handicap certificate

[ademac]

is it possible to get an official handicap certificate without being a member of a club? there are some courses near me that I'd love to play but need a certificate. I'm new to the game but I have the utmost respect for all the etiquet and rules and feel like I'm missing out a bit!

 

[viscount17]

you could via some online sites but although they may not tell you, I think that CONGU (and EGA?) will no longer recognise them.

 

[Herbie]

If you find it hard to get a h/c find out if any clubs near you have trial membership. I did that once, it only cost £40 for 2 months, which was fantastic considering the full membership fee. In two months you can get your h/c.

If you are not a member of any club, dont worry too much about h/c as you wouldnt be able to play comps without one anyway so you may as well find a club to join, there are various ways to obtain membership. Just ask around clubs, I think you will find in the current financial climate that a lot of clubs will be looking at schemes to boost members.

 

[SammmeBee]

A tenner (cash) and it's yours - what handicap do you want? But SSSHH don't tell anyone - ok?

 

[Parmo]

I joining my local Municipal club for £100 and I get a hcp + enter comps (though a small fee is payable), the season ticket in feb is about £370, much more affordable that £1000 inc joining fees as is the norm.

 

[Doh]

You can get one through the English Golf Union.

 

[Parmo]

I don't think you can anymore, I belive they have stopped it or are going to stop it soon.

 

[OldWindy]

Might be worth asking CONGU the same question.
http://www.congu.com/home.asp

 

[Doh]

I don't think you can anymore, I belive they have stopped it or are going to stop it soon.

They are still doing them i know someone who has recently got one.

 

[Quiet_Whisky]

It was the English Golf Union that was doing an associate membership programme that allowed you to get a handicap without being a member of a club. They have discontinued the scheme for new applicants. This is a copy from their website.

2nd April 2008

The English Golf Union (EGU) has decided to discontinue its Associate Membership Programme after 11 years of operation.

The Associate Membership Programme (AMP) was established when many clubs had long membership waiting lists and in many cases a recognised handicap was a pre-requisite to be able to join. The AMP, although not providing a CONGU handicap, did manage an alternative handicap system that was closely administered by EGU staff.

Since 1997 the number of golf clubs affiliated to the EGU has risen a by 167 clubs to over 1,950 and, according to the last research undertaken by the EGU, over 85% of its clubs have membership vacancies.

With club membership being more readily available and many facilities offering incentives to join as well as innovative “entry levels” of membership, the overarching purpose of the AMP to make the path to golf club membership easier and provide access to play courses throughout England by providing a recognised handicap, all be it not a CONGU handicap, has diminished.

This has also been reflected in the decreasing number of people joining the AMP in recent years.

John Petrie, EGU Chief Executive commented, “We are really proud of the part the AMP has played in both delivering new members to our clubs and keeping people playing the game when their lifestyles meant that club membership was not appropriate for them.”

“However the game has changed dramatically in the past decade and clubs can now be far more flexible when setting their membership criteria and when allowing visiting golfers to play. The resources that were dedicated to the AMP will now be redirected into other development activities and support for clubs across England.”

Since it launch the EGU estimates that over 200,000 rounds of golf have been played by AMP members and approximately 1,100 have gone on to join golf clubs when relinquishing their AMP membership.

The members of the AMP have all been advised on the future plans. The programme will continue to manage existing members’ handicap calculations and provide general membership support until end of May 2009.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Join a club and get one through there would seem to be the only way to go. I have to be honest and thought the EGU still did it. Learn something new everyday

 

[backwoodsman]

Quiet_whisky hs it in full. Within a week of getting my letter from the EGU welcoming me to to the Associate Membership Programme, I got another from them saying they were cancelling it as of next May. Their rationale is that the AMP is no longer useful as a springboard to club membership.