duncan mackie
Money List Winner
No need to apologise; things can easily get confused and whether one individual or most post an opinion it is always good to be able to quote an official official as you have done here.
CONGU Club Handicaps
- Thread starter Crazyface
- Start date
No need to apologise; things can easily get confused and whether one individual or most post an opinion it is always good to be able to quote an official official as you have done here.
rulefan
Tour Winner
I think/hope that is what I said.
Old Skier
Tour Winner
Or we could go the whole hog:
I am an England Golf Regional Handicap Advisor and your query has been passed to me.
I have copied the ‘Club Handicap – General Guidance for Clubs’ notes below and hope they assist you. Basically, your Club must decide which, if any, competitions Club Handicap player may participate in.
CLUB HANDICAPS – General Guidance for Clubs
These guidelines are to help Clubs decide if they should introduce Club Handicaps (Appendix J). It is up to each club to decide if it wishes to introduce Club Handicaps. The idea behind these higher handicaps is to encourage members, whether juniors or adults, to play more competitive golf and stay in club membership.
CONGU® Club Handicaps are handicaps in the range 29 [37] to 54 and cannot carry the ‘c’ status. Players may only hold one handicap at any time.
Appendix J describes in detail how Club Handicaps are allotted and adjusted.
Club Handicaps are managed in a similar way to CONGU® handicaps of 28 [36] or lower.
The buffer zone used for handicap adjustment calculations is 5 and returns will result in handicap adjustments as outlined in Appendix J.
However, returns are always measured against SSS - never CSS - even if competitors are part of a larger field where a CSS has been calculated. In addition players may return as many Supplementary Scores as they wish in order to maintain or improve their Club Handicap.
For beginners, and for players who perhaps no longer have the length of shot they once enjoyed, it is also important for their enjoyment of the game that they have opportunities to compete from any forward tees that are more appropriate to their ability.
For many, the Nine-Hole Qualifying Competition format is ideal.
Handicap Committees should monitor the handicaps of players with CONGU® Club Handicaps on a regular basis and adjust handicaps, when required, in accordance with Clause 23.
New golfers
Club Handicaps are especially useful for those new to golf, as they provide a means by which such players can measure their progress until their ability justifies a handicap of 28 [36] or better.
Initial handicap allocation will be suggested by the computer software as per Clause 16 and Appendix J. If the recommended handicap is in the range 29 [37] to 54, then allocation of a Club Handicap may be appropriate. (Clubs do not have to award a Club Handicap if it is not thought justified.)
In time the players may find that reductions move them down automatically to the lower range when they will then no longer have a Club Handicap.
In addition to holding a Club Handicap, it may be appropriate to encourage players to play over a shortened course until such time as they have the skill or physical strength to play a full course. If such a shortened course is not a Measured Course and is without SSS, the assessment of ability and adjusting of handicaps can still be made under Clause 23.
Golfers who have reached the maximum CONGU handicap of 28 [36]
These golfers may currently play in many competitions but have little chance of winning, or may have given up competitive golf and risk drifting out of the game altogether.
A player whose handicap should increase above 28.0 [36.0] may benefit from moving to a Club Handicap.
This may restrict their entry to some competitions (see below), but the additional strokes will give them a more realistic handicap for social and club golf.
A player may not be moved to a Club Handicap without his agreement, and a player may have only one handicap. For example, a player may not hold a handicap of, say, 28 and also a Club Handicap of 32.
Competition considerations
It is recommended that a Club carefully consider the number of adult members who qualify and subsequently attain a Club Handicap. The benefits will be appreciated more when there is a small group than by only one or two players.
This will give the group the opportunity to compete against their peers without alienating them from club life. New players will also benefit from integration into such a group.
Clubs (and the Sections within Clubs) must consider whether they wish to adjust their various Conditions of Competition to allow players with Club Handicaps to participate.
This applies to Stroke-play and Match-play events, trophy or social events. The Club may consider a separate division within the main event for those with Club Handicaps, or perhaps run a parallel event such as a nine-hole format behind the main field.
Match play competitions that exclude the lower handicap categories can provide the higher handicapped golfer with the chance of a trophy. The Club might consider introducing a StablefordTrophy for higher handicap players.
Conditions of Competition within a Club should use a combination of handicap categories and ‘c’ status to determine who is eligible to enter each competition and/or be eligible for prizes. It may be that Clubs allow players with Club Handicaps to compete, but not to win trophies or main prizes.
I am an England Golf Regional Handicap Advisor and your query has been passed to me.
I have copied the ‘Club Handicap – General Guidance for Clubs’ notes below and hope they assist you. Basically, your Club must decide which, if any, competitions Club Handicap player may participate in.
CLUB HANDICAPS – General Guidance for Clubs
These guidelines are to help Clubs decide if they should introduce Club Handicaps (Appendix J). It is up to each club to decide if it wishes to introduce Club Handicaps. The idea behind these higher handicaps is to encourage members, whether juniors or adults, to play more competitive golf and stay in club membership.
CONGU® Club Handicaps are handicaps in the range 29 [37] to 54 and cannot carry the ‘c’ status. Players may only hold one handicap at any time.
Appendix J describes in detail how Club Handicaps are allotted and adjusted.
Club Handicaps are managed in a similar way to CONGU® handicaps of 28 [36] or lower.
The buffer zone used for handicap adjustment calculations is 5 and returns will result in handicap adjustments as outlined in Appendix J.
However, returns are always measured against SSS - never CSS - even if competitors are part of a larger field where a CSS has been calculated. In addition players may return as many Supplementary Scores as they wish in order to maintain or improve their Club Handicap.
For beginners, and for players who perhaps no longer have the length of shot they once enjoyed, it is also important for their enjoyment of the game that they have opportunities to compete from any forward tees that are more appropriate to their ability.
For many, the Nine-Hole Qualifying Competition format is ideal.
Handicap Committees should monitor the handicaps of players with CONGU® Club Handicaps on a regular basis and adjust handicaps, when required, in accordance with Clause 23.
New golfers
Club Handicaps are especially useful for those new to golf, as they provide a means by which such players can measure their progress until their ability justifies a handicap of 28 [36] or better.
Initial handicap allocation will be suggested by the computer software as per Clause 16 and Appendix J. If the recommended handicap is in the range 29 [37] to 54, then allocation of a Club Handicap may be appropriate. (Clubs do not have to award a Club Handicap if it is not thought justified.)
In time the players may find that reductions move them down automatically to the lower range when they will then no longer have a Club Handicap.
In addition to holding a Club Handicap, it may be appropriate to encourage players to play over a shortened course until such time as they have the skill or physical strength to play a full course. If such a shortened course is not a Measured Course and is without SSS, the assessment of ability and adjusting of handicaps can still be made under Clause 23.
Golfers who have reached the maximum CONGU handicap of 28 [36]
These golfers may currently play in many competitions but have little chance of winning, or may have given up competitive golf and risk drifting out of the game altogether.
A player whose handicap should increase above 28.0 [36.0] may benefit from moving to a Club Handicap.
This may restrict their entry to some competitions (see below), but the additional strokes will give them a more realistic handicap for social and club golf.
A player may not be moved to a Club Handicap without his agreement, and a player may have only one handicap. For example, a player may not hold a handicap of, say, 28 and also a Club Handicap of 32.
Competition considerations
It is recommended that a Club carefully consider the number of adult members who qualify and subsequently attain a Club Handicap. The benefits will be appreciated more when there is a small group than by only one or two players.
This will give the group the opportunity to compete against their peers without alienating them from club life. New players will also benefit from integration into such a group.
Clubs (and the Sections within Clubs) must consider whether they wish to adjust their various Conditions of Competition to allow players with Club Handicaps to participate.
This applies to Stroke-play and Match-play events, trophy or social events. The Club may consider a separate division within the main event for those with Club Handicaps, or perhaps run a parallel event such as a nine-hole format behind the main field.
Match play competitions that exclude the lower handicap categories can provide the higher handicapped golfer with the chance of a trophy. The Club might consider introducing a StablefordTrophy for higher handicap players.
Conditions of Competition within a Club should use a combination of handicap categories and ‘c’ status to determine who is eligible to enter each competition and/or be eligible for prizes. It may be that Clubs allow players with Club Handicaps to compete, but not to win trophies or main prizes.
rulefan
Tour Winner
That says it all.
