WHS Seminar 28th March 2024-04-12

On 28th March Wrag Barn hosted a WHS seminar on the changes coming in on 1st April 2024, for some this date will have passed by without any variation to their handicap and they may not be aware of any changes. There may however be occasions in the future when this report comes into its own and it explains how and why clearly and concisely.

Our Ladies handicap Secretary Valerie Agnew attended the meeting and has put together a summary of all the changes and although the report was sent to the Ladies section it is relevant to everyone.

Thank you Valerie for taking the time to put this together and for explaining everything so clearly........................

Report to Ladies Section following WHS Seminar attended by Valerie Agnew on 28 March 2024

As I am sure everyone is aware, the World Handicap System four yearly review has taken place and changes will come into effect from 1 April. For anyone who wishes to access the full list of changes, all the resources can be found on the England Golf Website. The session started with a brief overview of the Players Responsibilities:

• Play with integrity.

• Follow the Rules of Golf.

• Play to the best of your ability on all holes.

 • Avoid slow play. Pick up if you can no longer score on a hole.

If you commit to a round of golf you must return your card (or face a penalty unless you have a good reason for not completing the round) as soon as possible after completing your round and at the latest before midnight on the day of play.

 If playing in a competition then by the deadline set.

 • Certify other players’ cards as correct.

Submission of scores from play abroad

The eventual aim is for scores from play in another country to be automatically uploaded into the system. Currently, if you play abroad and wish to submit your scores from those rounds into your handicap you will need to have registered your intention with the club at which you are playing and bring your scorecard with you for it to be uploaded by your home club. Players who are registered with a home club abroad as well as with home club in GB&I (Great Britain and Ireland) must let both clubs know of any registered scores in either country, to ensure the records held in each country are identical. If this is not done it will cause problems when the systems from different countries are brought together.

Changes being implemented in GB&I from 1 April 2024

• Change from playing to course rating to course rating minus par.

From 1 April the tables of handicaps displayed at clubs will no longer be accurate and will be removed. New tables, in printed form, will be displayed in the Locker Room for anyone who does not have access to the IG App on a phone. The IG App will display your correct handicap either on your phone or if you sign in to the terminal in the bar. In the case of the Ladies playing off the Red tees at Wrag Barn this will not affect us too much as our Course Rating is 74.2 and our Course Par is 74 so we will all receive an extra 0.2 shots per round.

 • Rounding

Until now: Your Handicap Index is calculated to one decimal point.. Your Course Handicap is rounded and your 95% handicap is then again rounded to give a whole number.

From 1 April: Your Handicap Index will be converted to a rounded Course Handicap if you are playing a competition at 100% of handicap. If you are playing in a competition based on a percentage of course handicap the software will convert your Handicap index to an unrounded Course Handicap and then to a rounded 95% (or 85% or whatever other percentage is applicable to the competition). Your Playing Handicap will be shown on the App in the normal way but will just be calculated differently.

• 4 Ball Better Ball Competitions

 Whilst not a format that has been acceptable to count towards a Handicap Index in the past, subject to certain conditions scores from 4BBB competitions can now count towards a player’s handicap record.

 It will be mandatory for all Medal, Par-Bogey, Stableford and Open 4BBB 18 hole competitions to be acceptable for handicap purposes (unless course conditions are such that it would not be acceptable). 4BBB Match Play competitions are not acceptable for handicap submissions. A player may not return a General Play or individual score from a 4BBB.

The conditions which must be met are: The team score must be at least 42 points. One player must have scored on at least 9 holes and should have returned an individual score of at least 36. (The player’s individual score for the round is calculated using the scores from all the holes where they have contributed the score and a score based on their playing partner’s score on the other holes as follows, where the playing partner has scored 2 or more points 1.5 is counted, and where the playing partner has scored 1 or 0 that score is counted. The playing handicap is then deducted from the course handicap and any difference is added to the ‘assumed’ score for that individual player.) There is no requirement for anyone to work this out, when the cards are submitted into the App it will be done automatically. Note - Handicaps can only go down, not up under this revision.

Completing a Scorecard for 4BBB

Scorecards must be completed in a specific way so that the software can identify who scored on which hole. Some players may already complete cards in this way but if not you will need to ensure you do so in future.

You should only complete the score of the person who gets the better score on each hole, or the score of the person who holes out first if both score the same.

There was some discussion about whether, if both players scored the same both scores should be shown on the card and it was agreed that it should, in case both players played well and as a team they scored more than 42 points and both individually scored more than 36 points, in which case both players scores would count towards their Handicap Index.

• Calculation of Shots Received in 4BBB Matchplay

Clarification has been issued regarding calculation of Stories Received in 4BBB team match play. The full Course Handicap is calculated for each player and then strokes received is calculated (using 90%) using the difference from the lowest to highest, which equates to Strokes Received (playing handicap) for each golfer .

 • Expected Score

This replaces upscoring, where in the past any holes not completed have been given a score of net+1.

Expected Score calculation algorithm is protected by property rights so cannot be fully explained. It is based on the score a player is expected to achieve over a specified number of holes on a course of standard difficulty. It is calculated using the player’s Handicap Index and attributes a numerical value against any hole or holes not played during a round.

Where you have entered a competition or signed to submit a General Play round and have been unable to play one or more holes - for example because a hole is closed for some reason - then Expected Score can be applied.

General Play: If you play a 9 hole round Expected Score will be used to create an 18 hole score.

Where you have been unable to finish an 18 hole round for a valid reason and have completed at least 10 holes, Expected Score will be used to complete your round. If you have completed fewer than 9 holes and have a valid reason for abandoning the round you can do so without penalty and can delete your score intent on that round (or ask your Competition Secretary to delete it).

Competitions played over more than 9 but fewer than 18 holes will apply Expected Score to the other holes to create an 18 hole score.

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 DID YOU KNOW? - DO YOU DO?

When you play in Stableford competitions where you are playing off 95% that are acceptable for handicap submission, do you pick up on a hole when you can no longer score on a hole in that competition? If you do you shouldn’t! You should always play to your course handicap before picking up a ball and include your score on your card. The Rules of Handicapping and the Terms Competition are different. In terms of the competition you can no longer score, but in terms of handicap submission on the holes where you lose a shot in the competition, your score could still count towards your handicap, so don’t pick up or put an NR score in unless you are over your 100% course handicap. Once you can no longer score based on your 100% course handicap then you should pick up and walk on - Avoid Slow Play.

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