2nd November 2022 marked the 2nd anniversary of the World Handicap System going live in Great Britain and Ireland.
According to England Golf:
If you’ve enjoyed getting out on the course in 2022 you are not alone - 2022 has been the busiest year for English golf on record!
An amazing 8.05 million rounds of golf in were posted on the World Handicap System (WHS) platform this year up to 30th September (and counting).
And that’s just scores submitted for handicap purposes – there are millions of other rounds that have been played by golfers of all ages and abilities simply enjoying a casual knock around their favourite track.
- That was 1 million more than in 2021, and
- 2 million more than in 2020 under CONGU
Competition and General Play Rounds
- The number of Competition rounds played in England up to 30th September this year totalled 5.1million
- and 2.95 million rounds were played by golfers in England posting a General Play Score
- 6089 Competition Scores posted by Mapperley members as at 13th November (5528 in 2021)
- 1280 General Play Scores posted by Mapperley members (1179 in 2021)
What were you doing on Saturday 7th May this year?
Chances are you were on the golf course!
With the Masters still fresh in the memory and the weather hotting up, 7th May was the busiest day for golf in 2022. A staggering 89,680 scores were posted on the WHS platform that day alone!
It won’t come as a shock to learn that Saturday is the busiest day of the week for golf with an average of 28% of scores each week posted on this one day. Sunday is also choc-a-block with just over 19% of rounds in an average week falling on this day.
Top tip: If you fancy a quiet round next year, book a Monday or a Friday off! Just 16% per cent of rounds in a week were played on either of these days in 2022!
Average Handicap Index
The average Handicap Index in our Region (Central) as of 30th September is 18.29 (Men: 17.01, Women: 26.35)
At Mapperley the averages as of 16th November were:
- Men: 16.4
- Women: 27.5
An article published in Golf Monthly and featured in HowDidiDo shows that the World Handicap System is working effectively to make competitions fairer for all golfers:
The average individual Stableford points score has gone from dramatically favouring those in the lower handicap categories pre-WHS to being almost equal across all handicaps this year. Click to read the article.
Scores returned at Mapperley this year show a similar pattern:
- In Men's Saturday stablefords the average scores returned in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions are 32, 31 and 31 points respectively.
- The average winning scores in all 3 division is 41 points.
- The average score for 5th place in each division (which generally gets in the prizes) are 37, 36 and 37 points respectively.
- There are similar trends for Women’s Tuesday comps and Mixed Thursday comps would be similar if results had been processed in Divisions (Click on the 3 pictures to see more)
Click for details of how to check your handicap, including:
- How you can look up your handicap at the golf club, on the MGC website and with your Apps
- Handicap adjustments in multi-tee competitions
- The interactive Handicap Calculator
- Downloadable Excel Handicap Calculators
For more comprehensive information about the World Handicap System go to our Rules of Handicapping pages, or click to view the handy Player Reference Guide
Click to see how to find you England Golf membership number (also known as your CDH number)
You will be asked to provide your number when entering Open Competitions at Mapperley and at other courses
2nd November 2021 marked the 1st anniversary of the World Handicap System going live in Great Britain and Ireland.
Here are some facts and figures about the first year of the WHS in England:
Courses and Tees
- 16,000 tee sets have been registered and given a Course Rating and Slope Rating
- There is about a 50/50 split of 9 hole and 18 hole rated courses, although 94% of scores submitted are from 18 hole courses.
- The average course lengths are 5891 yards (men's tees) and 5333 yards (women's tees)
Scores Returned
- 6.75 million scores returned (1 million more than in 2019 under CONGU)
- 4.9 million Competition Scores (5592 by Mapperley members)
- 1.8 million General Play Scores (1285 by Mapperley members)
Handicaps
- Average Handicap Index: 17.0 Men (16.7 at Mapperley)
- Average Handicap Index: 27.2 Women (25.8 at Mapperley)
- These are similar to the averages under CONGU
Click to view the Handicap Change Report to see how Mapperley members' handicaps have changed during the year to 31st December 2021.
iGolf
iGolf, which enables golfers who are not club members to obtain an official handicap, was launched in July 2021 and by February 2022 had:
- 12, 000 members
- 60% with handicaps
- 94% have never been a club member
- 340 have subsequently joined clubs
- Average age (men): 41 (58 for club members)
- Average age (women): 46 (64 for club members)
