More handicapping changes on the way

Golf Australia have released an update on developments regarding more changes to the Australian handicapping system and a list upcoming announcements.

1. Thursday 15 July, 2010 Golf Australia will release statistics comparing the distribution of handicaps prior to the recent change in handicapping system to the present system. It will give everyone an idea as to how the changes have affected the Australian golf community. Some golfers have reported some wildly changing handicaps under the new system.

2. Thursday August 19, 2010 will see an announcement regarding the second package of handicap changes to be rolled out. Exact details are yet to be released but some of it will involve each golf club being required to have a handicapping committee. 

Currently, GolfLink calculates your handicap based on what your golf club enters into the system. It is the responsibility of the club to ensure the scores are fair and accurate. Some clubs are better than others at this – I’ve heard of some poor management and organisation in the handicapping department. A mandatory, formalised committee will address this issue.

3. On Thursday August 26, 2010 a change will be made to the way handicaps are calculated for golfers who repeatedly fail to return cards. At the moment, if a golfer fails to return a score (no card received – NCR) on a number of occasions, the handicap can be severely distorted. The specifics of the change are not yet known but it may be something like, ruling a golfer ineligible in competition rounds if over 25% of rounds are NCRs.

We’ll have to wait and find out! Click here for the full memo from Golf Australia.

More handicapping information
Handicapping changes – what next?
Australian handicapping – Q&A
New handicapping system – how does it work?