The World Handicap System has been designed to make golf more modern, fun and inclusive. It is a consistent system that is being implemented around the world.

A golfer’s handicap index will be calculated as an average of their best eight scores from the last 20 rounds. This means a golfer’s handicap index is responsive, fairer and reflective of their ability on a good day.

Under WHS, every golf course will have both a course and slope rating attached to it. Learn here how these ratings are calculated by qualified teams and how they impact a golfer’s playing handicap.

A playing handicap is a measure of a golfer’s ability and enables all golfers to play together and enjoy the sport equally. A playing handicap is calculated using slope rating and course rating and is dependent on which tee set a golfer plays from

To make the game more inclusive and accessible, the maximum handicap index has been set at 54.0. This key change to the World Handicap system allows golfers of all levels to track their ability.

The more scores that are returned, the more accurately a handicap index will reflect a player’s ability.

Every time a score is returned, a golfer’s handicap index is recalculated overnight to ensure it remains accurate and up-to-date and ready for play on the next day. Learn more here.

A score of Net Double Bogey has been introduced to mitigate against one bad hole spoiling a round and speed up play. This video shows you how to complete this calculation and decide when to pick up your ball and continue with your round.

Golf is an outdoor sport and the weather conditions, toughness of course and hole locations all affect scoring. Under WHS, a good score on a calm day may not measured the same as a poorer score on a harder day for handicap purposes.