Cross Border handicapping - and further afield

[Smokey Lomcevak]

I appreciate this is a bit of a bugbear at the moment, and similar questions may have been asked before, but I can’t find reference to an answer that fits my circumstances…

I live in Surrey and I do not have a club membership in England. However, I maintain a membership at a small club in Scotland close to my late Father’s property that I have now inherited, and visit every 6 weeks or so. I do not have a handicap, and tend to play the short course in Scotland alone. I am not averse to playing with others or competing socially there, but it’s all very informal during the comps, and efforts I have made in the past to involve myself in groups either for general play or comps have been unsuccessful, for whatever reason. I do not know my “CDH number” and it does not appear in the app.

I would like to obtain an official handicap. Most of my golf is played in Surrey, with some in Scotland and some abroad.
So my question is - what is the best approach for me? Would it be to add general play scores from around the UK etc to the Scotland golf App? Or perhaps to go down the route of the England roving golfer setup? And furthermore, if I were to join a club in England, that would in effect be my primary course, ought my approach to change?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

 

[jim8flog]

I would have thought that if you join a club that would be your 'home ' club.

In England if you join a club your igolf handicap will be transferred to the club automatically.

On that basis I reckon if you join an English club they would, hopefully, recognise, and transfer your Open Play handicap although experience of people moving between England and Scotland seem to suggest it has to be done manually.

No experience of Open Play or iGolf but I would question if you get a CDH number with either system.

 

[rulefan]

I appreciate this is a bit of a bugbear at the moment, and similar questions may have been asked before, but I can’t find reference to an answer that fits my circumstances…

I live in Surrey and I do not have a club membership in England. However, I maintain a membership at a small club in Scotland close to my late Father’s property that I have now inherited, and visit every 6 weeks or so. I do not have a handicap, and tend to play the short course in Scotland alone. I am not averse to playing with others or competing socially there, but it’s all very informal during the comps, and efforts I have made in the past to involve myself in groups either for general play or comps have been unsuccessful, for whatever reason. I do not know my “CDH number” and it does not appear in the app.

I would like to obtain an official handicap. Most of my golf is played in Surrey, with some in Scotland and some abroad.
So my question is - what is the best approach for me? Would it be to add general play scores from around the UK etc to the Scotland golf App? Or perhaps to go down the route of the England roving golfer setup? And furthermore, if I were to join a club in England, that would in effect be my primary course, ought my approach to change?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

If you aren't a member of a club you wouldn't have been assigned a CDH number. Once you join/register with a club (either in England or Scotland) and put in 3 qualifying scores you are in the system with a WHS 'identifier' and official handicap. You will be able to return scores in any country for handicap purposes but it is a faff returning scores to other than your 'Home' club. So I suggest you make your Home club in England. You will still be able to record scores from elsewhere but only enter them at your home club.
However both England and Scotland have or are introducing a "cloud club" for people who can't or are otherwise unable to join a normal club. See their websites.
If you need more just ask here.

 

[Foxholer]

Check with the club in Scotland that you belong to.
But unless you are already contemplating joining somewhere in England, there's no 'handicap' reason to join one simply to maintain a handicap, as the Scottish one should be portable enough.
The only barrier could, because it's a 'small' club, getting scores registered, from rounds in England, could be an issue.

 

[Smokey Lomcevak]

Thanks to you both. I think perhaps I want clear enough.

I do hold a membership but it is in Scotland. I have never been told my CDH number or if I have one. I have never sought to obtain a handicap - until now. I maintain the membership because I play frequently when I am on Scotland, I like to support the club, and I am the last of a long line of my family that have a long history with the club and it’s locale.

I do not currently hold a membership in England. That may change in the future - I remain on the waiting list for a local club.

As far as I can tell the simplest approach would be to continue to do everything through the scotland golf app, despite the fact that very few of my rounds will take place at my home club, or even in Scotland. Is there any reason not to do this, or any disadvantages?

 

[rulefan]

Thanks to you both. I think perhaps I want clear enough.

I do hold a membership but it is in Scotland. I have never been told my CDH number or if I have one. I have never sought to obtain a handicap - until now. I maintain the membership because I play frequently when I am on Scotland, I like to support the club, and I am the last of a long line of my family that have a long history with the club and it’s locale.

I do not currently hold a membership in England. That may change in the future - I remain on the waiting list for a local club.

As far as I can tell the simplest approach would be to continue to do everything through the scotland golf app, despite the fact that very few of my rounds will take place at my home club, or even in Scotland. Is there any reason not to do this, or any disadvantages?

There aren't any problems staying with your Home club in Scotland and playing in England or anywhere else. But any handicap rounds (in competition or general play) would have to be pre-registered there and scores returned to your Home club.
Edit: The registering and attestation would have to accord with that club's requirements

Can you just clarify the point about the app you use. Is it the official Scottish Golf VMS? That should show your CDH (ie your WHS ID). Check with the manager of your club.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

Was just going to ask a similar question. Our club is in Wales but on Wales Golf app you can only enter scores from other courses in Wales. Whenever we play at courses in England, Scotland or further afield we have to send a copy of the card to the handicap sec and he then enters the score directly into the software. This proved problematic yesterday when 24 of our seniors played in England so each card was photographed and then manually entered. This was a pretty tiresome job!

Is this the same for members in England or Scotland when they play in other countries or are there other options for recording the scores yourself?

 

[rulefan]

Was just going to ask a similar question. Our club is in Wales but on Wales Golf app you can only enter scores from other courses in Wales. Whenever we play at courses in England, Scotland or further afield we have to send a copy of the card to the handicap sec and he then enters the score directly into the software. This proved problematic yesterday when 24 of our seniors played in England so each card was photographed and then manually entered. This was a pretty tiresome job!

Is this the same for members in England or Scotland when they play in other countries or are there other options for recording the scores yourself?

It seems that all cross border scores have to be entered manually at the Home club for the time being.

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

It seems that all cross border scores have to be entered manually at the Home club for the time being.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Wabinez]

It seems that all cross border scores have to be entered manually at the Home club for the time being.

the Scotland Golf app now allows entry from courses in England (not sure about courses in Wales).

hopefully everywhere else gets the functionality soon this year…

 

[Backache]

Personally I'd email or write to the handicap secretary explaining what you want and ask them the best way of submitting scores.

 

[IanM]

If you move clubs from one union to another, do you keep you cdh number? Currently they're are different number ranges?

 

[rulefan]

Each of the Home Unions has their own Membership/CDH number range. With England, Wales and Ireland these numbers can be synchronised. Scotland decided to use a different WHS Platform for the rest of the Home Unions which is why Players moving between Scotland and England have to return records to maintain Handicap Index on both WHS Platforms.

The R&A/USGA have yet to complete the amalgamation of the different WHS Platforms across the World under different golfing jurisdictions.