• We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas from all at Golf Monthly. Thank you for sharing your 2025 with us!

The Irish Trial

D

D-S

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2020
Messages
5,310
Location
Bristol
Visit site
Indications are that EG (and therefore in all likelihood SG and WG) will adopt the new menu of allowances used in the trial run by Golf Ireland this year.

This is in direct contradiction to their stance earlier when they said they wouldn’t be doing any such thing.

Worryingly, when challenged on the issue and speed of implementation (April 2026?), there seems to have been little work done with the ISVs thus far.

For those who think this is a good idea, my advice would be to be careful what you wish for.
 
D-S said:
There will be a menu of different allowances for each format. I can’t recall the exact boundaries but for example for 4BB a committee could choose 75%, 80, 85 or 90% etc.
Click to expand...
Crikey, some of our group are still struggling to understand 4bbb allowances - if they change I can see a few heads imploding! 🤯
 
D-S said:
Indications are that EG (and therefore in all likelihood SG and WG) will adopt the new menu of allowances used in the trial run by Golf Ireland this year.

This is in direct contradiction to their stance earlier when they said they wouldn’t be doing any such thing.

Worryingly, when challenged on the issue and speed of implementation (April 2026?), there seems to have been little work done with the ISVs thus far.

For those who think this is a good idea, my advice would be to be careful what you wish for.
Click to expand...
You must have heard/read something different to me because adoption across GB in 2026 is in line with all previous indications.

There is no work to be done with the ISVs - it's a simple (hidden) admin option that already exists, which the ISVs enable/disable by jurisdiction.

Yes, repeating what I said previously, better guidance is needed for competition organisers than was issued by GI.
 
Last edited:
IanM said:
Let's make it more complicated 🤪

Although, in practice once a competition advertises its terms, that's that!

Although, does the "menu approach" suggest a lack of confidence in the allowances?
Click to expand...
No, it's simply affording committees the flexibility detailed in the Rules of Handicapping to deal with very large fields, fields that have disproportionate numbers of low/high handicappers, etc., where the recommended allowances are less equitable than they could be.
 
Neilds said:
As I hadn't heard of this before I have done a bit of reading and it turns out that 60% of clubs made no changes to the handicap allowances. Does this mean it it a trial that shouldn't be taken forward?

https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/whs/ireland-golf-playing-handicap-feedback-results/
Click to expand...
It could be taken as evidence that committees will not modify allowances unless they are confident that they know what they are doing and deem it necessary - which is what the authorities want.
 
This is just EG saying "we've got millions of rounds of data, we've done the calculations, we know what the fairest allowances are but, if you think you know better, crack on".
It's not an admission that the current mandated allowances are wrong, just that some clubs don't like them. At the end of the day, committees answer to their members so it's good that they have the option to make changes if some members are complaining.
 
clubchamp98 said:
So they will let clubs set allowances but won’t let them say when their own course needs Preffered Lies!
You couldn’t make it up.
Click to expand...
Too many clubs proved themselves incapable of following the guidance on when PL may be used, so it was reverted to requiring county advice/approval outside the defined period. Clubs remain free to say when PL is needed within that period.

Similarly, if counties get inundated with complaints about committees going rogue and applying inequitable/unfair allowances, expect the option to adjust them to be taken away.
 
How simply horrific, fancy private clubs being allowed to adjust a handicapping system when the authorities know best.
(And are keeping all data to themselves and results of feedback because the common golfer who funds it all can't be trusted)
 
Backache said:
How simply horrific, fancy private clubs being allowed to adjust a handicapping system when the authorities know best.
(And are keeping all data to themselves and results of feedback because the common golfer who funds it all can't be trusted)
Click to expand...

Can’t all clubs adjust it 🤷‍♂️ or should I say is that not what the trial is ?
 
wjemather said:
You must have heard/read something different to me because adoption across GB in 2026 is in line with all previous indications.

There is no work to be done with the ISVs - it's a simple (hidden) admin option that already exists, which the ISVs enable/disable by jurisdiction.

Yes, repeating what I said previously, better guidance is needed for competition organisers than was issued by GI.
Click to expand...
It was a firm view that they would not be adopting it given in one of the EG County update meetings, maybe the B&B one, I believe towards the end of last year. The surprise and disappointment in the meeting when they announced this as well as the critical questions also shows that it a lot of the people who administer this also believed it not to be a done deal

The ISVs need for example to at least change the 42 point 4BB triggers and EG themselves said that there was work to do with them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top