Wager Mage
Photo by ELEVATE Pexels Logo Photo: ELEVATE

Why is a handicap 95 %?

“95 per cent, or the allowance that you get for competition play, is about equity. It's about ensuring that, when all players are playing together in a field, every player has got the equal chance of success and gaining success in that competition.

What is the slowest serve in tennis?
What is the slowest serve in tennis?

Officially, this is the Australian Sam Groth , whose serve was measured at 263 km/h at the Busan Challenger in 2012 - even if the record is...

Read More »
What does a rugby referee say just before a scrum?
What does a rugby referee say just before a scrum?

In rugby union the initiation of the process is verbally coordinated by the referee who calls 'crouch, bind, set' as of 2013 (formerly 'crouch,...

Read More »

For many of you, this is the most annoying thing about the World Handicap System. But why does it apply in a singles medal and Stableford? We asked an expert You get your course handicap and then, depending on the format you are playing, there’s an allowance to come off. We may be familiar with losing bits of our handicap for 4BBB or pairs match play. It was baked into the old CONGU ways. There was that handy little chart on the back of the scorecard. Under the World Handicap System, though, there’s also an allowance for individual strokeplay and Stableford competitions in the Playing Handicap. You play off 95 per cent.

But why? We’re going to endeavour to give you the answer…

World Handicap System explained: Our expert says…

Now, you could listen to me waffle on but, in a recent Hot Topics webinar held by the Golf Club Managers’ Association, Gemma Hunter, England Golf’s head of handicapping and course rating, was asked this exact question. She went into it in some detail, so fix your eyeballs on this page for a minute or so as she explains. “95 per cent, or the allowance that you get for competition play, is about equity. It’s about ensuring that, when all players are playing together in a field, every player has got the equal chance of success and gaining success in that competition. “Now if you can imagine a player off scratch, the variation between their best score and their worst score is relatively tight. “They might have a bad round but their bad round is five over. If they have a good round, it might be two or three under. It’s not going to be eight or nine under, or 10 or 11 under, or shooting 25 over. “It’s going to be relatively tight, in terms of their expected score, whereas a player off 28 is going to be very different. “They’re going to be able to have a really good day. A 28 handicapper might actually play to 22 one day, or 20, but they might also play to 45. “Their expectation is also quite wide, so the higher the handicap the wider the tolerance for their scores. “If you played everybody off 100 per cent, the high handicap golfers, statistically, always have a better chance of winning – because they could shoot six or seven below, or eight or nine below, quite easily. “What 95% does is it basically reduces that down – so by taking more shots off the higher handicap players, and fewer shots off the lower handicap players, it means there is a better distribution of success across the field.

Can you cash out anytime on DraftKings?
Can you cash out anytime on DraftKings?

A number of the top legal online sportsbooks in the US allow you to cash out early. DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, PointsBet, BetMGM,...

Read More »
What age plays golf the most?
What age plays golf the most?

The median age of a golfer in the U.S. is 54, continuing to draw in an older crowd. A standard drive for a tour pro is 291 yards, while the average...

Read More »

“Believe it or not, it might sound like saying you’re saying ‘well, that’s great but why introduce this now?’ “It’s actually always been built within the CONGU system. It was just built in a way that was hidden. You didn’t see it. It was part of the way that a handicap was calculated, and why you only went up point one and you came down by a certain value depending on your handicap category. “It’s nothing unusual. It’s just it’s now public facing. It’s not just us, the rest of the world are doing it as well. So it’s a global thing. The USGA have a great name for it. They call it Bonus For Excellence, which basically means, the better you are the less impact it has on your score. That’s why it is there.”

Does that help? Let me know in the comments, or tweet me.

Need more information on the World Handicap System?

Visit our dedicated WHS page where you will find everything you need to know and details of how to contact us if you have any more questions.

Subscribe to NCG

Steve Carroll A journalist for 23 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former captain and committee member, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the national Tournament Administrators and Referee's Seminar. He has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying and the PGA Fourball Championship. A member of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. Handicap: 10.9 Suffolk Golf Package: Play Woodbridge & Aldeburgh in April for £224 per person VIEW PACKAGE

Subscribe to NCG

How much does a fully upgraded Insurgent sell for?
How much does a fully upgraded Insurgent sell for?

Can you sell the Insurgent in GTA Online? Yes, you can sell the Insurgent at Los Santos Customs for a resale price of $538,650 (60% of the original...

Read More »
What medication causes you to gamble?
What medication causes you to gamble?

Moreover, further medications, including aripiprazole, modafinil, rotigotine, sertraline, citalopram, and lamotrigine, were associated to the...

Read More »
Who is the owner of betting?
Who is the owner of betting?

Robert Louis Johnson (born April 8, 1946) is an American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor. He is the co-founder...

Read More »
Which software is used for prediction?
Which software is used for prediction?

IBM SPSS Predictive Analytics Enterprise Featuring descriptive and predictive analysis, data preparation, and automation, this software brings...

Read More »