Kent Golf Limited
Test your WHS knowledge
Link to player reference guide on the England Golf website
Last updated: 30 August 2022
IN STROKE PLAY, YOUR BALL IS ON THE PUTTING GREEN AS IS THE OTHER PLAYER’S. WHAT PENALTY, IF ANY, IS APPLIED SHOULD YOUR PUTT HIT THE OTHER PLAYER’S BALL?
The general, 2-shot, penalty is applied. However, this is only in Stroke Play; in match play there is no penalty. Rule 11.1a.
Exception – Ball Played on Putting Green in Stroke Play: If the player’s ball in motion hits another ball at rest on the putting green and both balls were on the putting green before the stroke, the player gets the general penalty (two penalty strokes).
WHAT IS THE WHS SOFT AND HARD CAP?
Even the best players struggle from time to time - and although form changes, a player’s underlying ability does not change rapidly. To prevent your Handicap Index from increasing too quickly, every time it is updated, the 8 of 20 calculation is compared to the lowest Handicap Index that you have achieved during the last 365 days.
If the difference is more than 3.0 strokes: A soft cap will be applied, which slows down the rate of increase. The soft cap will reduce any increase above 3 strokes by 50%.
If the difference is more than 5.0 strokes: A hard cap will prevent any additional upward movement after the soft cap is applied, and will increase the handicap by no more than 5 strokes after the soft cap has been applied.
DO YOU KNOW HOW HANDICAPS ARE CALCULATED FOR EVENTS PLAYED OVER A MIXED SET OF TEES AND/OR GENDERS?
It can be very confusing with adjustments for course rating. England Golf has a handy reckoner which you can use (if you want to check your club system’s calculation)
Here is a link to the calculator.
A GOLFER HAS REACHED THE FAIRWAY, BUT HAS FOUND THEIR BALL LYING JUST IN FRONT OF A DIVOT. WHAT IS THE CORRECT RULING?
Visit the England Golf website.
CAN YOU SUBMIT A GENERAL PLAY SCORE WHEN PLAYING IN A COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE COMMITTEE EVEN IF NOT QUALIFYING – EG 5 CLUB CHALLENGE?
No, general play scores are not allowed if playing in any event organised by the committee. They are only allowed in social golf.
Definition of General Play
When an organized competition is not being contested and golfers are playing:
- A casual round; or
- Competitively, but not in an event organized by a Committee.
CAN YOU DECLARE YOUR BALL LOST?
No you cannot. Only your actions end up with your ball becoming lost. Here are some examples of actions which result in a lost ball:
- You play a provisional ball from a point beyond where you believe your original was
- You play a 2nd ball from the previous spot; e.g. have not declared it a provisional or have gone back to play
- Your search time of 3 minutes has expired
And remember, your opponents and playing partners may still look and find your ball, even if you ask them not to.
WHS KNOCKOUT HANDICAP ALLOWANCES
Knockout handicaps are based on your Course Handicap and don’t forget that mixed tee knockouts may need adjustments.
Individual = 100% of your Course Handicap and then full difference from the player with the lowest handicap
4BBB = 90% of your Course Handicap and then full difference from the player with the lowest handicap
Foursomes = Combined Course Handicap of pair and then 50% of the difference from the pair with the lowest handicap
Take a look at the link to download the full table of all allowances.
SUBMITTING A SCORE ON THE MY EG APP
All clubs should encourage people to enter general play rounds using the MyEG App. It ensures scores are pre-registered, attested by an affiliated member and removes the need for a physical card.
When you pre-register a general play score through the My EG app, you create a ‘score intent’ within your WHS record that notifies your club that you are intending to return a scorecard.
Think of it as the modern, digital version of letting the pro shop know that you’re submitting your card today!
However, if you don’t go on to submit your score, the rules of handicapping mean your club may add a penalty against your record.
You can check if you have any of these unsubmitted score – or scores which are yet to be verified – by going to the ‘Scores’ tab on the My EG app.
Whatever the reason for not submitting a score, you can contact the handicap secretary at your club to explain, and they can delete the intent, or submit the score for you.
I'M STRUGGLING TO PLAY TO MY CURRENT HANDICAP FROM WHITE TEES. WILL THE NEW SYSTEM MAKE THINGS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR ME?
Not at all. With an averaging system, your Handicap Index will be responsive to your current ability. You should also be encouraged to play from a shorter tee set (providing it has a rating value), as the system will calculate a Course Handicap from your Handicap Index for that set of tees.
WHY IS THERE A 95% HANDICAP ALLOWANCE IN INDIVIDUAL STROKE PLAY?
The answer can be found on the England Golf website
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM HANDICAP INDEX?
With a maximum Handicap Index of 54.0, the WHS is designed to be inclusive of all golfers, regardless of age, gender or ability. Competition fixture lists and Terms of the Competition should be set up by your Handicap or Competition Committee - to ensure that all golfers feel included, have plenty of opportunity to compete with other golfers and have the chance of doing well
Maximum Handicap Index Your Handicap Index is the portable number you take with you from course to course. Keep reading to find out how to convert that number into the handicap you use on the golf course.
Learn more here by downloading The WHS ‘The Rules Of Handicapping Reference Guide’:
ACTION TO TAKE WHEN ROUND NOT COMPLETED BY A PLAYER
Action to take when round not completed by a player
If a player is unable to finish their round once started, the remaining hole scores should be left blank before submitting the card. This will provide a score of net par for these holes.
On each hole on the app, there are three dots at the top right-hand corner which provides more options. On here there is an option to select ‘Pick up’, which will provide a score of net double bogey for the maximum hole score where applicable. If a score of 0 is entered on the holes, this will also provide a score submitted to WHS of net double bogey.
The app is currently being updated so that the options on the three dots also include ‘Hole not started’ to also reflect net par as per the first point above.
The actions of the handicap committee in relation to applying a penalty score, and submission of scores for rounds not completed (Rule 7.1b) remain the same.
COURSE HANDICAP CALCULATOR
Want to calculate your course handicap ahead of your next round?
You can do so simply by using the My England Golf App which you can download onto your mobile device via Apple or Android stores.
To calculate your Course Handicap for a social round you need just one calculation:
Handicap Index x (Slope Rating/113) = Course Handicap
You can find out more about how your handicap is calculated with the WHS Golfer Toolkit
Find out more about the benefits of the My England Golf App here
SUBMITTING SCORECARDS FROM AWAY CLUBS
With restrictions lifted, many of you will be travelling to away courses more than before, whether it be across the border to Wales and Scotland or somewhere more far flung!
Unless you're swinging solo, there's no reason why you can't still record these rounds against your handicap. In fact, to ensure your WHS index remains a true reflection of your current ability, you should be making every effort to submit the scores.
- Away Clubs (England) - submit your score via the My England Golf app as you would at your home club. This must be attested (verified) by a playing partner with a WHS index who also has the My England Golf app.
- Away Clubs (Wales / Ireland) - register your intent to submit a score with the club you are visiting, then provide them with your scorecard (signed by a playing partner with a WHS index) and membership number. Alternatively, take the scorecard back to your home club for them to input.
- Away Clubs (Anywhere Else) - return your scorecard (signed by a playing partner with a WHS index) to your home club for them to input. We suggest you also ask the club you played at to countersign the card.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SHOTS YOU WOULD RECEIVE IN A COMPETITIVE ROUND?
While you don't need a degree in mathematics to calculate your playing handicap, the range of handicap allowances for different formats means it can be tricky to remember which is which.
You can find the mandatory handicap allowances for all competition formats using the playing handicap allowances table link on the England Golf website . This table includes the following competitions:
- Stableford
- Individual Par/Bogey (and best of 1/2/3/4 Par/Bogey)
- Individual Maximum score
- Fourballs
- Foursomes
- Greensomes
- Pinehurst/Chapman
- Scramble/Texas Scramble
- The Better Ball allowance can be found here
DO YOU KNOW WHAT 'PCC' MEANS AND HOW IT IS CALCULATED?
The playing conditions calculation (PCC) determines whether playing conditions on the day differed from normal conditions to the extent that an adjustment is needed to compensate. It is a daily statistical procedure that compares the scores submitted by players on the day against expected scoring patterns.
For full explanation see The Rules of Handicapping on the R&A website
For further WHS and Handicap information, please visit our website page
Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.
