The new World Handicap System, which will be introduced in 2020, was created after an extensive review by six handicapping authorities - Golf Australia, the Council of National Golf Unions in Great Britain and Ireland, the European Golf Association, the South African Golf Association, the Argentine Golf Association and the USGA.

The new system will feature flexibility in formats of play, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes and ensuring that a golfer's handicap is more reflective of potential ability.

It will also allow a more consistent handicap that is transferable from course to course and from country to country, with abnormal course and weather conditions that might have had a negative impact on a player's performance also taken into account.

There will also be an average-based calculation of a handicap, taken from the best eight out of the last 20 scores and factoring in previously demonstrated ability.

Additionally, a minimal number of scores from 54 holes from any combination of 18-hole and nine-hole rounds will be needed to obtain a new handicap, with the maximum handicap limit being 54.0 regardless of gender.

Finally, a limit of net double bogey will be placed on the maximum hole score.

The new handicap system was created following a research campaign involving 52,000 people in 15 countries, with 76 per cent of people voicing their support for the new system.

Chief executive of R&A Martin Slumbers believes the new system will help golf "keep up with the times".

"We are working with our partners and national associations to make golf more modern, more accessible and more enjoyable as a sport and the new World Handicap System represents a huge opportunity in this regard," he said.

"We want to make it more attractive to golfers to obtain a handicap and strip away some of the complexity and variation which can be off-putting for newcomers.

"Having a handicap, which is easier to understand and is truly portable around the world, can make golf much more enjoyable and is one of the unique selling points of our sport."

USGA chief executive Mike Davis added: "For some time, we've heard golfers say, 'I'm not good enough to have a handicap' or 'I don’t play enough to have a handicap'.

"We want to make the right decisions now to encourage a more welcoming and social game.

"We're excited to be taking another important step to provide a pathway into the sport, making golf easier to understand and more approachable and enjoyable for everyone to play."

The new handicap system is the latest in a series of moves by golfing authorities to make the game more appealing.

Last year it was announced that new rules would be introduced in 2019, including the removal of any penalty for accidentally moving your ball, in a bid to make the game quicker and easier to watch.