The World Handicap System will be rolled out in Great Britain & Ireland on 2nd November 2020. From that date your handicap will be based on the average of your best 8 scores from the last 20 rounds, and will vary depending on the difficulty of the course being played, as described below.
1. Course Rating & Slope Rating
Course Rating replaces Standard Scratch (SSS) and represents the score that a scratch golfer is expected to achieve on the course.
Slope Rating is the relative difficulty of a course from a specific set of tees for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer, as described on the Slope Rating page.
2. Acceptable Scores
Singles Competition Rounds and Social Scores in Authorised Formats may be submitted for handicap purposes, as described on the Acceptable Scores page.
3. Handicap Index
A measure of a player's demonstrated ability calculated against the Slope Rating of a golf course of standard playing difficulty, as described on the Handicap Index page.
4. Course Handicap & Playing Handicap
Course Handicap is the number of handicap strokes a player receives before Handicap Allowances, on a specific course and a specific set of tees.
Playing Handicap is the Course Handicap adjusted for any Handicap Allowances. It represents the actual number of strokes the player gives or receives for the round being played.
See the Course & Playing Handicaps page.
5. Transition Handicaps
In order to move from CONGU to WHS handicaps, all players' current Handicap Records will be reprocessed using the WHS principles, as described on the Transition Handicaps Page.
6. Stroke Index
The recommendations for the way that Stroke Indexes are determined are changing under the WHS. Final details are still awaited, but is expected that each 9 holes will be split into groups of 3 holes (triads):
- The most difficult hole on each nine (Stroke Index 1 and 2) will be in the middle triad (holes 4 to 6 and 13 to 15)
- Stroke Index 3 and 4 will be in either the first or last triad on each 9 and Stroke Index 5 and 6 in whichever triad has not already been used
- The process is then repeated for Stroke Indexes 7 & 8, 9 & 10, 11 & 12 with one in each triad, then the same again for 13 to 18.
Following these guidelines should achieve the 2 main goals of the Stroke Indexes, which are:
- In general, to give players handicap strokes on the more difficult holes
- To provide an even distribution strokes throughout the round in both match play and stroke play.
7. Further Information
Click for further information about the WHS on the R&A website
and FAQ's from the England Golf Website
and a series of short videos on specific aspects of the system
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