What’s different?

Your handicap is more portable.

There were six different handicapping systems being used globally, but South Africa have now moved to the World Handicap System that will come into effect worldwide in 2020 and is governed by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient. Using the course and slope rating, your handicap will adapt to any course in the world. It is easier to get a handicap.

Previously a golfer had to play 90 holes or five 18-hole rounds to get a handicap, but now 54 holes, comprising any combination of 18-hole or nine-hole rounds, will be enough. Most handicaps will probably go down by one or two points.

Previously your handicap was worked out using an average-based calculation that took the 10 best scores from your last 20 rounds. The new system uses the best eight of your last 20 rounds and is slightly more responsive to downward movement and slightly less responsive to upward movement. This safeguards against a bad run of scores that is not representative of your true ability. Maximum handicaps have gone up to encourage novices.

The maximum handicap is now 54.0 regardless of gender; it used to be 40.4 for women and 36.4 for men. There will be less volatility in your handicap.

There were previously no limits on sudden surges in your handicap, but a mechanism in the calculation prevents extreme upward movement in the new system. Course and weather conditions are taken into account.

Previously, a score in bad conditions was weighted the same as one in fair weather, but now the algorithm takes into account adverse circumstances. Your handicap will update more frequently.

The previous system updated on the 1st and 15th of every month, but the new system updates daily. No more calculating the highest score you can take on a hole.

Previously, the highest permitted score on a hole depended on how high your handicap was, now, no matter what your handicap, nett double-bogey is the highest score allowed on any hole. All scores are counted.

The scores from both casual and competitive rounds count towards your handicap. In the UK and Ireland, the system previously only recognised scores posted in competitions.