Playing information

You have now got two options if you wish to get a golf handicap. The traditional way of getting a handicap is to join a golf club, play with a member and get that member to mark 3 score cards of 18 holes. Alternatively, you play 6 rounds of 9 holes and present the score cards to your golf club which will be uploaded to the WHS (World Handicap System). You will then issued a handicap index, for example 28.0 which means on average you score 2 over par on each hole. 

The second option is to subscribe to England Golf‘s App (IGolf app) which is an alternative option for golfers that don’t play often or are new to golf and haven’t joined a golf club. The yearly fee is approximately £40 and can be purchased through the England Golf website linked below. 

Both options are ideal for anyone new to the game or playing regularly however yet to get a handicap.

Once you have a handicap, it will be called your WHS Index. This will be an average of the scores that you have recorded. 

Once you have that Index you will be able to take it to any golf course worldwide and they will have a course rating conversion chart. The reason each course requires a chart is because each course has its own difficulty rating and your WHS Index will go up or down depending on the course rating. 

The main reason that a handicap is important in golf (apart from it giving you a record of your playing ability), is that it allows for you to compete against other golfers of different abilities making it possible to score lower against someone who has been playing a long time.
In addition, certain courses also require you to have a handicap before you are able to play on the course.  

For more information please follow the link below.