The following information and documents are valid in Ireland from 1st April 2024.
Supporting documents
Course RatingTM Minus Par Adjustment
One of the biggest changes made in GB&I on 1st April was to the Course HandicapTM calculation. The Course Handicap calculation will now take into account the difference between the Course Rating and the Par of the course, so instead of playing to the Course Rating, you will be playing to Par.
If the Course Rating is higher than par, players will receive more shots. If the Course Rating is lower than par, players will receive not as many shots. This adjustment applies to all players on the course (members and visitors alike).
Course Handicap Tables will need to be replaced to account for the changes from 1st April. You can print/download new Course Handicap Tables in the Clubhouse under the Reports/WHS Course/Playing Handicap Tables option. Beside ‘Rule Set’ select Course Rating Minus Par in the drop down menu.
If you do have Course Handicap Boards, this is an ideal opportunity for you to think digitally in this regard as a more cost effective measure of displaying Course Handicaps. We would also strongly encourage golfers to download the Golf Ireland App, if they haven’t already done so, as players can view their Course Handicaps on the App.
Notes: Course Handicap Tables show only rounded Course Handicaps.
Watch an explainer video on Course Rating Minus Par here
Download the Course Rating Minus Par infographic here
Expected Score / Holes Not Played
Improvements have been made to the method used to handle Holes Not Played, which will now be based on a player’s expected score rather than a score of net par. When one or more holes have not been played, this method takes your Score DifferentialTM for the holes you did play and combines it with an expected Score Differential for the holes you did not play, based on the scoring pattern of players with the same Handicap Index® as you.
This new method will produce an 18-hole Score Differential that more accurately reflects a player’s ability.
This method can be used in running 12 or 14 hole competitions for example. Set up the 18-hole competition as normal, and ask your players to fill in the remaining holes as ‘Hole Not Played’ on the computer terminal.
Notes:
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Either a full Front 9/Back 9 or Composite 9 must have been played with the closed holes on the other nine. E.g., the Front 9 holes are all in play and the club have closed holes 16, 17 & 18.
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An asterisk (*) will be shown in the Adjusted Gross Score for any score that has one or more Holes Not Played. This is because there is no Adjusted Gross for the holes not played. The Score Differential for a round that includes holes not played is calculated by the addition of the Score Differential for the holes played, plus an expected Score Differential for the holes not played.
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Should a score on a player's record be marked as ineligible i.e. no score differential has been calculated, please contact the team at handicapping@golfireland.ie.
Watch an explainer video on Expected Score / Holes Not Played here
Download the 9-Hole Rounds infographic here
Download the Holes Not Played infographic here
Four-Ball Scores
The USGA/R&A have provided an additional clause in the Rules of Handicapping that allows the acceptance of individual scores from Four-Ball formats for handicap purposes, which have satisfied a set list of criteria.
That criteria is as follows:
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The team returns a net score of at least 6 better than par; 42 points
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The individual player’s score counts at least 9 times
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The player’s individual calculated score is greater than or equal to 36 points.
An individual player’s score is calculated using the following procedure:
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When the player’s score counts, they receive those points
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When the player’s score does not count, they receive 1½ points – except that:
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If their partner only scores 1 point, they only score 1 point
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If their partner scores zero points, they only score zero points
Note: It is not necessary for players to record the scores of both partners on a hole or holes in a Four-Ball event. If the first player to hole out can be readily identified, the second player’s score should not count towards the team score for that hole. If a concurrent singles event is being played, all scores must be handicapped as singles scores and the Four-Ball score must not be used.
If scores are not appearing in expectation with the following process, please let us know by sending us an email at handicapping@golfireland.ie.
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The 4BBB score is posted by the club software, as hole by hole stableford points scored at 85% of CH, with an indicator as to which team member contributed.
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Once posted, the system adds the 1.5 or 1 to the points of the non-contributing player on holes as necessary. Note a score with a half point in the total is rounded down (e.g., 35.5 becomes 35, not 36).
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The system checks for the triple eligibility (must be all of: 42 pts team, 36 pts individual, min 9 holes contribution by player) and if neither player’s score is eligible, the score is ignored.
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The points total of the eligible score is adjusted to reflect the difference between CH and PH (i.e., the score at 85% is uplifted to the score at 100%)
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The score is added to the playing record of the eligible player(s).
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The adjusted gross score is calculated, and this then drives the Score Differential calculation, and from that any Handicap Index recalculation and any Exceptional Score Reduction to be applied is worked out as normal for all scores.
Dowload the Four-Ball Scores infographic here
Short Course Ratings
One of the principal changes within the 2024 revision of the WHS™ was a reduction in the minimum length of a golf course to be eligible to be issued a Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™.
A set of tees on an 18-hole course may be as short as 1,500 yards to be eligible for a Course Rating and Slope Rating, with a set of tees on a nine-hole course allowed to be as short as 750 yards.
This change is intended to expand the WHS to shorter length courses, including par-3 courses, to enable more golfers to obtain and use a Handicap Index®.
Download the Minimum Length of a Golf Course infographic here
Technical Issues
We have been asked by the R&A/USGA to delay issuing ratings for courses between 1500 and 1800 yards until they have had an opportunity to look into reports from a small number of courses that higher handicap players are seeing lower than expected score differentials when compared to longer courses. This may result in a higher incidence of exceptional scores and/or a Handicap Index that is lower than expected.