EGA Course Rating Calibration Seminar
Together with the European Golf Association (EGA), The R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA) held a Course Rating Training and Calibration Seminar at Bogogno Golf Resort in Italy in October.
As always, the event was exceptionally well supported by the EGA’s Member Federations, with 73 delegates attending from 23 countries.
This year’s programme featured both a Training Seminar for newer raters and a Calibration Seminar for experienced raters, and the format was closely aligned with our new online learning platform, The World Handicap System™ (WHS) Learning Hub. Prior to attending, all participants were required to register on the platform, complete the relevant learning modules and take an online examination. This meant that once on site, the focus was less on classroom teaching and more on practical demonstrations, on-course application, methodological discussions, collaboration and sharing best practice.
The goal of Course Rating Calibration seminars is to ensure the Course Rating System is being applied in a standardised way around the world, so that all golf courses are rated consistently. The 53 experienced participants in Bogogno were tasked with assessing four holes, which had been chosen by the Committee for their variety of obstacles and rating challenges. Upon completion, each attendee’s results was compared against the Committee’s ratings and workshops were held giving them a chance to learn how the Committee had arrived at their ratings and to discuss any differences in approach.
At the end of the process, each participant was awarded a grade contributing toward their Intermediate Level qualification.
Following this seminar, 182 course raters from all around the world are now WHS Accredited at the Intermediate Level and are ready to progress to the Advanced Level programme, due to be launched in 2026.
If you are interested in Course Rating or our Education Pathway, please contact your national federation for details on how to get involved and we may see you at a future Calibration seminar.
Player and Club Committee Responsibilities
In April 2025, the handicapping team collaborated with England Golf, Golf Ireland, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf on a communications campaign to raise awareness of both the player’s responsibilities within the Rules of Handicapping™, and also the role of the Handicap Committee.
This campaign followed the results of last year’s survey, which showed there is a perception amongst golfers in GB&I that a small minority of players are manipulating the system to gain an advantage.
Ultimately, we want golfers to take the same view of the Rules of Handicapping as they do with the Rules Golf. Both rely on the integrity of players and any behaviour that lacks integrity must be challenged and called out for what it is, which is cheating.
The campaign led to extensive coverage in the UK media, with a broad level of support from golf commentators. This led to a follow up campaign in October highlighting the importance of the handicap review process, and preparing players for this happening before the start of the 2026 playing season.
