Can The Handicap System Ever Truly Level The Playing Field Or Should We Just Accept There Will Always Be Unfairness As Golfers Of Differing Abilities Compete Against Each Other?

On a recent Golf Monthly staff day out, I paired up with a member of the team who was receiving 45 shots (my handicap is 5.0 and I received six shots). Competing in a better ball format, we came in with 38 points, both contributing to the overall score and finishing in the middle of the pack.

The attempted levelling of the playing field through WHS means that every golfer from professional to beginner can compete with and against each other on any course around the world. It’s what makes golf so brilliantly unique.

It sounds perfect doesn’t it? And yet, to my mind at least, the handicap system has never felt as under fire as it does right now. If my inbox is anything to go by (please let me know what you think in the comments box below), there seems to be two main points of contention: 1) lower handicappers generally feel like they can no longer compete in handicap competitions and 2) some golfers are using the WHS to manipulate their handicaps. These complaints are hardly new and yet, perhaps because of the rise of social media, the disquiet surrounding them has become impossible to ignore.

The essential question is, in a sport that is largely self-policing and with such varying abilities competing at the same time, can the handicap system ever truly level the playing field?

Of course, one thing that might help is if we all submitted a card after every round (I seem to recall this was the intention when we switched to WHS back in 2020). For my own part, one of the aspects I love most about my club membership is flexibility. With the pace of play varying so drastically from one day to the next, I often head out onto the course not knowing exactly how many holes I’m going to play. Being forced to keep a scoring card for every round would reduce my flexibility and probably mean I end up playing less golf. Personally, that’s not a trade-off I’m willing to make, even if it contributes to an imperfect handicap system.

With this in mind, are we are asking too much of the handicap system? We want it to provide the incentive for newer golfers to engage with the sport and measure their improvement whilst at the same time requiring it to provide the framework for fair and open amateur competition.

At this point, I'd love to offer a perfect solution to the problem but despite racking my brains, I keep coming back to the idea that perhaps today's handicap system can't neatly level the playing field in a way that will keep everyone happy. That your handicap is less a perfect measure of your ability and more a rough guide to your level as a golfer. What do you think? Should we accept some inherrent unfairness within the handicap system? Please let me know in the comment box below.