Handicap control is a game of numbers

As an Englishman and having played most of my competitive golf as an amateur in my homeland, I am reasonably well attuned to the intricacies of the CONGU (Council of National Golf Unions) Unified Handicap System.

The UAE operates the CONGU system, and from my time at Nad Al Sheba Golf Club, I dealt with handicap issues on a day-to-day basis.

The handicap system forms the very basis of the game, its popularity and its prosperity, and without such a formal system the game would no doubt have been kicked into touch some time ago.

The main competitor to CONGU is the USGA (United States Golf Association) who have their own universal handicapping system, which many consider to be fairer. The USGA system is also used across the globe in places such as France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malaysia.

In my limited experience dealing with their system and terms like "slope rating system", "handicap index", "course handicap" and "equitable stroke control", I have found the methodology to be exceptionally logical and, more importantly, very fair. But perhaps the main downside is that it is complicated for many amateurs (especially beginners) to understand.

Essentially both systems are based on two fundamentals:

1. The player’s intent to score the lowest possible score they can on each hole they play.

2. The player’s intention to provide a reasonable amount of scores for handicap review within a specific time period.

No matter what system is in place, if a golfer wishes to manipulate his handicap for the purposes of winning tournaments then he can.

Having studied both systems in recent weeks I have to say that I favour the USGA system over CONGU.

The pure logic of how a player’s "course handicap" changes from course to course or from one set of tees to the next, makes a lot of sense.

ESC (equitable stroke control) also makes a lot of sense and reduces the risk of a player running up a couple of big numbers at the end of a round to protect an inflated handicap.

There are good and bad points to both and no doubt the debate will continue.

In my opinion, what is key to the success of the global effort to educate golfers on handicapping and to rid the game of "bandits" is to establish strong and strict management within the clubs when it comes to monitoring members’ handicaps.

Both systems are flexible enough to allow management implementation of localised regulations to ensure members with handicaps submit a sufficient amount of cards.