Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Yep - they are aware that all entries goes towards multiple prizes for net and gross amongst other things.
GM Article - Handicap System Ruining Comps for Low Handicaps
- Thread starter Arthur Wedge
- Start date
Yep - they are aware that all entries goes towards multiple prizes for net and gross amongst other things.
bobmac
Major Champion
But are they happy?
I suspect not, but suck it up. Like lots of things, people rarely organise and the status quo, or loudest, tends to rule.
bobmac
Major Champion
So they would probably be happier if all their entry fee went on the net prizes?
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
No one said anything negative about not paying for prizes they may not win - so they are as happy as a golf club member playing a comp will be
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Depends how its presented to them I guess. I’ve played in plenty comps with 2 or 3 divisions and have never thought for a moment my fee was paying for prizes I couldn’t win. In that scenario all players are paying for prizes they can’t win
No one just gets to pay a divisional comp entry fee
No one just gets to pay a divisional comp entry fee
Have you been watching the barristers at the post office enquiry, leading me down a particular path
. I suspect that they would be happier but @Slab had summed it up well imo.Maybe it is the price to pay for entering a competition? Saying that, my club doesn't do this and I'm happier for it
I do think you shouldn't have to pay towards something you have zero chance of winning. That isn't fair imo.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Have you been watching the barristers at the post office enquiry, leading me down a particular path
Maybe it is the price to pay for entering a competition? Saying that, my club doesn't do this and I'm happier for it
I do think you shouldn't have to pay towards something you have zero chance of winning. That isn't fair imo.
I’ve played in loads of mixed comps too & never even considered that the entry fee is paying for prizes for women…& I have no chance of winning. It’d be weird to think like that
Doesn’t matter if the division is called lowest gross or H/cap 0-10 or women or seniors. I can’t win any of those but it matters not because we’re all paying the same fee anyway
rosecott
Money List Winner
For many clubs - particularly those operating on proprietary courses - their sole income to run the activities of the club comes from a proportion of comp entry fees. That is a very good reason to give booking priority for club comps to encourage participation.
Crow
Crow Person
I guess the thing to do is to search the forum for threads with people bitching about not being able to win the gross prizes in the same way that low H'Caps do about not being able to win the net prizes.
GB72
Money List Winner
I guess it would depend on the split for me. If there were divisions then I am not sure that I see the need for a lowest gross prize as your low handicappers would have a chance to win their own division. In the same way, I would not expect to see an overall prize if there were divisions. The divisions could all have an equal prize pot, no issue with that. If there were no divisions, I would be happy with a lowest gross prize but I am not sure how I would want to see that in comparison with the others. An argument could be made for it being the same as the overall winner but is that fair with a lower number of potential winners. You could also argue that it could be run the same as a 2s comp with it being an opt in prize with the winner taking the pot. Perhaps that would be fairer.
No easy answer (Except for removing prize money totally)
No easy answer (Except for removing prize money totally)
Orikoru
Tour Winner
Yeah, who cares? Whenever I enter a comp I pay the entry fee and away I go. I don't even think about where the prize money is going. I know it ain't going to me anyway.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Its no different to setting a max handicap of say 24 and still charging a comp fee to a fella off 36
Thinking on though, the extra I pay for most comps usually goes to the inclusive F&B not the prizes . So it’s a bit of a moot point because the bulk of prizes are funded primarily by sponsorship anyway (harder if the club runs several comps a week but then prizes are only gonna be a sleeve of balls I’d imagine)
Monthly Medal = get it sponsored
Thinking on though, the extra I pay for most comps usually goes to the inclusive F&B not the prizes . So it’s a bit of a moot point because the bulk of prizes are funded primarily by sponsorship anyway (harder if the club runs several comps a week but then prizes are only gonna be a sleeve of balls I’d imagine)
Monthly Medal = get it sponsored
bobmac
Major Champion
Would IHave you been watching the barristers at the post office enquiry, leading me down a particular path
I agree
I like the way you think.
And if you take it one step further you'd also get an opt out option.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
I’d like to enter the comp today pls
Pro – fine mate that’s a fiver
Ah but I only want to enter the 12-18 h/cap division and exclude myself from lowest gross cos I can’t win it
Pro- ah ok
I’m not in the 19-54 h/cap group either so that doesn’t apply to me
Pro- eh!
I also don’t want to be in the NTP/2’s cos the seniors have a huge advantage
Pro- riiight
Oh and take me out of longest drive too please, these young whippersnappers beat me by a mile
Pro- I see, I think I’ve got all that
How much will that be?
Pro – that’s a fiver please!
Pro – fine mate that’s a fiver
Ah but I only want to enter the 12-18 h/cap division and exclude myself from lowest gross cos I can’t win it
Pro- ah ok
I’m not in the 19-54 h/cap group either so that doesn’t apply to me
Pro- eh!
I also don’t want to be in the NTP/2’s cos the seniors have a huge advantage
Pro- riiight
Oh and take me out of longest drive too please, these young whippersnappers beat me by a mile
Pro- I see, I think I’ve got all that
How much will that be?
Pro – that’s a fiver please!
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Would I
I agree
I like the way you think.
And if you take it one step further you'd also get an opt out option.
I guess you haven’t been around clubs for a while
Competition fees in many clubs are also needed to help pay for a number of things
As well as many clubs having volunteers that manage the competition’s so don’t want to add complexity within comps
There is an opt in and opt out
You can opt to pay and enter the competition or you can opt out and not pay and play in the competition
There are multiple prizes that are covered by the £4 and many people may not have the chance to ever get near winning a prize but people don’t all enter the competition to try and win a prize , there is also trying to better your handicap etc
There are many net comps that have haven’t got a hope of winning - I’ll still enter and pay my money because it also goes towards - boards , the IG system , trophies , and excess into greens funds and it’s the same with many that enter the scratch club champs or the scratch KO - they are doing it to challenge themselves and see how they go
At most clubs the best gross prize is around the equivalent of 3rd in a division - so in our case around £10 - are people really that bothered that maybe 10p of their entry goes towards a small prize for someone who played the best golf that day
GB72
Money List Winner
See at one of my previous comps, the lowest gross prize was the same as the winning prize.
To be honest I have never really thought about the split of the money but i really see no issue with everyone paying the entry fee with payouts for first, second and third in 3 divisions. That gives everyone a pretty fair chance. Then, if you wanted to enter a prize for the lowest gross, you pay an extra pound or two and have a pot same as 2s. Seems pretty fair to everyone.
To be honest I have never really thought about the split of the money but i really see no issue with everyone paying the entry fee with payouts for first, second and third in 3 divisions. That gives everyone a pretty fair chance. Then, if you wanted to enter a prize for the lowest gross, you pay an extra pound or two and have a pot same as 2s. Seems pretty fair to everyone.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
Everyone has a chance to win the gross prize as well , no different than scratch players chance of winning the net prize
I have seen a ten handicapper win a lowest gross prize before
There is no need to make it complicated
Is it that bad to reward someone for the best golf on the day
GB72
Money List Winner
But if you have a divisional split then there is no need for anything as there is technically no overall net prize and no need for an overall prize, just 3 divisional prizes that everyone can win.
Arthur Wedge
Well-known member
But not all comps have divisional splits - majority of clubs have board comps where there is a single winner ( or team )
Most clubs if they have divisions it in their monthly medal or Stableford
And even then it depends on the split - with the handicaps now up to 54 - Div one could go up to 14 to 18 then up to 28 for divs 2 and above for Div 3