The objectives of the new WHS, according to the Royal and Ancient and the USGA, are the following:
- Meet, along with the new 2019 Golf Rules, the needs of the modern golfer.
- Allow as many golfers as possible to obtain and maintain a handicap.
- Train golfers with different abilities to play and compete under fair and equal conditions, in any game format and anywhere in the world.
- Be easy to understand, implement, and at the same time be precise.
- Satisfy the needs and expectations of golfers, clubs and golf authorities from all over the world, adapting to cultural differences.
- Facilitate the organization of international golf events, since with different handicap systems, this is difficult.
- Allow national associations to better plan golf development strategies.
- Facilitate golf organizations better evaluation of large-scale data related to the game.
Given the magnitude of this change, the organizations that lead the process worldwide, the Royal and Ancient and the USGA, leave the entire year 2020 as an adaptation period for the national golf federations.