Handicap question

[Lion147]

Hi everyone!
I am a pretty inexperienced golfer. I played for 18months at my local golf club and had a handicap of 17 in 2018. I then moved home and left the golf club.
I never played for the full of 2019 and have today joined a golf club close to my new house. I told them all of this information and I have checked my HowDidIDo app and it says I have a handicap of 17 with today’s date on the certificate.
I’ll be lucky if I am a 17 handicap these days. However this is good because I don’t know anyone at the club I can’t be bothered hassling random people to help me get a new handicap, and I can jump straight into competitions and play with new people this way.
My question- Is this allowed? Will I get caught? I am the kind of guy that is usually very honest with this stuff, however I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot when I don’t feel I am cheating due to the fact a 17 handicap is to low for me at this time. I’ll go up to 18-19 before I can dream of going back down to 17. I just want to get out there and play with other people in competitions.

 

[2blue]

Hi everyone!
I am a pretty inexperienced golfer. I played for 18months at my local golf club and had a handicap of 17 in 2018. I then moved home and left the golf club.
I never played for the full of 2019 and have today joined a golf club close to my new house. I told them all of this information and I have checked my HowDidIDo app and it says I have a handicap of 17 with today’s date on the certificate.
I’ll be lucky if I am a 17 handicap these days. However this is good because I don’t know anyone at the club I can’t be bothered hassling random people to help me get a new handicap, and I can jump straight into competitions and play with new people this way.
My question- Is this allowed? Will I get caught? I am the kind of guy that is usually very honest with this stuff, however I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot when I don’t feel I am cheating due to the fact a 17 handicap is to low for me at this time. I’ll go up to 18-19 before I can dream of going back down to 17. I just want to get out there and play with other people in competitions.

If you have a 'c' against your 17 then you have 'Competition H/cap' so, yes, you can enter & win Comps. unless your new Club has other restrictions. If you don't have a 'c' then you'll need to play 3 Q Comps or Supps to get it back.

 

[Lion147]

If you have a 'c' against your 17 then you have 'Competition H/cap' so, yes, you can enter & win Comps. unless your new Club has other restrictions. If you don't have a 'c' then you'll need to play 3 Q Comps or Supps to get it back.

No I don’t have a ‘c’. That explains that then, thanks!

 

[rulefan]

In that case, your club may either allow you to play in competitions (in order to regain the 'c' status) but not win prizes in the competitions. However your handicap will automaticall be adjusted as normal according to your score.
Or they may simply not allow you to enter until you have returned 3 supplementary scores.

Bu of course it's pretty academic at the moment. And on Nov 2nd the new WHS handicap system comes in and 'c' status disappears. Hopefully you have enough playing data from your original club to generate a new WHS Index but whether or not it would be worth having a word with the handicap secretary. Your club manager can point you in the right direction.

 

[Old Skier]

Surely it depends what the comp is, if they are medals and Stableford or fun comps check with your club but fill your boots is what I hope your club will say.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

In the new world I'm not sure when we will be playing competitions again or whether suplementary scores will be acceptable due to changes in the playing conditions.

Why not approach the handicap chairman, explain your dilemma and ask his / her advice on the best way to proceed?

I would also suggest that when you play your 2 ball golf you keep you score and when appropriate present it to the committee as evidence of general play.

 

[Lion147]

In the new world I'm not sure when we will be playing competitions again or whether suplementary scores will be acceptable due to changes in the playing conditions.

Why not approach the handicap chairman, explain your dilemma and ask his / her advice on the best way to proceed?

I would also suggest that when you play your 2 ball golf you keep you score and when appropriate present it to the committee as evidence of general play.

Yeah I I’ll contact the handicap chairman. If there was no competitions this year then there will be a lot of people in the same situation as me next season, so hopefully they can relax some rules for us all.

 

[Colin L]

You carry the same handicap from one club to another only if there is less than 12 months between the memberships. As you left your previous club in 2018 and joined your new club yesterday, you should not have been given your old handicap but should have been required to submit scores for a total of 54 holes in 9 hole or 18 hole rounds or a mixture of the two. From those and with consideration given to your old handicap, a new handicap would be allocated.

 

[Lion147]

You carry the same handicap from one club to another only if there is less than 12 months between the memberships. As you left your previous club in 2018 and joined your new club yesterday, you should not have been given your old handicap but should have been required to submit scores for a total of 54 holes in 9 hole or 18 hole rounds or a mixture of the two. From those and with consideration given to your old handicap, a new handicap would be allocated.

This was what I first thought, that’s why I found it strange they gave me a handicap certificate.

 

[rulefan]

In the new world I'm not sure when we will be playing competitions again or whether suplementary scores will be acceptable due to changes in the playing conditions.

CONGU Decision 23/3/2020 (Updated 05/05/2020, further update 11/05/2020)

** When golf returns you must follow the guidance set out by your National Union as well as this guidance for Qualifying scores. **

Following on from The R&A’s guidance on the Rules of Golf issued on Friday 20 March (https://www.randa.org/en/news/2020/03/covid-19-related-guidance-on-the-rules-of-golf) and further advice on 29th April (https://www.randa.org/News/2020/04/Golf-in-the-UK-under-COVID-19-restrictions), CONGU has now discussed the implications for scores for handicap qualifying competitions (and supplementary scores) and can confirm the following:

Flagsticks/Holes: If clubs have made the decision to modify the depth of the hole to allow players to remove the ball without touching the flagstick, scores will be acceptable for either competition or supplementary score purposes. In such cases, the ball is considered holed if any part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green, even if not lodged against the flagstick.

Bunkers: If clubs introduce a Local Rule to allow preferred lies in bunkers, scores will be acceptable for competition or supplementary score purposes. (Using Model Local Rule E-3)

Please note: The distance for preferred lies in the bunker is limited to 6 inches and the area cannot be smoothed before placing.

As an alternative (but not combined with the preferred lies detailed above) if the condition of bunkers is so poor that it interferes with the proper playing of the game, a club Committee may declare all bunkers to be Ground Under Repair, scores will be acceptable for competition or supplementary score purposes.

Note: These temporary provisions are applicable until further notice.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

CONGU Decision 23/3/2020 (Updated 05/05/2020, further update 11/05/2020)

** When golf returns you must follow the guidance set out by your National Union as well as this guidance for Qualifying scores. **

Following on from The R&A’s guidance on the Rules of Golf issued on Friday 20 March (https://www.randa.org/en/news/2020/03/covid-19-related-guidance-on-the-rules-of-golf) and further advice on 29th April (https://www.randa.org/News/2020/04/Golf-in-the-UK-under-COVID-19-restrictions), CONGU has now discussed the implications for scores for handicap qualifying competitions (and supplementary scores) and can confirm the following:

Flagsticks/Holes: If clubs have made the decision to modify the depth of the hole to allow players to remove the ball without touching the flagstick, scores will be acceptable for either competition or supplementary score purposes. In such cases, the ball is considered holed if any part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green, even if not lodged against the flagstick.

Bunkers: If clubs introduce a Local Rule to allow preferred lies in bunkers, scores will be acceptable for competition or supplementary score purposes. (Using Model Local Rule E-3)

Please note: The distance for preferred lies in the bunker is limited to 6 inches and the area cannot be smoothed before placing.

As an alternative (but not combined with the preferred lies detailed above) if the condition of bunkers is so poor that it interferes with the proper playing of the game, a club Committee may declare all bunkers to be Ground Under Repair, scores will be acceptable for competition or supplementary score purposes.

Note: These temporary provisions are applicable until further notice.

Thanks, that clarifies things nicely.

I know the initial intention was to avoid competitive rounds for a while but I guess that seeing the above there will be a push to play some in the near future.

 

[jim8flog]

CONGU Decision 23/3/2020 (Updated 05/05/2020, further update 11/05/2020)



Bunkers: If clubs introduce a Local Rule to allow preferred lies in bunkers, scores will be acceptable for competition or supplementary score purposes. (Using Model Local Rule E-3)

Please note: The distance for preferred lies in the bunker is limited to 6 inches and the area cannot be smoothed before placing.

.

Funny that when the new guidelines came out from England golf the distance had been increased to one club length.

Not that important at the moment we are not allowing supplementaries for time being and all comps have been cancelled up to the end of June, to be reviewed towards the end of June

 

[rosecott]

Funny that when the new guidelines came out from England golf the distance had been increased to one club length.

Not that important at the moment we are not allowing supplementaries for time being and all comps have been cancelled up to the end of June, to be reviewed towards the end of June

The EG document did say one club length but also referred you to CONGU for QR guidance.

 

[jim8flog]

The EG document did say one club length but also referred you to CONGU for QR guidance.

Thanks.

At the moment we have not adopted the rule but will bear in mind if we do.