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Resetting of Dawn Patrol Handicaps for the Summer Season

To align with these new WHS rules the Dawn Patrol handicaps will be reset on the 1st April 2024.

As mentioned at the end of last season the Race to Devizes money leaderboard will be used in the handicap resetting. Players with winnings over £50 will have a shot deducted from their new season Playing Handicap and winnings over £100 will have 2 shots deducted.

The maximum Dawn Patrol Playing Handicap has always been 28. After applying the 90% the resultant Playing Handicap was 25. This will be changed to applying the 90% to calculate a Playing Handicap, but only if the resultant is above 28 will it be capped. 

Examples:

A Course Handicap of 35.525 results in a Playing Handicap of 32. This will be capped to 28

A Course Handicap of 29.785 results in a Playing Handicap of 27. Playing Handicap is 27 (no cap).

Events for your diary

• Monday 11th March – Seniors Leon Butler 3 Club Challenge
• Monday 18th March – Seniors Winter Wind Up (Qualifier)
• Friday 22nd March- Seniors Sloper Trophy (Qualifier)
• Wednesday 10th April – Dawn Patrol Curry night pre-order with Arthur and BYO
• Wednesday 10th April – Entries close for Ron Ron & Syd Davies
• Thursday 11th April – Draw made for Ron Ron & Syd Davies Close
• Friday 12th April – Ron Ron & Syd Davies competitions commence
• Saturday 27th April – Social Event Corinthian Casuals
• Wednesday 8th May Seniors Nine Hole Qualifier
• Friday 31st May – Seniors May Medal

Here are the results for the week

Monday 26/02 (17 players)

Overall – Phil Black (32) £17:00 (-1.0)

Front 9 – Trevor George (17 on count back) £8.50 (-0.5)

Back 9 – Darren Buss (17) £8.50 (-0.5)

Well done, Phil, Trevor and Darren

Wednesday 28/02 (16 players)

Team game Flags: Red 1 to count, Yellow 2 to count, White 2 to count.

Winners:

Darren Buss, Arthur Noble and Kevin Wilford on 70. Congratulations lads! 

£32 shared £10 each and £2 to charity

Second Tom Roberton, Rod Bird and Shaun Wyatt on 63.

Friday 01/03 (Course closed due to heavy overnight rain)

Access the latest handicaps: Here

IMPORTANT WHS™ 2024 UPDATES

Course Handicap™ using CR-Par:

Since its inception, WHS™ has embraced the many ways golf is played around the world. To align with other Countries, there will be a change in the way we calculate Course Handicaps so that they are relative to par, making a golfer’s target score to
“play to handicap” more intuitive.

Rounding:

As of April 2024, for competition purposes, the calculated and unrounded Course Handicap™ will be carried through to the Playing Handicap calculation using machine precision. For general play score submission, the golfer will continue to use the calculated and rounded Course Handicap™.

Team Match Play allowance application:

The application of allowances in team match play events has also been changed so that the % is applied to the difference, rather than to the individual.

Inclusion of Shorter-Length Golf Courses Within the Course Rating™ System:

The overall length requirements for Course Rating™ in the WHS™ will be significantly reduced. A set of tees on a measured 18-hole course may be as short as 1,500 yards [1,370 metres] to be eligible for a Course Rating™ and Slope Rating®, and a set of tees on a measured 9-hole course may be as short as 750 yards [685 metres]. This change is intended to expand the WHS™ to shorter length courses, including par-3 courses, and enable more golfers to obtain and use a Handicap Index®. Ratings are capacity dependent and only carried out during summer months by local County rating teams.

Use of an Expected Score for a Hole 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. This new method will produce a 9-hole or 18-hole Score Differential™ that more accurately reflects a player’s ability. As golfers across the world are playing more 9-hole rounds, an expected score will also be used to convert a 9-hole round into an 18-hole Score Differential™. The calculations used to calculate an expected score, includes ratings of standard difficulty, and are not shared by the USGA. This means the Score Differential™ will more accurately reflect
the playing ability of the individual golfer.

Playing Conditions Calculation Adjustments Made More Frequent:

The Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) within GB&I has already been modified to increase the likelihood of an adjustment for abnormal playing conditions.

Enhanced Guidance on Conducting a Handicap Review:

The role of the Handicap Committee is vital to the success of the WHS™, and the rules recommend that a Handicap Review is conducted regularly, or at least once a year, to ensure a Handicap Index® remains reflective of a player’s ability. New reporting tools have been developed to incorporate into the handicapping software to assist Committees in conducting the review process effectively and consistently. These reports will be made available in due course via the WHS™ portal.

The Inclusion of Four Ball Better Ball Scores within GB&I:

These scores will be added to the list of mandatory scores to be returned for handicapping. It is vital that all competitions are run through competition software to ensure they arrive on a playing record in a timely manner (before midnight on the day of play). Only scores of 42 points or more, where a player has featured 9 times or more, will trigger inclusion in the handicap calculation. Holes where the player did not score will be allocated points relative to the score recorded on the card.

See England Golf 2024 WHS Update Resources for more details: Here