Whether you’re new to having a Handicap Index® or have seen some of the added flexibility with score posting because of the 2024 World Handicap System™ changes, we wanted to share a handful of pointers (9, to be exact) so that you can post with confidence!
What Hasn’t Changed in 2024
1. After you’ve selected the golf course you are playing (or just played), choose your method of score entry. It is recommended to use hole-by-hole. Why? Not only does this provide additional insights about your performance, it also ensures that net double bogey is calculated automatically.
2. Select the tees played so that the appropriate Course Rating™ and Slope Rating® can be applied to your score. If you played 9 holes, make sure you choose Front 9 or Back 9, as those Ratings will likely be different.
3. Choose the score type among three options: Home (H), Away (A), or Competition (C). Let’s break this down:
- Home – You’re on the club’s handicap roster. This is the course you likely play most often.
- Away – This could be a course you play once or even quite frequently. However, if you’re not on the club’s handicap roster, post as an Away score.
- Competition – This score type should be communicated to you by the tournament organizers. The Committee should also let you know whether they, or you, are responsible for posting the score.
4. Indicate the date you played the round. Our ask of you – post your scores on the same day of play. This ensures an up-to-date Handicap Index and allows your score to contribute to the daily playing conditions calculation.
5. This one is a no-brainer, but once you’ve entered the above data – post your score! Once that is done, you will see a screen with information.
- Bonus: If you’ve recently started posted scores, know that a total of 54 holes is required to get a Handicap Index – which can be achieved by posting 9- and/or 18-hole scores.
What’s New in 2024
6. You must play at least 9 holes for a score to be acceptable for handicap purposes. In addition, those 9 holes must have a 9-hole Course Rating and Slope Rating.
7. When indicating the number of holes played, you’ll see the normal 9-hole and 18-hole option. In addition, you will now be able to select 10-17. So, if you played between 10 and 17 holes and 9 of those holes correspond to a 9-hole Ratings, then the score is acceptable.
8. Earlier in the article, we mentioned that hole-by-hole score posting is recommended. There’s one exception – for 10-17 holes played, hole-by-hole entry is required. This allows the USGA to calculate the Score Differential for the holes you played and an expected Score Differential for those holes you did not play.
9. Now, 9-hole courses of at least 750 yards and 18-hole courses of at least 1,500 yards are eligible for Ratings. This means that hundreds of shorter and par-3 courses are now available for score posting toward your Handicap Index.
For more information about the World Handicap System, visit www.usga.org/whs.