As of Jan. 1, 2020, golf handicaps will be under the control of the World Handicap System (WHS), which will put an end to the six different systems which govern golf scoring around the planet.
The WHS has been designed to feature player-friendly enhancements.
Bill Kennedy, Golf Columnist
• The easiest part of this development, in terms of understanding, is that there will be daily revisions, which means there will be no revisions on the first and 15th of each month, the traditional revision dates for many years. You punch in a score, and the next day you will see the revision.
• New golfers used to need to record five scores to develop a handicap. That number has been reduced to three. Handicaps will continue to be based on 20 scores, but the index calculation no longer will be taken from the 10 best. That number will be eight. All of which adds up to instant gratification, according to the folks implementing the WHS.
• Again for new golfers, the maximum index for men was 36.4 and for women 40.4. That number will be 54.0 for everyone. This will enable new golfers to compete in tournaments almost immediately. The system also is built to handle maximum scores. In other words, double bogeys are the limit unless a player is getting a stroke on that hole. Then that maximum number will increase by one shot.
• The system also possesses automatic checks called “soft cap” and “hard cap.” The soft cap slows down handicap increases, which occasionally is done deliberately by “sandbaggers.” The hard cap is the reverse for a person who gets on a hot streak for a week. Plus, it has a maximum number of a five-stroke change for a season.
• Equitable stroke reduction (ESR) provides more checks and balances in handicapping and provides great help for handicap committees.
• There also will be a “Playing Condition Calculation” (PCC), which automatically adjusts scores upward and downward in situations such as bad weather. In other words, if the scores for a particularly windy day are high, the system recognizes that and makes allowances.
The Maine State Golf Association still will be offering handicaps through the USGA’s Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN), and they can expect some enhanced score posting and statistics tracking features to go along with the WHS.
Like last winter, when the USGA implemented its new Rules of Golf, this coming winter will involve outreach and training by the MSGA in our great state. It should provide an interesting winter followed by some enjoyable play for golfers in 2020.
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Martindale placed five players in the top 10 and six in the top 20 in the Sept. 21-22 Maine State Golf Association Mid-Amateur championship at Fox Ridge.
Brian J. Bilodeau (72-74—146) was third, which earned him $375 in pro shop credit.
Andrew Slattery (72-75—147) and Jeff Cole (73-74—147) tied for fourth, each earning $275 in pro-shop credit. Jace Pearson (70-81—151) was ninth for $150, and Craig Chapman (79-73—152) was 10th for $75. Ashley Fifield (81-74—155) finished tied for 16th.
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The MSGA has a pair of Mid-Week events this week, Oct. 1 and Portland and Oct. 2 at York, with its annual Four-Ball Championship Oct. 5-6 at Northeast Harbor and Kebo Valley.
For the women, there are gross & net events Oct. 1 at Nonesuch River and Kebo Valley.
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Today’s “Par For The Course” marks the final column of the 2019 season, its seventh season of existence. The please of writing it has been all mine.
Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor, now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is concluding his seventh season as Sun Journal golf columnist.
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