Do you have a golf handicap? The purpose of the handicap is to gauge how you are improving, and how you stack up in relation to your fellow golfers. Some golfers don’t care and just ignore the system, playing each round just for fun. But most golfers who take the game seriously, maintain a golf handicap.

As of 2020 things are going to start changing. The USGA and R&A have announced plans for a unified World Golf Handicap System. Right now there are six handicap rating systems used throughout the world. It can get mighty confusing if you travel and play.

• The first big plus for a new system: Your Handicap will travel better. Every country will use a uniform system governed by the USGA and R&A.
• It’ll be easier to establish a handicap. Currently you need 90 holes or five 18 hole rounds to set up a handicap. The new system only requires 54 holes, either 18 hole and/or 9 hole rounds.
• The max handicap level is changing. Currently the max handicap for women is 40.4  and 36.4 for men. The new system has a max handicap of 54 regardless of gender!
• When you post your score in future, the weather conditions under which you play will be taken into consideration. Right now it doesn’t matter if you play on a warm sunny day or in a typhoon. The scores are weighed equally. But in the new system, an algorithm will account for adverse weather and course conditions!!!
• Handicaps will update more frequently. Right now, updates occur on the 1st and 15th of each month. After 2020, handicaps will update daily!

What do you think? Do you have a golf handicap? Are the changes welcome?

Find out more about the new system by visiting: the USGA website review page.