GOLF AUSTRALIA has announced that the handicap anchor will rise from four strokes to five strokes this month.
In a letter to clubs last month, Golf Australia Chairman John Hopkins outlined the reason for the change, noting the ‘seasonality’ of handicaps .
“Under our current handicap system, handicaps in Australia are notably seasonal. On average, they increase in winter and then decrease in summer. In general this is caused not by a change in player ability but instead by changed weather impacting on course difficulty. (Note: The degree of seasonality does vary from club to club and from state to state (i.e., Queensland winters are considerably different to Tasmanian and Victorian winters.))
“When handicaps become seasonal, inequity is introduced when players travel from one region to play in a region with different weather patterns. This is because the players with seasonally increased handicaps gain an unfair advantage.
“Being mindful that the GA Handicap System does not contain DSR just yet, GA believes that as we head into winter, the increase of the Anchor from 4 strokes to 5 strokes will result in a more desirable proportion of golfers across Australia being Anchored than would otherwise occur. GA also believes that a 1-stroke increase in the Anchor will not compromise the primary objective of this important regulation. (Note: In accordance with standard practice across all components of the GA Handicap System, GA will continue to monitor the efficiency of the Anchor in the short and mid-term.)”
The new 5-stroke Anchor Regulation will take effect on Tuesday 14 May. GOLF Link will re-calculate the handicaps of all Anchored players at that time.
For the full announcement, visit www.golfaustralia.org.au.
A four-time winner of the Australian Golf Media Awards, including Best Photojournalism, Best Opinion, Best Column and Best Photographic Presentation, Inside Golf Group Editor Richard Fellner is the quintessential Golf Tragic, having played the game for over 50 years (but has never gotten any better!) He has played and reviewed courses all over the world, and has interviewed many of the great players of the game (including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Greg Norman). Richard is a member of both the Australian Golf Media Association and the Golf Society of Australia, and has been a featured guest on many Australian "sports talk" radio shows and networks, including ABC Grandstand, SEN 1116, Melbourne Talk Radio 1377, 2GB and others.
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