Local Knowledge

May 2020

WHS ONLINE TRAINING SEMINAR FOR GOLF CLUBS

The World Handicap System (WHS) Online Seminar focuses on the new WHS, and is designed to provide the information needed to administer the Rules of Handicapping at the golf club level.

All clubs must complete this education requirement and take the quiz and become authorized to issue WHS Handicap Indexes by June 30, 2020.

The seminar consists of four total parts, and after completing each section, a link to the next video will become available. After completing Part 4, a link will then be provided to a 20-question quiz and a score of at least 80% is required for a golf club to satisfy the education requirement to use the WHS.

Additional details will be provided at the beginning of Part 1. Click on the link below to begin the WHS Online Training Seminar.

WHS ONLINE TRAINING SEMINAR/QUIZ


TEXAS JUNIOR GOLF ALLIANCE TO HOST LPGA QUALIFIER

The Texas Junior Golf Alliance recently partnered with the Volunteers of America Classic to give junior girls a chance to qualify for an LPGA tournament. Scheduled for Sept. 4-6, the 16-player match play qualifier will be played at the same site of the VOA Classic, Old American Golf Club in The Colony.

“One of our goals as an event is to impact the community in a meaningful way,” Octagon Senior Sales Director Brooke Lee said. “Allowing junior golfers from all over the region an opportunity to compete and win a spot into our tournament will continue to promote women’s golf in a positive light.”

The Volunteers of America Classic Girls’ Match Play Championship is for elite junior girls who will graduate high school no earlier than 2021. Players earn exemptions into the championship based on their performance throughout Texas Junior Golf Alliance events in 2020. The number of exemptions are divided among the Alliance partners as follows: seven from the Legends Junior Tour, four from the Northern Texas PGA’s All American Tour, four from the Southern Texas PGA’s Prestige Tour and one from the Houston Golf Association’s Performance Series. READ MORE


GOLF INDUSTRY’S ‘BACK2GOLF’ GUIDELINES AND OPERATIONS PLAYBOOK

As part of an industry-wide collaboration to lead the responsible return of golf in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the game’s allied organizations have established “Back2Golf,” a plan outlining operational guidelines for golf’s 16,000-plus facilities that adhere to nationally established protocols and best practices.

Back2Golf is driven by key stakeholders of WE ARE GOLF, a division of the World Golf Foundation created in 2010 to spearhead initiatives on behalf of the game. Organizations include PGA of America, USGA, PGA TOUR, LPGA, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and Club Management Association of America (CMAA), among others.

After review from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), golf leaders and medical experts, the game’s national organizations have adopted a three-phase approach for golf’s careful reopening, focused on prolonged social distancing and enhanced sanitization practices to responsibly protect golfers, employees and all members of the community. Using measures set by the CDC and The White House “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again” plan, the recommendations will progress at various paces depending on geographic location. READ MORE


COVID-19 USGA RULES AND HANDICAPPING FAQS

The USGA recently released a supplemental memo in response to questions about the Rules of Golf and Rules of Handicapping modifications implemented during the COVID-19 era.

The questions received fit into four main topics: Flagstick, Bunkers and Bunker Rakes, Scorecards and Scoring and Modifications to the Hole; Not Requiring that Players Hole Out. In each of the four topics, the USGA guidance provided serves both to directly answer the questions asked as well as cover additional considerations that might also serve useful. READ USGA FAQs MEMO


QUICK REFERENCE PLACEMAT

The World Handicap System is comprised of the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System. The Rules of Handicapping replaces the USGA Handicap System, which has been in place since 1911, and the USGA Course Rating System has become the Course Rating System.The Quick Reference Placemat is an easy-to-follow, one-page guide that gives a brief overview of the key topic areas from which you can expect to receive the most questions from golfers. DOWNLOAD QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE