JONATHAN ERNST
The Maryland Golf Association is keenly
watching. That’s because it is one of the
few SRGAs that uses a third-party handicap vendor.
“All of [the new handicapping system]
is positive, but I’m not sure we can participate, at least initially,” said Bill Smith, who
has been the MSGA executive director for
16 years. “Unless the computational component somehow is where our third-party
vendor does not provide it and it’s a break
in our contract agreement.”
Conkling views the nascent model as an
appealing selling point to those golfers on
a local and national level who don’t have a
Handicap Index.
“We provide benefits for public golfers,
private golfers, men, women, junior boys
and junior girls,” he said. “It includes what
we do to support agronomic and legislative
issues in Virginia.”
The USGA has overseen handicapping
in the U.S. for more than 100 years, and by
worldwide standards, it is the most widely
accepted system by far with two-thirds of
the golfing world using the USGA Handicap System. More than 40 countries and
territories around the world have adopted
it. However, the USGA is now working with
the world’s other five handicap authorities
to create a new World Handicap System.
According to VSGA Director of Handicapping Michael Walder, the WHS would
include the best elements of the six handicap systems utilized throughout the world.
“With a worldwide system, a golfer
would have a handicap that is truly portable wherever they were to play, whether in
the United States, Australia or Scotland,”
said Walder, adding that it would be a positive for VSGA members.
The basis for the new World Handicap
System would be the USGA Handicap System, including its course rating and Slope
system, which is already used in all parts
of the golfing world.
“We hear from many VSGA members
before they travel abroad to play. They will
request a handicap card from us because
it’s a requirement to have some form of
documentation of one’s handicap when
playing certain courses. They are excited
to tell us about their upcoming trips to
St. Andrews, Ballybunion, or many other
vsga.org
great golf courses,” Walder said. “However, upon returning, they are disappointed
to learn their score is not acceptable for
posting to their handicap record since a
different rating system is used over there
and is not transferable.”
Conkling, who earlier in his career
served as a PGA Tour rules official and
was on the USGA Rules Committee from
2011-15, understands the motivation to
create an abridged version—as long as it
doesn’t become nebulous.
“I think it can only benefit because I
really do think we need to figure out ways
in today’s world to help make the game
play faster,” he said.
One other area that hasn’t yet fully been
defined centers on a collaborative membership program. This may be the trickiest
USGA-SRGA partnership to figure out.
In the mid-2000s, the USGA approached
one million members through creative and
effective campaigns. But for aforementioned reasons, membership numbers fell.
SRGAs also suffered drops. An argument
could be made that SRGAs have to work
harder to attract members due to limited
assets. The VSGA, for instance, has 14 fulltime staffers to handle championships,
handicapping, Rules and its outreach programs, plus much more. It currently has
70,000 members and VIP cardholders.
After the USGA first presented the joint
program to SRGA executive directors,
Smith had questions. Saying he’s confident in the end it will be better for all, he’s
skeptical of the current concept in how
the revenue might be shared. In Maryland,
the MSGA has a little more than 40,000
members, 15,000 of whom also belong to
the USGA.
“Now if there’s a joint membership and
you have to belong to both, who gets the
most benefit? The USGA is way ahead of
the MSGA. They gain some 25,000 members and what do we get?” Smith said.
It’s a fair concern. In Virginia, there are
approximately 600,000 golfers 6 years
and older. The VSGA communicates with
about 12 percent of them through membership or other methods.
Conkling has done the math. How much
could the USGA’s influence help if it collaborated with the VSGA?
“So even if you cut that 600,000 number
in half to 300,000, we have a quarter we’re
talking to,” Conkling said. “So how do we
get those other 75 percent who are playing
this game? If we can get to three percent,
that’s 6,700 golfers. How do we get those
people to join one of our member clubs?”
Not all is ambiguous, however. The
first notable USGA-facilitated change
will come in time for the next golf season.
A long-awaited TPP replacement is on
the horizon. The USGA will partner
with Golf Genius for its tournament
management program. Early next year, all
VSGA member clubs will have the option
to switch to the USGA’s Tournament
Management Software, powered by Golf
Genius. TPP will continue to be supported
through the end of 2017.
Overall, there are busy times ahead
indeed. The USGA is betting that all the
adaptations will put it in lockstep with the
SRGAs and, more important, position everyone to better communicate with all golfers.
If that happens, the returns could be
magnanimous. But first steps first. That’s
why Conkling has passionately been
beh