Handicap alternative??

[Robobum]

Unless I have missed a trick somewhere.....if I wish to play in a recognised competition, I am required to have a handicap. To have a handicap, I have to be a member of an affiliated golf club.

Why?

Would it be possible to affiliate the growing number of amateur tours that are springing up all over the place?

For instance, I don't want to be tied down to one club but I want to play in a load of opens throughout the region. If I join, say, the midam tour.....would it not be possible to have them administer my h'cap?

This came to mind after reading Gibbos post about becoming a nomad next year.

I'm aware of the extra issues that this would present to golf clubs regarding financial survival but just wondered whether other Nomads would still like to be "competitive"

 

[Slab]

Yeah you'd think in this age we could have a system & process to manage a handicap without course membership being a requirement (its not as if the h/cap sec follows each group)

Would I be right in thinking in the US they can maintain h/cap without course membership?

 

[G1BB0]

as I wont be playing comps except GM days then I will just manage my virtual h/c via an online tracker. I was just looking at clubs locally and one has a £100 a year membership and just pay green fee's, this will let me play 3 comps and maintain a handicap with them as my home club. It still means a financial outlay but doesnt restrict me to one club all year round, I am not going to bother though and just become inactive.

Might be something similar local to you :thup:

 

[FairwayDodger]

In theory, in the age of CDH, the mechanisms are already in place to maintain an existing handicap through playing opens etc. I guess there would be less scrutiny of handicaps than can be conducted at club level and there would have to be some new process to gain an initial handicap. I suppose that could be done off your first three cards at opens but would need those comps to allow players to play "for handicap".

It'd be another nail in the coffin for clubs though as it would remove one of their remaining USPs so can't see them going for it.

 

[bladeplayer]

Near the back of the magazine in the adverts page there is an advert for something like "needahandicap.uk" or something like that mite be worth a peek , can look it up for you tonight if someone doesnt tell you before hand ..

P.s .. alot of this going on over here now , €150 for membership that includes the GUI card , you pay extra than full members for comps , €10 per green fee and cant play in the Captains or presidents or vote at AGM..

Re your last point it is causing serious bother for clubs and the GUI are been asked to look into it ..

 

[duncan mackie]

just join a club based on a municiple course and seperate the cost of handicap administration from playing - I was such a member for 30 years with my annual subs starting at about £10 and ending at about £30 (much of which related to the golf union fees anyway).

you don't even need to be local, or play there during the year either - just play in 3 Q opens during your 'nomadic' adventures and your handicap stays valid.

note, most of these 'tours' do not play Q competitions and don't seem to want to - put another way many of the players seem to select these events over opens because they aren't Q events for handicap purposes!

 

[duncan mackie]

Yeah you'd think in this age we could have a system & process to manage a handicap without course membership being a requirement (its not as if the h/cap sec follows each group)

Would I be right in thinking in the US they can maintain h/cap without course membership?

It already exists in the UK, playing rights and club membership are seperate elements in many places, and have been for decades.

As to the US, the only difference is the existence of Associations, mainly metropolitan organisations, who act as handicap authorities for members who primarily play municipal and resort courses. Most have memberships that dwarf any UK club!

 

[Robobum]

just join a club based on a municiple course and seperate the cost of handicap administration from playing - I was such a member for 30 years with my annual subs starting at about £10 and ending at about £30 (much of which related to the golf union fees anyway).

you don't even need to be local, or play there during the year either - just play in 3 Q opens during your 'nomadic' adventures and your handicap stays valid.

note, most of these 'tours' do not play Q competitions and don't seem to want to - put another way many of the players seem to select these events over opens because they aren't Q events for handicap purposes!

I used the mid-am specifically as I know that they are all qualifying and the scores returned to the clubs.

I take your point and know that others have done exactly that. However, for example, I pay £50 to join the tour....if they could hold and administer my h'cap, why should I have to pay another £30 to join a muni (or wherever) that I do not intend playing at?

Just idle thoughts, sat at my laptop with zero intention of contributing anything meaningful to work today . Roll on beer o'clock this evening

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Unless I have missed a trick somewhere.....if I wish to play in a recognised competition, I am required to have a handicap. To have a handicap, I have to be a member of an affiliated golf club.

Why?

Would it be possible to affiliate the growing number of amateur tours that are springing up all over the place?

For instance, I don't want to be tied down to one club but I want to play in a load of opens throughout the region. If I join, say, the midam tour.....would it not be possible to have them administer my h'cap?

This came to mind after reading Gibbos post about becoming a nomad next year.

I'm aware of the extra issues that this would present to golf clubs regarding financial survival but just wondered whether other Nomads would still like to be "competitive"

That would be up to England golf to talk directly with the tours.

England golf are actively promoting golf for the future and club membership is one area they are really trying to push so I don't think they would be that keen on promoting tours and societies to administer handicaps.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Do you need to present an official handicap when you play on the amateur tours ?

Are they already affiliated with EGU and a member of Congu ?

If so then I can't see why they can't maintain your handicap as long as it's financially viable and people play the correct amount of qualifying games. Not sure what would be cheaper for the person though

 

[duncan mackie]

I used the mid-am specifically as I know that they are all qualifying and the scores returned to the clubs.

I take your point and know that others have done exactly that. However, for example, I pay £50 to join the tour....if they could hold and administer my h'cap, why should I have to pay another £30 to join a muni (or wherever) that I do not intend playing at?

Just idle thoughts, sat at my laptop with zero intention of contributing anything meaningful to work today . Roll on beer o'clock this evening

good use of idle time

the element you are missing is that such a tour would have to add the golf union fees to their administration fee up front, and would then have to actually set up a structure to administer the handicaps as well (nominal but it's another cost to be taken into account when considering the costs equation).

all this focuses on costs, and you would also have to have changes to the CONGU rules (a lot of changes) but there's no practical reason why that couldn't be effected.

 

[Rooter]

robobum, you are fairly local to me i think... let me know if you want the details..

club near me does this:

Handicap Membership
Handicap Membership costs £35 per annum. Green Fees = Standard Rate This membership entitles the holder to the following benefits: - Discount on tuition
- Discount on selected merchandise
- Extended pre-booking period (14 days)
- Administration of handicaps
- Arrangement of competitions
- A Loyalty Card A charge of £14.75 for men and £15.25 for ladies must be added to the above figure to cover Golf Union affiliation fees.

 

[Robobum]

robobum, you are fairly local to me i think... let me know if you want the details..

club near me does this:

Handicap Membership
Handicap Membership costs £35 per annum. Green Fees = Standard Rate This membership entitles the holder to the following benefits: - Discount on tuition
- Discount on selected merchandise
- Extended pre-booking period (14 days)
- Administration of handicaps
- Arrangement of competitions
- A Loyalty Card A charge of £14.75 for men and £15.25 for ladies must be added to the above figure to cover Golf Union affiliation fees.

That seems very reasonable

Just to clarify though - I'm happy with my membership and use it enough to warrant it.

Just idle thoughts

 

[Rooter]

That seems very reasonable

Just to clarify though - I'm happy with my membership and use it enough to warrant it.

Just idle thoughts

Ah i see!! lol

 

[pbrown7582]

i think is purely down to the golf unions wanting to keep club membership and there income up.

There are enough (edit..... alleged) false handicaps around as it is on these events just look at people opinions on recent threads and i think to dilute the process further would only add flames to the fires.


Some tours events are qualifiers some are not it is only fairly recently that the have been given scope to have qualifying status?

You need to produce CDH number to play.

The ads in mag are internet based 'clubs' basically glorified online trackers for nomads.

Didnt think Clubs are supposed to actively offer handicap only catergory

 

[HawkeyeMS]

This is a very good question. A lot of guys I have played with at Opens have membership at the cheapest club they can find purely to keep a handicap so they can enter opens, they hardly play at their home club at all. You would have thought in this day and age that there would be a way for individuals to affiliated with CONGU and for Open results to be published to the CDH by the hosting club.

I'm sure there are reasons why this isn't possible but it would seem to make sense.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I think pbrown has the reason down to a tee - to ensure the safety of club memberships possibly

 

[Foxholer]

Given that Congu is made up of the 4 Golf Union, who are funded by Clubs - through levies on their members - you might find that 'vested interests' would have a little influence on whether another organisation, likely to further deplete Club membership, would be allowed to maintain handicaps!

Not an exact analogy, but do you think your employer would be happy if you asked to do some freelance work for the opposition?

 

[davidy233]

My first club in the late 1980s was Orton Meadows a pay and play in Peterborough and I'd quite like to go back to play a competition there at some point - so I looked up their website and discovered they've merged with Thorpe Wood to form Nene Park Golf Club which plays both courses but mainly Thorpe Wood (all their mens opens are there).

Had a look at HDID to see if the seniors played medals/stablefords on Orton Meadows and they do - so think I might join at one point and nip down south to play in one of them.

Mens adult membership of Nene Park Golf Club is £45 a year

 

[SammmeBee]

....the element you are missing is that such a tour would have to add the golf union fees.....

There's a better question - why do I have to pay golf union fees?

What do they do for me? They still charge me to play in their County Championship....perhaps just to keep the County Team (obviously not made up of there best players as they are in the US) in jumpers and golf balls, and the Committee's gin intake up at the correct levels?!?