SG forcing clubs to accept "Open Play" entrants in Opens

[rulefan]

How? Apart from this being thousands of "members", they literally don't know a single one, how does Jamie sitting in his plush Edinburgh office know anything about Erchie in Ullapool? The scores posted are just what they are, they cannot make any judgement on how legitimate that scoring sequence is.

Presumably they will trust the procedures at the clubs being played, as the clubs do for the members of those clubs. I'm not sure that all h'cap c'ees know all their members.

 

[Crazyface]

Trouble is, it's much harder to identify, "legitimate entrants," from the, "cheating scumbags," who know that their made up handicap is subject to less scrutiny than folk playing regular club competitions.

I understand why clubs are doing this, but cheat will cheat no matter what. Five club comps is easy to do and if things aren't going well you can fold on the back nine. Don't argue seen it many many times. Also, with new system, even if you do well in one over 18 holes it wouldn't now affect your HC anyway. One good score in 20 won't bring HC down. So all in all a bit pointless.
Sure I'm a bit annoyed, the wife does not play in comps but her HC is down from 36 to 26 just playing with me. And I make sure everything is done to the rules when putting a card in.

 

[Deleted member 30522]

Presumably they will trust the procedures at the clubs being played, as the clubs do for the members of those clubs. I'm not sure that all h'cap c'ees know all their members.

Clubs are not the handicap review body for away players. And no not all H'cap committees are great, or know all their members, certainly the bigger the club the less likely oversight will be decent, but then you see where that leads us.....?

 

[Deleted member 30522]

I understand why clubs are doing this, but cheat will cheat no matter what. Five club comps is easy to do and if things aren't going well you can fold on the back nine. Don't argue seen it many many times. Also, with new system, even if you do well in one over 18 holes it wouldn't now affect your HC anyway. One good score in 20 won't bring HC down. So all in all a bit pointless.
Sure I'm a bit annoyed, the wife does not play in comps but her HC is down from 36 to 26 just playing with me. And I make sure everything is done to the rules when putting a card in.

It will, just to a much lesser degree that UHS did

 

[Imurg]

It will, just to a much lesser degree that UHS did

1 round can make a decent difference
A guy I play with had an index of 10.8
Shot a legitimate level par round at an away course and got cut to 9
Went from getting 13 shots at home to 11.
2 shot swing in one round...

 

[Old Colner]

There is no sound basis for clubs excluding legitimate entrants from their opens just because they have chosen (for whatever reason) not to join a traditional golf club or society.

I have always been under the impression that part of a yearly subscription is affiliation fees paid to your local golf union and England Golf, this contribution is partly the reason that Open Competitions are at available at a lesser rate than green fees, also the same way as County Cards work.

 

[rulefan]

I have always been under the impression that part of a yearly subscription is affiliation fees paid to your local golf union and England Golf, this contribution is partly the reason that Open Competitions are at available at a lesser rate than green fees, also the same way as County Cards work.

These players pay an annual fee to EG (£44). Certainly more than club members (£9.50 plus £3.95 to my county))

 

[rulefan]

1 round can make a decent difference
A guy I play with had an index of 10.8
Shot a legitimate level par round at an away course and got cut to 9
Went from getting 13 shots at home to 11.
2 shot swing in one round...

Not really. 2 shot swing in 8 rounds (or arguably 20)

 

[Imurg]

Not really. 2 shot swing in 8 rounds (or arguably 20)

It's a 2 shot swing in 1 round.....
Just showing that a significant difference can be had in......you know what?
I cant be bothered......

 

[Deleted member 30522]

These players pay an annual fee to EG (£44). Certainly more than club members (£9.50 plus £3.95 to my county))

And £0 to local clubs. Their fee and the clubs annual affiliation fees are irrelevant, the handicap schemes in Eng & Sco do not contribute a penny to clubs.

 

[D-S]

These players pay an annual fee to EG (£44). Certainly more than club members (£9.50 plus £3.95 to my county))

No idea why they pay as much as that for a handicap which isn’t accepted at all clubs, no County card and, I assume, none of the insurance that EG gives members, when you can get this for £1 plus the EG £9.50 plus around £10 county fee).

 

[Captain_Black.]

I've just learned to accept all this nonsense now.
It isn't going to change & quite probably will get worse.
I now just play my own game to the best of my ability & try to score as best as I can to remain a single figure golfer.
What others do is up to them.
I don't bother playing in any home opens & if I play in an away open, I just go with the attitude of enjoying my day out at a different course & hope to play well.
I don't expect to get anywhere near the prizes, the best I can hope for is a 2 or a nearest the pin.

Our course has been shut since before Christmas, but opened yesterday, carry only, freezing cold, windy & boggy.
Yet despite all that, about 20 or so did a qualifier. Mad.
Most of them scored 20 odd points, yet come Spring those same players will be turning in 40 odd points due to their inflated handicap obtained in almost unplayable conditions.
Makes you just shake your head & think Why do it?

 

[wjemather]

I have always been under the impression that part of a yearly subscription is affiliation fees paid to your local golf union and England Golf, this contribution is partly the reason that Open Competitions are at available at a lesser rate than green fees, also the same way as County Cards work.

Nope; and not all opens are cheaper than green fees.

 

[wjemather]

And £0 to local clubs. Their fee and the clubs annual affiliation fees are irrelevant, the handicap schemes in Eng & Sco do not contribute a penny to clubs.

They contribute £££ to clubs every time they play; and they pay vastly more £ per round than a lot of club members, and often spend more than them in the clubhouse & pro shop before/after playing.

 

[wjemather]

I've just learned to accept all this nonsense now.
It isn't going to change & quite probably will get worse.
I now just play my own game to the best of my ability & try to score as best as I can to remain a single figure golfer.
What others do is up to them.
I don't bother playing in any home opens & if I play in an away open, I just go with the attitude of enjoying my day out at a different course & hope to play well.
I don't expect to get anywhere near the prizes, the best I can hope for is a 2 or a nearest the pin.

Why would any of these things have changed?
Playing your own game, trying your best (but not too hard), enjoying the day out, hoping to play well, not expecting to win, hoping for a 2 - the only healthy approach to any handicap golf; always has been.

 

[Captain_Black.]

Why would any of these things have changed?
Playing your own game, trying your best (but not too hard), enjoying the day out, hoping to play well, not expecting to win, hoping for a 2 - the only healthy approach to any handicap golf; always has been.

Things have drastically changed in the last few years.
The unnecessary upping of the H/C allowance (personally I would have lowered it) under the guise of supposed inclusivity.
The introduction of WHS (don't get me started on that)
The having a handicap but not being a member of a club.
All the above have vastly contributed to the demise of the "integrity of the game"
To the point that we are now at, whereby nothing can be taken at face value & the competition side of the game has been forever ruined.
I now just primarily play for leisure.

 

[D-S]

Things have drastically changed in the last few years.
The unnecessary upping of the H/C allowance (personally I would have lowered it) under the guise of supposed inclusivity.
The introduction of WHS (don't get me started on that)
The having a handicap but not being a member of a club.
All the above have vastly contributed to the demise of the "integrity of the game"
To the point that we are now at, whereby nothing can be taken at face value & the competition side of the game has been forever ruined.
I now just primarily play for leisure.

Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all these points, my concern that due to the oversight needed by committees and the responsibility and duties required of them, we are in danger of having a two tier system - handicaps at diligent clubs and the far more manipulable (not a word) ones at others. Also that the direction of travel is towards a landscape described in this post - something I have witnessed in the US where handicaps mean a very different thing to those in our golf culture.

 

[wjemather]

Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily agree with all these points, my concern that due to the oversight needed by committees and the responsibility and duties required of them, we are in danger of having a two tier system - handicaps at diligent clubs and the far more susceptible to abuse? manipulable (not a word) ones at others. Also that the direction of travel is towards a landscape described in this post - something I have witnessed in the US where handicaps mean a very different thing to those in our golf culture.

This is no different from how it has always been.

 

[IanM]

This is no different from how it has always been.

Well, now you've got additional ways of submitting iffy cards!

 

[wjemather]

Things have drastically changed in the last few years.
The unnecessary upping of the H/C allowance (personally I would have lowered it) under the guise of supposed inclusivity.
The introduction of WHS (don't get me started on that)
The having a handicap but not being a member of a club.
All the above have vastly contributed to the demise of the "integrity of the game"
To the point that we are now at, whereby nothing can be taken at face value & the competition side of the game has been forever ruined.
I now just primarily play for leisure.

Competition committees are free to set their own handicap limits. The increase in the maximum handicap was absolutely necessary for inclusivity; and particularly at each end of the age spectrum.
WHS enabled golfer of lesser abilities to compete fairly; that isn't a bad thing.
Club membership is not a gold standard for handicapping or golfing integrity.

As you are (I presume) a recreational golfer who doesn't play for a living, I'd suggest you have always primarily played for leisure.