Suspension of membership - handicap question

[Colin L]

You can only hold a handicap as a member of a club: your handicap ended with your membership. So no CONGU handicap certificate either.

 

[sev112]

That's what I thought, but everyone keeps telling me it's 3,4,6,12 months etc.
Do I get to join somewhere else at a bandit handicap?

 

[DCB]

Do I get to join somewhere else at a bandit handicap?

No, since you have previously held a handicap you are meant to tell them what it was and when it ended. A lot easier to trace with CDH as your CDH number should last you a lifetime

 

[Colin L]

That's what I thought, but everyone keeps telling me it's 3,4,6,12 months etc.
Do I get to join somewhere else at a bandit handicap?

If you join another club within 6 months your handicap must be restored at its present level. If it is more than 6 months you must submit 3 cards for a new handicap but the club will take your present handicap into consideration - so perhaps no banditry!

 

[duncan mackie]

At our Club there is the facility to pay monthly by standing order. Someone ha s injured the self and wanted to suspend membership. The Club has stated that he has entered into a contract and is liable for the 7 months payments although I am unsure how they can enforce it other than through the small claims court.

Someone else has said that if he has outstanding monies due to our Club his handicap could be suspended and he would not be able to join another Club with monies outstanding.

you have had a lot of replies, and a little off topic discussion, but my understanding of the situation is as follows -

1. the enforcement of the balance of payments will depend on the contracts entered into. it may be that he has entered into a loan agreement with a third party (Premium Credit being common) in which case such a financial issue rests with them. alternatively he may have a contract with the club, the terms of that contract covering enforcement. he needs to look at what he's signed, after which he will understand whether he's asking or telling whom what.

2. I disagree with my understanding of Colin's initial assesment of the ability of a club to suspend a handicap in the manner imlied. The handicap is suspended on leaving, and non payment will involve leaving, but there's noting beyond that handicap wise that can carry over to another clubs ability to take you on as a member and allocate/restore your handicap. CONGU doesn't require handicap committees to undertake financal, or other, background checks on members! Later posts seem to be more in line so I might have misinterpreted his initial comment.

Now the comment side -

Increasingly clubs will go out of their way to help members, especially long term members, under a range of circumstances. Most common is to temporarily suspend membership and associated payments - not least because this should be best long term for all parties. However, if a third party is involved this may not be possible as far as the payments are concerned, but in such situations I have heard of clubs suspending playing rights over the period so that the player pays now but plays later ie he gets all the golf he's payed for eventually. Overall this stance maintains parity with those members paying a lump sum and being able to suspend playing for serious injury (which many do). Such an approach also provides clubs (and their membership) some cover against people deciding they aren't using their membership enough and 'pulling a sickie'.
On the handicap bit - this isn't a handicap issue!
Hope this helps.