How Not To Run A Golf Club

I have blogged previously about how UK Handicaps work, and also about why it is important for a good number of competitions to take place. Unfortunately, my golf club know as much about golf administration as Tiger Woods does about fidelity. I know there is much more to running a golf club than just the administration of the competitions, but it’s a vital aspect, and there is a hint of what’s important in the phrase “GOLF club”. Last year I highlighted 10 issues where mistakes had been made in the administration of competitions, ranging from the wrong CSS being generated, to the wrong trophies being awarded. In fact, it was announced that I had won the club Order of Merit, even after I had proved with documentary evidence that I had indeed not won it. I reluctantly picked it up at the AGM, and made it known that I wasn’t comfortable about taking the credit for a competition that someone else should be taking the credit for.

So far this season there have been at least 3 mistakes, one of which cost me 0.1 on my handicap, and another 2 that cost me a win yesterday.

The most recent incident involved multiple errors.

The competition was meant to be a monthly medal, however because of a mistake in the club diary (one of numerous mistakes that weren’t corrected before the diaries went to the printers) it was played as a stableford. A medal competition favours lower handicap players, as every shot counts, as opposed to stablefords where disaster holes are rounded down to a net double bogey.

The other main error is a bit more complex, and involves part of the CONGU rules known as Clause 23 (Review of Handicaps). There is a player who has been playing well recently, and the person in charge of handicaps has arbitrarily decided to cut his handicap from 16 to 14, under the cover of Clause 23. Because they were playing off 14, they were in Division 1 of the competition and beat me into 2nd place. Had they been playing off their correct handicap of 16 they would have won Division 2 of the competition, and I would have won Division 1. I’m not overly bothered about winning the competition, but it would have qualified me for another competition later in the year.

Firstly, one person should not have dictatorial power over handicaps, Clause 6.3 of CONGU ‘requires a Club to have a Handicap Committee that comprises of at least 3 people the majority of whom shall be members’. This stops one person having absolute power and making mistakes like the one coming up……

Clause 23 is often incorrectly applied, it should only applied in exceptional circumstances, in line with guidance from the English Golf Union (EGU);

"In order to clarify the definition of Exceptional Circumstances the English Golf Union has identified that handicaps can only be adjusted under the following circumstances:

- Impaired golfing ability resulting from extended illness or injury. (1)

- The need to correct a handicap that was allocated at an inappropriate level. (2)

- The return of a series of good scores in Qualifying Competitions within a short timeframe by a hitherto infrequent competitor. (3)

- A number of, probably three or more, good playing performances in Non Qualifying competitions (Better Ball and Singles match play events) by a player who otherwise may not participate with any regularity in Qualifying Competitions. (4) 

The EGU have also announced that scores returned in Mixed Foursomes, Society and Corporate events and social golf must not be used in the adjustment of a CONGU handicap. (5)"

Looking at each point individually;

(1); Not applicable in this case

(2); Not applicable, handicap is active and several qualifying cards have been submitted

(3); Not an infrequent competitor, and recent qualifying competition results are mixed.

(4); Competes regularly in qualifying competitions, and even if he didn’t, there is no evidence of good playing performances in matchplay events

(5); The recent good scores are from social golf, they are not putted out rounds so cannot possibly be used for handicap review. Even if they were all putted out, they would still not qualify as they are not competitions sanctioned by a CONGU member club.

I really hope the player who was cut can continue to improve and reduce their handicap, but this ‘helping hand’ cut was completely against the CONGU rules, and is unfair on all of the other members.

There is a sting in this tale as well. When I mentioned during a conversation yesterday that players shouldn’t be arbitrarily cut against the CONGU rules, I was shouted at by the person who made the cut, in front of everyone present in the bar area, including the visiting team we had just played against. I was absolutely mortified, and it was quite embarrassing for everyone involved. I go to work to be shouted at for pointing out that things are being done incorrectly, I can do without it in my social life too. As a consequence, I don’t want to be considered for the first team any more. From now on, I’ll just play my golf and not get involved with any team or handicap matters and leave the club to either sort things out and administer within the CONGU rules, or continue with the current mess.

Longer term, everything mentioned in this post and the general inability to administer things correctly means that I’ll probably be changing my golf club in the next couple of years. I was speaking to another golf club today, I don’t want the world, but for £1,500 a year I expect the administration to be handled efficiently and correctly.