Further to the message published on 8th July 2020 England Golf CEO Jeremy Tomlinson has circulated the following.

As we move ever closer to the launch date of the new World Handicap System (WHS) on 2 November 2020, we are writing to all affiliated golf clubs to provide an update on our plans over the next few months.

You will have already seen the exciting ‘Know The Score’ campaign, which includes the interactive WHS club toolkit that we shared with you last week and we encourage you to utilise the full range of assets in order to help educate your members and get them fully up to speed on the basics of WHS well ahead of November.

Thank you to those clubs that have already uploaded their course information onto the new England Golf WHS platform, which will become the only place where a club member’s WHS Index is calculated and the depository for all scoring records in England. If you haven’t already uploaded your course information, we respectfully ask that this is completed by 1 August 2020. If you would like us to resend the information to allow the process to be completed, please e-mail WHS2020@englandgolf.org

England Golf, as the national governing body, has the responsibility of administering the new WHS system and therefore will continue to ensure that the integrity of handicapping is maintained.

We have received many queries from clubs in recent weeks relating to handicap and competition software that is provided by Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and specifically what changes, if any, will happen when the WHS is launched.

ISVs (existing and new entrants) will be able to continue to work with golf clubs to provide handicap and competition products and services as they currently do under the existing CONGU handicap system. This will include the ability to display a member’s WHS index and playing record through the ISV software. The only real change under WHS is that the central WHS platform will now calculate a player’s handicap, as opposed to the ISV software doing this. Scores will be inputted through the ISV software, which will then link to the central WHS platform.

Golf clubs and golfers will have direct access to the central WHS platform to be able to view their latest handicap information through the England Golf website and England Golf app (to be launched in November and provided FOC to all affiliated golf club members).

To ensure the ongoing integrity of handicapping in England, we will be working with the following ISVs who will be licensed to be part of the new WHS system:

BGL Technology

Club Systems International

DotGolf

ESP Leisure

Genesys Technologies

Golf Autoscore Ltd (Book & Play)

GOLFBOX

Golf Genius Software

HandicapMaster(TM) Limited.

IntelligentGolf Limited

Nexxchange Services

As we work closely with the ISVs in readiness for the November launch, we encourage you to speak with your ISV provider through August and September to fully understand the situation around WHS.

As part of the licence agreement with ISVs, there will be an initial data transfer to the central WHS platform that will include first name, surname, gender, date of birth, e-mail address, home club and membership category. This information, which will be fully compliant with GDPR, is required to ensure player identification, protect the integrity of the handicap system and to allow communication with members on handicap matters only.

Ongoing data compliance includes all licensed ISVs displaying a privacy notice to affiliated members to inform them that they will automatically have access to the central WHS platform. A per club licence fee of £74.50 (plus VAT) will be charged to the ISVs on a half yearly basis.

Thank you for your ongoing support in this matter and we will continue to provide regular updates on the progress of the WHS. Further information is available at www.englandgolf.org/whs or please e-mail WHS2020@englandgolf.org if you have a specific query.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Tomlinson

CEO, England Golf