Supplementary Cards

[Tarkus1212]

Pardon my ignorance, but is that not what a supplementary is for?

My understanding of the supplementary card system was to allow those players who cannot play in comps or choose not to play in comps to keep their handicap (c).

I know of members at my club who play three supplementary rounds a year just to keep their handicap (c), they don't play in any club comps.

The member I referred to played 17 qualifying comps in the last 12 months and won two major trophies (senior section) he also played 12 supplementary cards, every single one of them gave him 0.1 back. Coincidental? Maybe. My point is he has no reason whatsoever to play supplementary rounds, he's playing enough qualifying comps a year to regulate his handicap fairly.

 

[duncan mackie]

In full agreement with you Duncan and I think the only true answer to that question is "All sorts" However, on supplementary cards I do feel, and I may be wrong, that most clubs/players should have no need for them. You only need to play in a few comps a year to remain (c) and if your handicap isn't right just play in more comps! I have a strong feeling with this one that the rules are a sledgehammer to crack a nut in terms of "solving" a problem that doesn't really exist at most clubs. I'm not condoning clubs not complying with the rules but as I said above, if there was a real need, wouldn't players be screaming to be allowed to do them? I think the fact that they aren't maybe speaks volumes.

We have had excellent use from them over the last couple of years. Juniors through the summer months organising their own mini comps by signing into the supplemental book being an example.

Interestingly their use by those wishing to go back up has been very minimal - in part this will reflect an extremely active AR process where a huge number of members are increased each year (the Handicap Sec puts in a huge amount of work over and above the basic reports that only consider those playing in 4 or more Q comps) - in many ways the revisions regarding ongoing assessment of poor performance within the system to mirror ESRs will deliver the sort of increase speeds that those submitting S cards for that purpose are aiming for. It's always a shame when anyone feels that their handicap is fundamentally wrong - but doubly so when the processes should be in place to enable them to make their point!

BTW - someone deliberately building a handicap through supplemental is usually extremely obvious and easily (brutally?) dealt with. In many ways it's much easier to spot when S cards are involved - stands out like a sore thumb.

I've also seen them used very effectively by concerned swindle groups - with those getting a reputation for avoiding Q events but cleaning up on the money being advised that they are welcome to join in but only if they sign in for an S card when competing.

All of this will pale into total insignificance when people will be be handicapped on every performance including their 'best estimates' of what they would have scored on holes they don't hole out on from 2020... (if the USGA matchplay recommendations are retained!)

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You pay a pound to hand in a supplementary? How odd.

Ours doesn't follow correct guidelines. You don't have to say you are doing one, just go out with a member and get it signed and if you decide after not to hand it in (because you're due a 0.1 or will be slashed 5 shots (if you are that way inclined)) there is nothing to stop you. Open to abuse basically.

If you don't have to register that you are going to put in a supplementary then yes - wrong and absolutely open to abuse.

 

[TheCaddie]

If you don't have to register that you are going to put in a supplementary then yes - wrong and absolutely open to abuse.

Do Supplementary cards count the same as if you entered a competition?

 

[KhalJimbo]

My understanding of the supplementary card system was to allow those players who cannot play in comps or choose not to play in comps to keep their handicap (c).

I know of members at my club who play three supplementary rounds a year just to keep their handicap (c), they don't play in any club comps.

The member I referred to played 17 qualifying comps in the last 12 months and won two major trophies (senior section) he also played 12 supplementary cards, every single one of them gave him 0.1 back. Coincidental? Maybe. My point is he has no reason whatsoever to play supplementary rounds, he's playing enough qualifying comps a year to regulate his handicap fairly.

I see what you mean, I took the "building a handicap" to mean reducing a handicap as well as increasing one depending on the card you put in.

A question re Supplementary Cards, if I sign declare one before I start playing and have an appalling round, do I still have to hand it in?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I see what you mean, I took the "building a handicap" to mean reducing a handicap as well as increasing one depending on the card you put in.

A question re Supplementary Cards, if I sign declare one before I start playing and have an appalling round, do I still have to hand it in?

Yes you still need to hand the card in

 

[nickjdavis]

I see what you mean, I took the "building a handicap" to mean reducing a handicap as well as increasing one depending on the card you put in.

A question re Supplementary Cards, if I sign declare one before I start playing and have an appalling round, do I still have to hand it in?

If you don't hand it in you will still get a 0.1 back for what is effectively a "no-returned" card.

 

[KhalJimbo]

Yes you still need to hand the card in

If you don't hand it in you will still get a 0.1 back for what is effectively a "no-returned" card.

Right, thanks.

I might need to look into playing supplementary cards then for my handicap, I struggle to do competitions since most of them are on Wednesdays (when I work) or on Sundays (when I'm at Church), I can do the odd one or two but really want to start playing competitive golf often to start dropping (hopefully) my handicap.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Do Supplementary cards count the same as if you entered a competition?

Exactly the same (as far as I am aware)

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Right, thanks.

I might need to look into playing supplementary cards then for my handicap, I struggle to do competitions since most of them are on Wednesdays (when I work) or on Sundays (when I'm at Church), I can do the odd one or two but really want to start playing competitive golf often to start dropping (hopefully) my handicap.

Supplementarys are there for those just as you.

 

[nickjdavis]

In the last three months there have been 61 supplementaries returned at my club.

No player has returned more than three supplementaries in that time and the vast majority of those who have returned more than 1 score are players who do not play in competitions (even though we have a very good amount of qualifying comps at weekends and during the week), they just want to keep their handicap as "c". A significant proportion of the remainder were entered by players who played in a Competition that was played off the white tees that was a non-qualifier but they wanted their scores to be considered for handciap so declared a supplementary up front.

Of those 61 rounds....4 have resulted in handicap cuts, 19 scores have been "in buffer" and the remaining 38 have resulted in 0.1 increases.

I see no abuse of the supplementary card system and feel that it is an invaluable tool to allow players to maintain a club handicap that allows them to play in Opens, or have a valid handicap certificate so they can play those courses that demand they produce one.

 

[TheCaddie]

Supplementarys are there for those just as you.

And me, I play with my partner, so that could work out nicely as I want to start logging it personally!

 

[moogie]

We don't do them. I know that's wrong but we offer a full competition calendar and this has never been raised by any of our members that they want to do supplementary cards......nor has the facility to do so been advertised by the committee. To be brutally honest, it would be seen as a licence to get 0.1 whenever you "needed" it in many quarters rather than a mechanism to get your handicap down or retain a competition handicap. Personally, I don't think they are representative of competition play and though no doubt very useful for a small proportion of players/clubs, I don't believe they add much to the average club running an average competition calendar.

My current club has the same attitude as above.
The feeling being with over 70 qualifiers per season
They see no need
There is a qualifier every Wednesday from April through to October, and comps every Saturday and Sunday.

I know this is wrong.......but that's the clubs attitude

 

[TheCaddie]

My current club has the same attitude as above.
The feeling being with over 70 qualifiers per season
They see no need
There is a qualifier every Wednesday from April through to October, and comps every Saturday and Sunday.

I know this is wrong.......but that's the clubs attitude

Not everyone wants to play "competitive golf", but they still want a handicap.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Not everyone wants to play "competitive golf", but they still want a handicap.

..and you can find yourself in the situation that I did a few years back. For a whole variety of reasons I wasn't able to play in enough qualifiers and had to put in a couple of supplementaries.

 

[TheCaddie]

..and you can find yourself in the situation that I did a few years back. For a whole variety of reasons I wasn't able to play in enough qualifiers and had to put in a couple of supplementaries.

Exactly. Club's need to accommodate for all of their members, and not just the perceived majority.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

For reasons, I've not managed to play enough comps to maintain my handicap this year, so I will have to put 3 cards in before the season starts in April to allow me to reactivate my handicap.

I think you'd have to be a fairly nefarious character to use supplementary cards to abuse the system.

 

[moogie]

Not everyone wants to play "competitive golf", but they still want a handicap.

Yes, I agree, I stated I knew it was wrong, but I don't make the rules at the club.

But just to play devils advocate here, what else do you need/use a handicap for, if you're not interested in competitive golf.....??
Just curious

 

[moogie]

..and you can find yourself in the situation that I did a few years back. For a whole variety of reasons I wasn't able to play in enough qualifiers and had to put in a couple of supplementaries.

In exceptional circumstances, eg...injury, they would take supp cards (3) to maintain your handicap

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Exactly. Club's need to accommodate for all of their members, and not just the perceived majority.

and so IMO every club must enable members to submit Supplementary cards.

And some courses/clubs require players to have a handicap and/or proof of handicap before they will let them play