from the point of view of your Handicap Index it is fed in to the WHS data base This will be updated daily between midnight and 4 am and your new handicap index will be available for play the next day. It is therefore important that your score is entered before midnight on the day of play
Handicap Adjustment The handicapping adjustment rules can be found at https://www.randa.org/roh/the-rules-of-handicapping/rule-5
The business of minus point 3 or plus 1 etc is a thing of the past. It is now as stated above the average of the best 8 scores out of the last 20. There are however rules to prevent players handicap going up by more than 5 (from its lowest point – anchor point) in any 12-month period (hard cap) and if the score is more than 3 less than the current handicap index (soft cap) to prevent it going down by more than 50% (of the amount it is different from minus 3 – so a score of minus 5 from the current handicap index – would count as 3 plus [5-3 * .5 = 1] ). It would still be averaged of course. For the soft cap to be triggered the player needs to be sitting with the full 20 scores. These rules are designed to keep a player’s handicap index in line with their actual ability – a very good score or a very bad score are ironed out.
The equivalent of the old rule 19 still exists to allow M&H to adjust upwards or downwards a player’s handicap index. Its now rule 7 – see https://www.randa.org/roh/the-rules-of-handicapping/rule-7
Playing Conditions Calculation – in the old days this was standard scratch. At the end of each day, a playing conditions calculation (PCC) takes place automatically, behind the scenes, to determine if scores made at the course were significantly higher or lower than expected. If scores were unusually low or high, a PCC adjustment of between –1 and +3 will be applied to your score differential calculation to reflect the playing conditions on the day. There have to be at least 8 scores submitted for this to be triggered – all with players whose handicap index is 36 or less.