Controversial World Handicap System Calculation Faces Overhaul

One of the most contentious elements of the World Handicap System could be overhauled. 

The Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC), which has been in effect since November 2020, takes into account the players’ performances on a given day compared to their expected performances. Once the day’s play is complete, the PCC examines whether “playing conditions on the day differed from normal conditions to the extent that an adjustment is needed to compensate.”

While that might sound reasonable in theory, in practice, many players have complained that the calculation is too rigid. Now, England Golf has released a statement saying the calculation is under review, it said: "The Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) is currently under review by the World Handicap Operations Committee following feedback from national governing bodies. Our experience is that while the calculation works, it is too static in certain situations which results in little or no movement in the PCC. We are hoping for an update shortly."

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England Golf’s head of handicapping and course rating, Gemma Hunter, went into further detail on the review during a recent webinar to a Golf Club Managers’ Association webinar. She said: “The PCC calculation is currently under review. It will still exist but the R&A and USGA are looking to scale the PCC to a level that is more reflective of the conditions people face and the scores being returned. The biggest challenge with this is to try and find something that is acceptable around the world because there is one single calculation.”

“We have looked at our data and we’ve identified that, around about 92 per cent of the time, the PCC remains at zero, which is far, far, far too conservative than what we need it to be. We don’t want it to be to the extremes of the old CSS calculation. We need to try and find some middle ground.”

With the decision on any change due in a matter of weeks, Hunter also pointed out that anyone concerned about how that might affect already submitted scores need not worry. She said: “We’re hoping for some form of decision, ideally, by the end of May. As soon as we know if any changes are going to be made we will be informing everybody of the process. It will only affect future scores. We won’t be doing any backdating.”