Your New WHS Index

Exactly this. There's a huge group of players with maybe 20, 30, 40 years of golfing under CONGU in their brains and they simply can't grasp how 36 pts or maybe even 33 or 34 pts can get a cut. There's nothing underhand about it, they're just conditioned to think of handicap a certain way. When my regular group are chatting about it, the question that is often asked is "how can we both shoot 36pts and you'll get cut and I'll might not or might even get an increase" ?

It's a real shame COVID meant the GUI had to cancel all the presentations to the clubs about WHS.

Don't really agree with this tbh. And I'm certainly not blaming anyone for not knowing WHS. While there's no doubt some would have read up, I think plenty of the older generation of players have only a very cursory knowledge of the system and they kind of know "....its something to do with your average or something....". There are still many out there who aren't really used to looking stuff up online and who get irritated when then answer to a query is "its on the website". I think most golfers, if they knew the GUI were visiting their club and doing a presentation, would attend, but not nearly as many would be ar$ed looking something up or possibly able to. Obviously that's not very scientific, but purely from observation and conversations in my own club, which granted would have an older-ish age profile.

Does it actually matter at all whether someone understands the intricacies of WHS? In my opinion, no.

What does matter us than scores are accurate and returned.

if it’s integrity we are after: the deterrent created through a fining / banning system for offenders would, in my opinion, completely outstrip the benefits of education.

Not a topic of conversation in our bar after games. No one cares about who is playing well or not or their handicap. I certainly wouldn't be listening to any of that whinging anyway 😁

Exactly this ^^ The fact that an intervention is necessary or almost necessary is pretty damning on the system and/or on the people.

I'd wonder though, is it the system is not working, or is it the system is working exactly as its supposed to but people can't get their heads round the change (or maybe accept the change) from CONGU, that's the problem ? Its almost like someone is saying "yes under WHS your handicap will be much more volatile and moveable than before" but at the same time saying "but we don't want it to be too moveable, it doesn't sit right with us, a 10 handicapper should still be a 10 handicapper"

Its probably a bit of both in fairness but honestly I think there's still an element of the worst thing you can ever do in a golf club is win something, and if somebody does, they need to be punished/cut. Even a genuine guy who isn't a handicap cheat, if he's in a real bad run of form, will see his index go up, possibly by quite a bit - chances are at some point he'll find his form and do a good score. Seems like its easy to lump him in with the others.

I really can't see how the handicap secretary should almost ever need to review anything now tbh other than a cursory look at any outliers that might be flagged. Its not like under CONGU where a cut would be lasting for a lot longer. Any cut will likely be gone after a month or two.

Just read last night that GI have removed the ‘set initial handicap’ from the handicapping software. Does this mean now that new players will play a number of GP rounds to build up to a handicap?

New players should have to play 20 rounds before they can enter a competition.

Anything else is a nonsense.

You are correct, it is a rolling 12 months from date of lowest index.

When you played in April you were off 11.7 so I don’t understand where you are getting 20 months from.

If you got down to 11.7 in September 2022, and there was no counting rounds played until April 23, then you would still be off 11.7 in April 23. 11.7 in April 2023 remains your Low Index point.

When you reached 14.7, the Soft Cap (+3 from Low Index) came in, throttling your rate of handicap increase by 50%. If you reached 16.7, then Hard Cap (+5 from Low Index) applies and you can have no further increase until after April 2024.

Say in May 2024 you're still going bad, then your Low Index will be from May 2023 and would be higher, perhaps 11.9 and so you could go to 16.9 before Hard Cap would stop further increases.

Could people above play general play on a links to overcome this..

Handicap Qualifying all year round

ok....Some are HC qualifying all year round