Non club member handicap

[Adrena1in]

This has only just occurred to me...

I'm no longer a member of any clubs, so what happens to my handicap? Is it set in stone now? If it is open to adjustment, then how?

 

[RGDave]

Do it yourself. I wish I could do mine!

I'd still be off 12, but at least I'd have gone up and down a few more times than I have in real life.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you are no longer a member it will probably become inactive until you rejoin a club. Chances are you'll be asked to put 3 up to date cards in. Where are you based out of interest and are you looking to rejoin somewhere or are you going on the nomad trail for a while

 

[viscount17]

CONGU handicap will become inactive as soon as 12 months has passed without 3 cards being returned.

I think there are still online sites where you can 'maintain' your handicap (my mate used to send every card) but they aren't recognized if a course requires a handicap or for an open.

but then there have been one or two who seem to think it perfectly reasonable to fake up a handicap for the former purpose, less so for the latter.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

That's a good question. You can't have a CONGU handicap unless you are a member of an affiliated club so it can't be updated. Your old club will still have records of it but in a years time if you don't join somewhere else it becomes inactive and you'd have to submit 3 cards to reactivate it.

 

[Adrena1in]

I'm based in the South, Homer, near Winchester. At the moment I've no intention of joining another club, and I've only been a 'nomad' for a couple of months. Chances are that's how I'll stay to be honest. I do enjoy the odd game with mates, and the Royal Ascot day was great, but I got very little enjoyment from being in a club and playing club matches and stuff. (Maybe I was just a member of the wrong club, but I can't really justify the expense of joining somewhere decent.)

I think for now I'll stay as a nomad and see how it goes. I just wasn't sure if it would be acceptable to maintain my h/c myself. If it is then I'm now off 17 (16.6) if I take into account my two rounds with Midnight and Haplesshacker last week, (both nearly 100!), and my 89 at Royal Ascot yesterday.

 

[DCB]

Your "official" handicap ceases to be valid when you leave your club.

If you joined a new club in the future, you would start again with the three cards for handicap.
Different if you transfer a live handicap from one club to another, ie home club to away club which inturn becomes home club.

 

[Adrena1in]

Your "official" handicap ceases to be valid when you leave your club.

So for games with mates and forum events, I can adjust it myself? I need to play off *something*.

 

[RGDave]

Your "official" handicap ceases to be valid when you leave your club.

So for games with mates and forum events, I can adjust it myself? I need to play off *something*.

I don't see why not. OK, so it's not official, but if you are playing with mates/societies/forum it's surely better to have an accurate d.i.y. h'cap than none at all.

I lapsed my h'cap in 1999 and adjusted it myself for 7 years, if not more. I just did it off the SSS for the tee I used that day.

 

[Smiffy]

So for games with mates and forum events, I can adjust it myself? I need to play off *something*.

I left Crowborough Beacon in 2000 with an official handicap of 11. Didn't play for 3 years and then started playing again with a group of friends, Society days etc. They agreed to let me play off 12 which I continued to play off up until joining Highwoods last year when it was made "official" with scorecards to support it.
During the 6 or 7 years without an official handicap I didn't alter it from 12 despite playing some crap golf that would have seen me going out .1 on many occasions. Pride, or ego if you like.

 

[RGDave]

I left Crowborough Beacon in 2000 with an official handicap of 11. Didn't play for 3 years and then started playing again with a group of friends, Society days etc. They agreed to let me play off 12 which I continued to play off up until joining Highwoods last year when it was made "official" with scorecards to support it.
During the 6 or 7 years without an official handicap I didn't alter it from 12 despite playing some crap golf that would have seen me going out .1 on many occasions. Pride, or ego if you like.

If someone feels they want to do it this way, that's fine too.

Personally, I had no problem with going up to 14 and when mine lapsed I was off about 10. 4 shots extra wouldn't have ever been enough for me to beat the bandits I came across during my wilderness years. I'd meet people who played off 8 as a kid/teenager and then "made up" 16 or 18 or even 20 for social games. At least I could honestly defend 14 and be in with a chance of winning a tube of balls.

 

[Adrena1in]

Pride, or ego if you like.

I think I'm probably the same. I know I'm capable of shooting better than 16 over, (had I not lost a ball on the second at Royal Ascot I would've been 17 over), so I'll just leave it as it is for now.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm guessing that was a tee shot right at the 2nd then

 

[Adrena1in]

I'm guessing that was a tee shot right at the 2nd then

No, actually my tee shot on the 2nd was my only straight drive of the day, to a great position on the turn of the dogleg. My second shot, which I hit great, I pushed a bit and it just made it into the trees.