Help please regarding new handicap system

Depends if the club accept 6 scores from 2023 + 4 new scores from 2024 to make up the 10.

Otherwise you're short of the 10 required rounds for 2023.

Regardless of this you can enter general play rounds on your record now BUT only if they are played in counting conditions.

Eg my local parkland has placing everywhere and winter tees. So the course is not in counting condition so I cant enter a general play round.

If you go play a links course it would be much more likely to be in counting. Still worth checking with the course ahead of time. It's possible they have the the course turned off on the system so you can't enter a score.

Basically any links in the area should work, problem might be getting out on them

If you can stretch your legs down a little further south, the like of Arklow are running opens that are qualifying conditions midweek

I thought there was some rule against submitting 2 qualifying scores on the same day?

Could be misremembering but I'm nearly sure I read something like that before.

Nope, if done it a few times. App allows it

Now is the time to get that in though if you're planning to work the system, as once the changes come in, it holds a 9 hole score until it has a second 9 to match it to, as far as I know

A few clarifications required here I think.

1. You must submit 54 holes to get a handicap, can be 6×9s, 3x18s or any combination thereof.

2. System will accept scores from any course but handicap secretary may not or there may be a local rule mandating that they must all be on the course you're a member of.

3. You are likely going to be required to submit physical cards signed by a GUI member and fill in an application form too.

Best to check first with your Handicap Committee what is required.

Try woodbrook in bray. Beautiful course and no winter rules in late Nov when I was there.

WHS available for casual golf by visitors

Do Carton House still have qualifying competitions every Friday?

no it's not going to happen like that

it will just add an expected score for the other 9, but the calculation will change

at least im pretty sure that is what I read last week.... now that I'm on the inside 😎

Have out lot ever been proactive.

Never.

At the moment when you have a 9 hole counting round it adds an expected score (17 points I think) to your round.

In the US, your 9 hole round does not count until you have another one, then the two are added together.

Newbie question - I’ve only submitted my cards last summer to get my initial handicap. Played casual golf that summer and only realised that you get out of counting rounds territory when the weather changes. So have no counting rounds since and want to improve that this season.

When you want to submit a round as a counting round that is also doubling as a stableford competition, can you scratch a hole or do you need to score strokeplay for every hole?

Brilliant thanks for that.

I was talking more about any competition - I incorrectly thought that you would have to finish out a hole even if you weren’t going to score in stableford, which would be very annoying for playing partners and as a result I wouldn’t have done it. The upcoming Boards society prompted the question though.

For the Boards outing, we'll be asking that everyone log their rounds as general play on the GI app.

So you'll be able to just play the round as a stableford round. Then use your card afterwards to fill in the score in the app. One of your playing partners will be able to attest the round for you

Starting to play golf again after 7 or 8 years not a member. I've just read a general email from the Club and they're saying I need 20 cards for a "fully developed handicap", without which I'm not entitles to play in club matchplay competitions, or win club competitions. And cards are only acceptable when winter rules lift. It could be 3 years or more before I get 20 rounds of 18 holes. Seems bananas.

My main takeaway here is to put in as many general play scores as possible when the season opens. Get out for 9 a couple of times a week where possible.

Our club has something like this in place too. I believe it's for majors (all prizes) and first prizes in normal comps. Didn't see anything about matchplay comps though. I think it's at least 20 scores and at least 5 must be competitions. No-one can get counting scores in winter golf on most courses. So it's very hard on new players or those who haven't played much.

The reason why these limitations have been brought in is understandable. Most regular competition players can't get a huge score as their ability and handicap are in a well-established sync. New players and those with a small number of cards will have a handicap that's in constant flux vs their ability. So it's easy for a huge score or two to appear.

Previously handicap secretaries would have put someone on a low handicap like 18 for a new player. It would take them time to learn before the index creeps up and ability improves so they are in sync. The current system means that same player could get a 36 handicap and have obvious potential to improve very fast in 3 months. Very likely that they will shoot a score well under their index and blow away the field in a competition as they start to reach their potential.

I suppose the committees are trying to look at it in two ways:

1. The long term members and regular comp entrants have a reasonable chance to win a comp each week without a cricket score.
2. New members are encouraged to develop their game and handicap to be closer to their potential.

There are some lower/mid index players in my club who believe they have a divine right to win prizes in comps. New players, myself, regulars etc - none of us have the right to win a prize. No matter when WHS requirements or competition rules are in place, we'll never all be satisfied. WHS isn't perfect and is changing every year. It's hard to know what is the fairest way of dealing with this tbh as you'll always make it hard for some groups.

Agree with how difficult it is to protect the field from newly handicapped bandits. In the old days they'd give you a severe reduction against your scores from 3 cards and let you work your way back up. In my club anyway. I'd even be happy to play off 8 or 9, which is where I was when I gave up. I'd be miles off that now, but at least I'd be "competing" and would get to my right handicap sooner than 20 x 18 holes.

I don't think it's fair to say newly handicapped bandits. Most new players haven't a notion about how handicaps work, they'd struggle to determine their stableford points correctly never mind trying to be a bandit. New players just want to play golf, have fun and get better. They're not thinking about how to sneakily pad their record to gain strokes.

The actual bandits have a huge number of scores on their record. They strategically pull the handbrake at the end of the majors and then as soon as the season opens. So they're always optimising to gain shots back for majors. The only thing you can do is to spread out majors at the beginning, middle and end of the season so they can't pad their record for half of the year.

Following your other post the system will now also process any number of holes between 9-18 to get a score differential. 10, 12,15 etc doesn't matter the system will give you a score and add it to the record. So more comps that are 12/15 holes will be included. Anything that puts more scores on people's records should in general be a positive as it's a better reflection of your current form and ability.

You could get a full handicap record in 6 weeks but if you have a significant other it might be a problem 😁. Midweek play 2x 9 holes general play and a comp at the weekend. That fulfills your requirements surely. 6x comps on that record must be enough. You just need to make sure someone can approve your rounds on the GI app for the 9 holes.

someone else might post Android app link