I’M not sure we have much choice, other than to embrace the change.
Golf Australia is retiring the GOLF Link handicapping system in favour of a new digital platform, one which is planned to modernise, simplify and hopefully make handicapping easier for us all.
By the time most of you pick up this October edition of Inside Golf, the new platform will be in place, you may have played a round or two and by then we will know how it might impact our handicaps and therefore those club competition rounds.
I started with a system where each club had a handicapper, scores were lodged from comp play and after a bad day, where you didn’t manage to play to your handicap, +1 would be added. A handicap of 20.0 became 20.1 and depending on form, four more of those, to 20.5 and you’d be 21. Going the other way, a good day, 40-odd points maybe and that 20 might end up being 18 or 19. Seemed simple, but being labour intensive, I’m pleased I wasn’t the handicapper.
After that it became automated, centralised and controlled by golf’s governing bodies, before we arrived at the GOLF Link system which has been in place for some time.
Now here we are with another system to take us forward, one supposedly also more in line with what takes place internationally.
So read on from Golf Australia with their digital upgrade explained. I guess we have little option other than to give it a chance. If it can perhaps add a shot or two to my handicap, I’d be grateful.
Australian golf’s digital upgrade
Australian golf is embracing a new high-tech era for golf with its biggest technology leap in more than 20 years. From October 2, the long-serving GOLF Link system was to be retired and replaced with a new national digital platform designed to make life easier for golfers, clubs, and administrators alike.
“This is the most significant technology change in Australian golf for a generation,” says Damien de Bohun, Golf Australia’s General Manager of Clubs, Facilities, and Places to Play.
“It has been designed with clubs in mind and to make administration simpler, give golfers a better experience, and set the foundations for the game’s future growth.”
The upgrade aims to modernise handicapping, Golf Australia believing the old GOLF Link system was becoming limited. The new technology supports hole-by-hole score entry and runs more advanced calculations used internationally.
Under the new system every GA Handicap will be recalculated under the updated Australian Rules of Handicapping, aligned with the World Handicap System (WHS) in an effort to make handicaps fairer and more accurate, with predicted improvements including:
• Consistent daily handicap calculations
• A revised formula for 9-hole rounds.
• Better expected scores for incomplete rounds using hole-by-hole data.
• Shorter courses and extra tees included in handicapping.
• A refined Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC), back-calculated to 1 January 2023.
For most golfers, the impact will be small — around half a stroke on average — but for some, particularly less-frequent players, the change may be more noticeable.
The most visible difference for players will be the Official Golf Australia App, which will serve as the go-to hub to check handicaps, view scoring history and calculate daily handicaps. The app connects seamlessly to the new golfer portal at GOLF.com.au, giving golfers a central home for their game.
Over time, new features will be rolled out including enhanced statistics and insights, and integration with tee-time bookings. It will also enable clubs and golfers not using third-party apps to run and join competitions, score hole-by-hole and access course information.
Once deployed, these features will support smaller clubs that previously lacked digital tools to manage competitions and scoring through the app, while golfers can continue to use paper scorecards if they prefer. Clubs already using systems such as MiClub, GolfBox or SimpleGolf will keep them, with the new national platform providing extra stability and integration.
There will be no extra cost to golfers or clubs, with the new platform fully funded through existing affiliation fees.
The changeover was carefully planned, with handicapping services offline from 10:00pm AEST on 28 September until 2 October, while MiClub clubs will complete integration by 10 October. Golfers will still be able to view their handicap during this period, but no new scores can be entered until the upgrade is live.
More than 1,900 clubs have already participated in Golf Australia’s onboarding program — including info packs, webinars and training sessions.
Old GOLF Link numbers will now become a permanent Golf ID — for life. Unlike in the past, where numbers might change when moving clubs, individual Golf ID’s remain consistent wherever a golfer plays. New golfers can create a Golf ID free of charge, giving them instant access to the app and their personal golfer portal at GOLF.com.au.
During the changeover, Golf Australia have boosted its Customer Service Centre, with the Helpdesk available seven days a week at help@golf.com.au or by calling (03) 7037 0400.
GET IN TOUCH: If you have an opinion on this or any other topic in the magazine, send your letter to the editor to rob@insidegolf.com.au and you’ll be in the running to win a gripping prize.
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