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England Golf chief asks for help with
WHS QUERIES
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ngland Golf’s WHS support fielded 47,000 email enquiries between the launch of the new handicap system on November 2 and Christmas last year - and they’re still coming in at an average of 1,700 a week. In a GCMA Hot Topics webinar last month,, Gemma Hunter, England Golf’s head of handicapping and course rating, revealed the scale of the task of bedding in the new global order as golf clubs and players reach out to the governing body with questions. Hunter told managers it felt like the near three-month shutdown of golf because of coronavirus restrictions had effectively meant the World Handicap System was launched twice - in November and at the end of March - and a team of seven were currently working to resolve enquiries. She added that the majority of emails came from members and related to basic concerns, such as obtaining membership numbers and passwords, and she appealed to golf club managers to help catch some of those queries, or use county handicap advisors, to try and stem the flow. “We appreciate it’s not where we would want to be,” Hunter said of the backlog. “But we are working to improve that. We hope that within the next week to 10 days, we will be dealing with things within the last 72 hours. So all I would say is ‘please bear with us’,
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we will get round to it. “I think the biggest thing we’ve had is the majority of emails that we are receiving are actually from golf club members. They are asking some of the real basic questions like ‘what’s my CDH number? What’s my password?’ and then some other very basic handicapping questions.” She added: “I would ask, and it’s a plea from me to you as golf club managers that, wherever possible, you could let your members know what their CDH numbers are, explain to them where the answers to those basic questions can be found, and this would certainly free up a lot of our capacity to deal with the issues or the main problems that people are having – because that does take up a lot of our time.” Education will be continue to be the key and England Golf will look to engage with clubs over the next 12 to 18 months. Hunter said managers could reach out to county handicap advisors as a first port of call if possible and added the governing body would continue to keep driving WHS forward. “On a personal note, from everybody at England Golf, thank you to club managers for everything that you do for the game - and not just in the last 12 to 18 months, which have been very difficult for everybody. “I’m sure it has been a challenge for you guys and, without you, golf clubs wouldn’t be in the position that they’re in. Without you and
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