Has a big flaw in the World Handicap System been exposed?

Has England Golf’s new WHS policy reveal the cracks in the handicap system? Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin discuss on their latest podcast

England Golf’s pilot Championship policy, which could potentially deny entry into some tournaments for players with too many general play scores in their handicap records, has catapulted the controversial World Handicap System back into the headlines.

But has the governing body’s actions, which are designed to ensure integrity and a high standard of entrants into competitions, exposed a deeper issue within WHS?

On this week’s From the Clubhouse, a podcast from National Club Golfer, Tom Irwin and I look in detail at the new policy, discuss what it will mean for those golfers who could be affected, and whether it is a tacit admission that WHS is flawed.

We look back at the old CONGU handicap ways – refusing to don the “rose-tinted spectacles” worn by some when reflecting – and consider the impact England Golf’s pilot could have on our own competitions as clubs wage war in the fight against handicap manipulation.

Do club committees need to do more, or are they hiding behind a shield of the perceived ills of WHS?

WHS has been an emotive topic ever since its introduction in late 2020, and we don’t hold back expressing some strident views.

Where do you stand? It’s certainly an interesting listen…