Deanwood Park
Below is the full official explanation of the new World Handicap Scheme. But we have tried to simplify it for you. Click here and it will hopefully help you see the logic.
NEW WORLD HANDICAPPING SYSTEM
The World Handicap System will launch on 2nd November 2020. It is designed to welcome more players, to make golf easier to understand and to give all golfers a handicap which is portable all around the globe.
It will replace the six different systems currently used by over 15 million golfers in more than 80 countries.
It has been developed by The R&A and The United States Golf Association (USGA), supported by the world’s handicapping authorities, including CONGU, which represents the four home countries of Great Britain and Ireland.
To make the game more enjoyable, the new system will include:
- Course rating and slope rating
- Minimum number of scores to obtain a handicap
- Competitive and recreational scores to count for handicap
- Handicaps will be calculated from an average of recent scores
- Maximum handicap of 54
- Abnormal course and weather conditions adjustments
You can now watch either a brief video explaining the new system or a more detailed version.
Short version
Long version
What happens now?
In the next couple of weeks Intelligent Golf (our service provider) will upload all of the player data, including email addresses, to England Golf. This is a requirement of the new handicapping system and this information will not be used by any third parties. Please make the club aware if you have any concerns before this process goes ahead.
On 2nd November the system will go live and your new handicaps will be calculated. As you will have noted from the long version of the new system it seems a lot more complicated. However, on a day to day basis the onus is no longer on you, the player, to know what your handicap is at any point. The system will update every night and you should be able to view your exact Handicap Index at any time.
All rounds can qualify for handicap whether in compatition or not but for a card to count you must register on the club touchscreen before you play. Here are the formats which do allow handicap cards to be submitted.
The following formats are the only ones authorised for qualifying scores. Do not get confused between a fourball playing format and playing in a group of 4. Even if playing in a "fourball" group as long as you are not competing in pairs and you are scoring individually you can submit cards.
The new World Handicapping System also means that you can submit qualifying scores at other course. To do that you must find the touchscreen portal AT THAT CLUB before play and register and on the same portal enter your score after play. Please check that the course conditions are normal and be clear about which tees you decide to play from.
Some of this process may be available via the Deanwood/Intelligent Golf App.
HOW TO DO IT...
SORRY WE HAVE MADE IT EVEN MORE COMPLICATED NOW! BUT MORE FUN TOO!
We have now changed all our tee colours. The tees are now Orange (back tees), Green (middle tees), Purple (front tees). All tees are now "gender neutral" which sounds very modern and trendy but what it actually means is that all players can choose to play from any of the tees. And we should avoid the old stereotypes of "ladies tees", "members tees", etc.
There are now 12 courses!!! When you turn up to play you should already know if you are male or female and whether you are playing 9 or 18 holes. That's the easy bit. You will then need to look at the COURSE HANDICAP TABLE, and this can be found attached here, on the club noticeboard, on the front of the clubhouse or on the 1st tee.
- Decide what tees you are playing from. Orange, Green or Purple. All players do not need to play from the same tees unless competition rules state otherwise.
- The Mens index is on the left and the Ladies index on the right. Choose the appropriate tee colour and the 9 or 18 hole grid for your gender. Follow down the grid to the row that covers your exact handicap. Then look across left or right to the Course Handicap column to see the applicable course handicap for that tee and that many holes.
- It's not over yet! You then need to refer to the Handicap Allowances Table shown on the adjacent Rules Sign or notice. If you are playing matchplay then you use 100% of your Course Handicap. Any other form of individual scoring method uses 95% of the Course Handicap.
- You will, I am sure, get used to this very quickly but keep an eye on your Handicap Index as all cards should now be submitted and will update your Handicap every day if you have registered scores.
Once you know your Course Handicap you are ok to start your game unless you are playing in a match or competition.
If you are playing a competition you need to apply the appropriate Handicap Allowance.
Previously when men & women compete against each other there was an adjustment because of the differences between the Standard Scratch Score on the different tees. At Deanwood that was +3 for ladies before any competition handicap allowances were applied.
Things have changed and I am afraid there is more potential for confusion but don't worry there will be help. Here goes with an explanation!
Medal play where men play on the Orange tees and Ladies from the Purple tees (men at the back, ladies at the fron, as it used to be)
For singles stroke play the stroke allowance is 95% of the Course Handicap. In addition, because the players are playing from tees with different Course Ratings, the competitor playing over the higher rated course receives the difference in the CR values added to the Course Handicap after the application of the stroke allowance.
Men Orange Tees CR = 60.8
Ladies Purple Tees CR = 61.4
Difference is 0.6 so ladies (because their course rating is higher) recieve 1 additional stroke on their handicap.
Stableford & Par/Bogey
As the format is singles stroke play, the stroke allowance is 95% of the Course Handicap. In addition, as both Stableford and Par/Bogey formats are scored against the Par of the course, rather than the Course Rating, the Playing Handicap calculation includes an adjustment to reflect the difference to ‘play to handicap’ between the mixed/multi-tee courses.
Number of points to ‘play to handicap’ for a given set of tees = 36 – (CR - Par):
Mens Orange Tees CR 60.8 - Par 64 = -3.2 therefore 36 - -3.2 = 39.2 = 39
Ladies Purple Tees CR 61.4 - Par 64 = -2.6 therefore 36 - -2.6 = 38.6 = 39
So there would be no adjustment for ladies playing stableford or bogey format.
If both genders play from the front tees Purple things get even harder to understand. But stay with me.....
Medal
Mens Purple CR 59.8, Ladies Purple CR 61.4 - Difference = 1.6 so Ladies (because their course rating is higher).
Example for above -
Ladies Handicap Index - 30.3
Course Index - 27.0
Allowance x 95% - 25.65
Adjustment - 1.6
Playing Handicap - 27.0
Course ratings in relation to the par show the score at which you should play to be "playing to your handicap" much like the Standard Scratch Score used to be. So if a man & a woman both play exactly to their handicap on the purple tees the mans score will be lower, hence the 2 extra shot for ladies.
Stableford (see above explanation)
Mens Purple Tees CR 59.8 - Par 60 = -0.2 therefore 36 - -0.2 = 36.2 = 36
Ladies Purple Tees CR 61.4 - Par 64 = -2.6 therefore 36 - -2.6 = 38.6 = 39
So there would be an adjustment of +3 for MEN playing stableford or bogey format. That will make them happy!
Again it is the phrase "playing to your handicap" that is important. For men the CR and Par are only 0.2 different and so to play to handicap a man must score a standard 2 points per hole (36pts). The ladies purple course is a CR 61.4 and par 64 that 2.6 difference rounded up means that the course is 3 strokes easier than par. Ladies therefore should score 39 points to be "playing to handicap". Therefore to make things equitable the men this time get 3 extra stokes.
Remember that any of these stroke adjustments for players competing on different tees only applies to the competition score not to the subsequent handicap adjustments, these are calculated from your course handicap.
- Know your Handicap Index
- Find your Course Index
- Calculate Allowance (probably 95% unless matchplay)
- If players are competing on mixed tees (diff tee colour or mixed gender event) find the Mixed Tee Adjustment
- Apply Mixed Tee Adjustment after Allowance calculation but befor rounding.
Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.
