WHS - Understanding - Provisional Handicaps

Thank you for contacting Golf Link regarding further information on Provisional Handicaps under the World Handicapping System (WHS).

The handicap status of Provisional was first introduced with the implementation of the GA Handicapping system in 2014.

A GA Handicap will lose its full status in the event that a player should accrue in their most recent 20 scores five or more entries with a status of ‘No Score – Not Approved’ (NSNA).

Such a handicap will be known as a “Provisional GA Handicap”.

GA recommends that players with Provisional GA Handicaps not be eligible to win prizes in competitions which have as a condition of entry a requirement that competitors hold GA Handicaps.

A player will return to Normal GA Handicap status automatically upon the number of ‘No Score – Not Approved’ entries in the player’s most recent 20 scores decreasing to four or less.

A players Home Club can request the removal of rounds affecting a handicap in this way.

What is No Score - Not Approved?
If a player fails (for a reason which is not approved by the committee in charge of the competition) to post an acceptable score as soon as practicable after completion of their round a score will be set as No Score - Not Approved.

The NSNA status was introduced to discourage players choosing whether they submit a Score following a round declared for handicapping (all Competition rounds are deemed to be for handicapping) so that they can manipulate their handicap and to provide Golf Administrators ways of ensuring prompt return of cards following rounds.

Should the player believe that a round should not have been treated in this way then they will need to contact the Club that the round was played at or their Home Club.  

The Club can choose to alter the status if they feel it is appropriate, if they do, they will need to contact Golf Link to get this updated, Score can only be updated at the request of a Club not a player.

In cases where a player is returning to Golf and their NSNA rounds are from pre 2014 when this status was not applicable, the player should ask their Home Club to get these rounds removed so that they can return to a Normal GA Handicap status unencumbered by this change.  

As mentioned earlier, when a player returns to under 4 or less NSNA in their last 20 rounds then their GA Handicap status will return automatically to Normal.