Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris – which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2018 and will welcome the Olympics in 2024 – was the venue for the recent European Course Rating Education and Calibration Seminars, supporting the World Handicap System (WHS).
The seminars, which were organised by the European Golf Association in close collaboration with the French Golf Federation, The R&A and the USGA, brought an end to a five-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, as a result, the turnout was very high. A total of 84 representatives from 26 federations were in attendance over the course of three days.
The opening session was an introduction to the Course Rating System aimed primarily at beginners, as a first step along the path towards learning how the System works and to becoming a member of a Course Rating team.
More experienced raters then participated in a Course Rating Calibration seminar, which involved rating four holes on the Albatros Course, testing their practical application and understanding of the System. WHS staff and Course Rating Committee members conducted a classroom review of the holes – with raters getting the chance to compare their results, ask questions and, sometimes, challenge thinking.
Seminars like the one held in Paris have been conducted all around the world for many years and they will now form part of the new formalised Course Rating Education Pathway, which the WHS has started to roll out and will continue to develop throughout this year. The launch of the WHS Learning Hub is imminent, which will include new intermediate content for learners put forward by national federations, giving them the opportunity of becoming certified.
Course Rating education and certification helps to ensure consistency in the application of the System across all golf courses around the world – which is so important when it comes to portability of handicaps. Other sessions to have been held recently include beginners’ workshops in Dubai and Panama.
