HCP WHS System

A golfer aiming to obtain a Handicap Card – in addition to being a member of a golf club – is required to submit a valid scorecard (obtained in accordance with the Rules of Golf and signed by a marker) from a minimum of 9 holes played on a Championship Course and pay a fee to the Polish Golf Association. The new handicap will be calculated according to the new WHS system.

We would like to inform you that physical cards will no longer be issued – golfers will be able to use a certificate obtained via their “golfer account” on the Polish Golf Association’s website. Below is information about the World Handicap System (WHS) (source: PZG).

The fundamental change for Polish golfers will be a different algorithm for calculating HCP. Until now, we have followed the guidelines of the EGA system, where HCP is calculated on an ongoing basis. However, in WHS, the calculation will be based on the average of the best 8 out of the last 20 results. In this regard, the system will closely resemble the USGA system.

Other functionalities of the new system, such as the use of Course Rating (CR) and Slope Rating (SR), a maximum HCP of 54.0, and the ability to apply it in various game formats, are already successfully used by our current EGA system,” said Janusz Mojsiewicz, a member of the PZG Handicap Committee. So far, only the main principles of the system have been published. More details on how it will function will be available when the main source document is published. Considering the worldwide implementation of a unified system starting in 2020, national golf federations will now begin a two-year transition period.

For detailed information, visit the Polish Golf Association’s website.