New Handicap Rules

[Wessex]

Club handicaps.

From Friday, any adult male or female that hands in three cards for handicap purposes will now be able to obtain a Club Handicap above 28/36 up to 54. i.e. three cards each with a gross score of 54 above the SSS can now be processed. These handicaps will not have a 'c' suffix but will be able to enter competitions at his/her home club with this handicap only. Now assuming that the player makes steady improvement and reaches the maximum handicap to get competition 'c' the handicap then allows that player to use his/her handicap at other clubs. If the playing standard then drops and the player goes back up to 28/36 can the player then go back to a Club handicap and loose his/her 'c' suffix? Or is the Club handicap just for those starting off and once reached a proficient level cannot then go higher than 28/36?

The reason I ask is that there are a few senior players at the club whose cards submitted were in the low 100s but a handicap was given. They never really got to play to a 28 handicap but were happy to bumble along. These guys also play in the Seniors comps home and away. If they were given a club handicap next year this would bar them from playing in comps away from the Club because effectively they wouldn't have a handicap away from the club.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

[rulefan]

1) Re your seniors. They may choose revoke their CONGU handicap and put new cards in to get a club handicap.
Whether, they may play in inter club comps would depend on the relationship between the individual clubs (if simply 'social' matches') or on the league (for more formal arrangements).

2) If a player with a club handicap comes down to 28 (or less) and then returns a score that would take him up, he may choose to maintain his CONGU handicap or revert to a club handicap.

 

[Wessex]

I didn't know you could revoke a handicap. I thought a CDH number was a lifetime number. i.e. for life.

There does seem more to this than meets the eye. I also believed that it is at the discretion of the Club Committee whether they adopt this new system or have I been misinformed on that as well? :blah:

 

[rulefan]

I didn't know you could revoke a handicap. I thought a CDH number was a lifetime number. i.e. for life.

There does seem more to this than meets the eye. I also believed that it is at the discretion of the Club Committee whether they adopt this new system or have I been misinformed on that as well? :blah:

Players with issued with club handicaps will be given a CDH ID and will be on the CDH.
The ID is not really for the 'lifetime' of the player, it is his playing lifetime. It simply means the number will not be issued again.
If a player leaves his club and doesn't play again for a year (I think)(it may be two), he loses his ID and will have to start again with a new ID.


The use of club handicaps is at the discretion of the club.

 

[duncan mackie]

Club handicaps.

From Friday, any adult male or female that hands in three cards for handicap purposes will now be able to obtain a Club Handicap above 28/36 up to 54. i.e. three cards each with a gross score of 54 above the SSS can now be processed. These handicaps will not have a 'c' suffix but will be able to enter competitions at his/her home club with this handicap only. Now assuming that the player makes steady improvement and reaches the maximum handicap to get competition 'c' the handicap then allows that player to use his/her handicap at other clubs. If the playing standard then drops and the player goes back up to 28/36 can the player then go back to a Club handicap and loose his/her 'c' suffix? Or is the Club handicap just for those starting off and once reached a proficient level cannot then go higher than 28/36?

The reason I ask is that there are a few senior players at the club whose cards submitted were in the low 100s but a handicap was given. They never really got to play to a 28 handicap but were happy to bumble along. These guys also play in the Seniors comps home and away. If they were given a club handicap next year this would bar them from playing in comps away from the Club because effectively they wouldn't have a handicap away from the club.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

We haven't implemented this for the reasons given in your second paragraph. It makes no sense the minute you step outside the world of the club - and frankly little within in it when you have people playing of a natural 34 (say) excluded from the CSS calculation and unnatural 28s being included!

The originally proposed additional category should simply have been implemented - it will arrive at some point.

 

[Old Skier]

We haven't implemented this for the reasons given in your second paragraph. It makes no sense the minute you step outside the world of the club - and frankly little within in it when you have people playing of a natural 34 (say) excluded from the CSS calculation and unnatural 28s being included!

The originally proposed additional category should simply have been implemented - it will arrive at some point.

Good point and one I will be bringing up at the CONGU update in Jan in Devon. We have implemented it for those who will never play to handicap and indeed already run it for some of our disabled golfers and have done so for quite a while. It seems to our handicap committee unfair that members continually pay entrance fees for comps with no hope of winning, the sheer fact that the club have recognised that has had the support of the majority of the members. The real effects will be seen when we start playing qualifiers.

It will also mean in pairs comps people are not penalised by drawing a player unable to fully participate with a 28 handicap. We see it as a positive way to encourage more players to play club golf.

 

[duncan mackie]

Good point and one I will be bringing up at the CONGU update in Jan in Devon. We have implemented it for those who will never play to handicap and indeed already run it for some of our disabled golfers and have done so for quite a while. It seems to our handicap committee unfair that members continually pay entrance fees for comps with no hope of winning, the sheer fact that the club have recognised that has had the support of the majority of the members. The real effects will be seen when we start playing qualifiers.

It will also mean in pairs comps people are not penalised by drawing a player unable to fully participate with a 28 handicap. We see it as a positive way to encourage more players to play club golf.

Agree all of that (and the junior category is there to achieve much the same thing already as I has no age limit!)
At the time we made the decision we were unaware that players could individually elect not to go up from a CONGU 28 as rulefan has indicated above (not questioning him but is that documented anywhere yet?) - when asking about it we got no responses.

 

[rulefan]

(not questioning him but is that documented anywhere yet?)

Not yet, but authoritative advice.

 

[Old Skier]

The whole thing is confusing. Perhaps someone could clear it up before I go to Boringdon on 25 Jan.

After enstalling the software update I am sure it stated in the spiel that for those who have been allocated a new handicap between 28-36 in qualification comps if the score warrants it they will be cut .5 and not .4. Also how will the software distinguish between those players and disabled golfers who have been allowed higher handicaps for a number of years.

That indicates to me that there is a cat 5 level.

 

[rulefan]

No. Although the 'club' handicap sits where cat 5 would be, it is not an official CONGU category or handicap. These players's scores take no part in the CSS calculation but are adjusted by 0.5 or 0.1 in relation to the SSS not the CSS.
If they drop below 29 (ie into the official cat 4 bracket) they will get an official CONGU handicap.

 

[louise_a]

Now that cat 4 will now be included in CSS calculations, it would make sense to me that those who cannot play to 28 be allowed, if they want, to change to a club handicap.

 

[rulefan]

Now that cat 4 will now be included in CSS calculations, it would make sense to me that those who cannot play to 28 be allowed, if they want, to change to a club handicap.

I am told they will be able to. See post #2 para (1). The same will apply to ladies unable to play to 36.

 

[Old Skier]

No. Although the 'club' handicap sits where cat 5 would be, it is not an official CONGU category or handicap. These players's scores take no part in the CSS calculation but are adjusted by 0.5 or 0.1 in relation to the SSS not the CSS.
If they drop below 29 (ie into the official cat 4 bracket) they will get an official CONGU handicap.

Clearer, thanks but does this then also mean that disabled golfers who fall outside of the 28 handicap category are also considered not to have an official handicap although K 4.4 appears to suggest otherwise. I cannot work out how the software is able to distinguish between a disabled golfer with a higher handicap or a none disabled player with a handicap greater than 28 unless the software adjust all in this cat on SSS only.

 

[rulefan]

Clearer, thanks but does this then also mean that disabled golfers who fall outside of the 28 handicap category are also considered not to have an official handicap although K 4.4 appears to suggest otherwise. I cannot work out how the software is able to distinguish between a disabled golfer with a higher handicap or a none disabled player with a handicap greater than 28 unless the software adjust all in this cat on SSS only.

I have not seen or heard any mention of changing this. I can't see why they would.

 

[rulefan]

Further to my comment above, the 2016-2018 Draft Manual has not changed anything.
It would seem that Club Handicaps are to be treated the same as Junior and Disabled Handicaps. Appendices K & J.

 

[Old Skier]

I'm still unsure how the software will cope with, differentiate and allocate a "c" to a disabled person with a +28 handicap and not allocate a "c" to a +28 handicap issued at just club level.

 

[rosecott]

I'm still unsure how the software will cope with, differentiate and allocate a "c" to a disabled person with a +28 handicap and not allocate a "c" to a +28 handicap issued at just club level.

Disabled handicaps higher than 28 have a "d" allocated.

 

[rulefan]

Disabled handicaps higher than 28 have a "d" allocated.

What about Juniors?

 

[Old Skier]

Disabled handicaps higher than 28 have a "d" allocated.

Interesting, I have 2, where is the "d".

 

[rosecott]

What about Juniors?

Interesting, I have 2, where is the "d".

I am quoting from the Handicapmaster help system.

Juniors have the prefix "j" and registered disabled golfers "d" when their handicaps are higher than 28.