Criteria for a 1st time handicap?

milltown

What is/are the criteria for cards submitted to get a 1st GUI handicap?

I joined Elm Green last week to get an official handicap and was told that to get my handicap I needed to submit 3 cards signed by myself and a GUI club member.

I joined with a friend who is also looking for an official handicap. We have played it twice and signed each other's cards (seeing as we are now members of a GUI club) and I played with my folks who are GUI members in Ballinascorney and got my mother to sign my card.

When I handed in my three cards today, admittedly not to the h/cap secretary, the guy told me they might not accept any of them as one was signed by a member of another club and two were signed by somebody without a GUI handicap. I mentioned this to my mate and he said he was told as long as they are a member of elm green the signature is good enough. When my brother joined Grange castle a few years ago my father signed all his cards and he had no problem.

Are there GUI guidelines for what constitutes an acceptable card for handicapping or is it up to each club?

My three cards were all 100+ but I'm not looking for 28 straight off. I accept that 18 - 24 will most likely be what's given but at least then I can spend the year submitting cards and either have a more realistic handicap or be playing to what I got by the end of the summer. Or is cheating that rife that they won't even give a conservative handicap based on the afforementioned cards?

osullsp

I joined Citywest last summer and was told the same thing as you - I had to hand in three cards signed by a Citywest member. Its difficult as I dont know anyone there. I arranged a game recently with a member who didnt turn up. Also beware of winter rules - I was told its lift clean and drop in the fairway and play as it lies in the rough. Good luck with getting the h'cap.

css

I have signed cards in the past for people who were from different clubs. But to be honest it depends on the Handicap sec. at the club more than anything. You can get some right a$$holes, who tend to be a bit pompous.. But you'll get that..

DIEGO WORST

IMO the 3 cards should be marked at the club that manages your GUI handicap, and all 3 cards should be signed by a GUI-handicapped member of that club. I think Boyle Golf Club got into serious trouble last year for not fully adhering to GUI guidelines.
Where I play, new members put their name down on the weekend timesheet. At the weekend, we usually play Singles Stableford competitions in 3-ball groups. The new member won't participate in the competition but will get one of the other two players in the group to mark his card.
Trouble is, in winter time we normally play 12 or 14 hole competitions, and I don't know if those 3 cards can be accepted under winter lift-clean-place rules.
I've heard of guys who have filled in cards by themselves and had a member sign them. Although I think the initial handicap allocation process is a bit of a farce, I'm not recommending this course of action.
I think u should have a chat with the handicap secretary or committee member at your club. Some club official will be sympathetic to you dilemma and will come up with a way for you to get your handicap.

J.R.HARTLEY

GUI wrote:

Having satisfied the requirements for membership of a Club, CONGU® requires that to get a handicap a player must submit cards from at least three rounds, marked by a person approved by the Club.

make sure to ask for the secretary and ask him why he deems your parents unacceptable to mark the card.
chances are he will allow them mark it.

rick_fantastic

chances are they will just land you with an 18 handicap no matter what score u put in. thats what happened to me and im playing to bout 12-13 consistently everyweek.

cos there is winter placing everywhere on the course handicaps dont get changed until the spring/summer season starts. so i cant get my handicap down for another few months

J.R.HARTLEY

in fairness the club has to assume that you are playing to 12-13 because of the advantage of the placing rule rick, if you do it consistently in the summer they'll rifle you first chance they can get.

TheDoc

Heres what happens

you msut play 3 rounds of golf, 18 holes, all ine one go, 3 seperate dates.

The cards must be signed by a member of the club you are in, and must be an existing member cannot be an older member.

Cards are allowed to be marked by family members.

The maximum handicapp you will be given as a male adult will be 18, most clubs will give you a 14 max before you even hand in your cards.

Then its up to you to just work your way down, or go back up.

The club are correct in refusing your cards because you state the cards where signed by someone not i nthe club and another new member.

milltown

Well they haven't actually refused them yet, just the guy I handed them to said they might not accept them. The h/cap sec. is on holidays at the moment so I'll have to wait and see.

If they are rejected then it all seems like pointless bureaucracy. I have seen plenty of people nursing handicaps over the years to avoid being cut, only playing in certain competitions etc. If I was to play my three rounds with the club captain and get him to sign my cards there is still nothing to say that I wasn't holding back my game to get a higher handicap.

Given that neither of us know any existing members in Elm Green as far as I can see our only options are:

1. Hang around the first tee like a pair of golf whores asking every two ball that comes our way if they are members and can we play.

2. Play in the Sunday competitions (off scratch I presume) once the summer rules are back in and comps are back to 18 holes.

I joined there because it's cheap to get in, even though you still pay every time you play €11 midweek is still cheap. Family life means I can't play at the weekend anyway so having to play three Sundays would be a right pain.

I don't suppose there's any Elm Green members here looking for a midweek partner or two?

DIEGO WORST

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

The maximum handicapp you will be given as a male adult will be 18, most clubs will give you a 14 max before you even hand in your cards.

I don't know what the story is in Elm Green, but there are certainly clubs that will give anything up to a 28 handicap to a male golfer.
I was previously a member of a club that under-no-circumstances would give a handicap above 18.
My current club gives out handicaps irresponsibly, anything up to 28.

Jimmy

firstly, they probably wont accept the card played in the other club (the one signed by your parents) as any cards submitted from a different club generally have to be also signed by a committee member from that club, to confirm standard scratch on the day in question, etc.

don't see why the 2 signed by your mate wont count tho'. I know he doesn't have a h'cap but he is a member of the club.

you really should wait to talk to the h'cap sec and see what he recommends. he'll appreciate you going to him and is more like to be helpful.

also clubs tend to give out h'caps in the 18-24 bracket to avoid bandits winning everything. If they give out higher handicaps to people who have played a bit, once they begin to improve they will win every competition in sight with rediculous scores that mid or low hanicappers can't compete with. don't worry if you get a h'cap of around 24, after a few games this will go up (and/or you'll improve!) and you'll soon find your level.
Good luck...

milltown

Jimmy wrote:

firstly, they probably wont accept the card played in the other club (the one signed by your parents) as any cards submitted from a different club generally have to be also signed by a committee member from that club, to confirm standard scratch on the day in question, etc.

All three cards were from Elm Green, just that one was signed by a member of a different club, Ballinascorney.

Jimmy

doh, sorry should really read these things properly!

J.R.HARTLEY

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

Heres what happens

you msut play 3 rounds of golf, 18 holes, all ine one go, 3 seperate dates.

correct

The cards must be signed by a member of the club you are in, and must be an existing member cannot be an older member.

correct-ish, it is preffered by gui that it be a home player, but the cllub can accept outsiders as long as they are GUI/CONGU members

Cards are allowed to be marked by family members.

correct

The maximum handicapp you will be given as a male adult will be 18, most clubs will give you a 14 max before you even hand in your cards.

incorrect

GUI Website wrote:

The maximum CONGU® handicap allowed under the System is an exact handicap of 36.0 for ladies and 28.0 for men.

Then its up to you to just work your way down, or go back up.

very correct

The club are correct in refusing your cards because you state the cards where signed by someone not i nthe club and another new member.

correct

GUI Website wrote:

To obtain a handicap a player is required to submit a number of cards over 18 holes at his Home Club (preferably over a Measured Course), in such a manner as his Home Club specifies, but not less than three. Each card must be signed by a responsible person acceptable to the Handicap Committee.

i have marked cards on 4 different courses for new handicaps and they have never been rejected, in the majority of clubs a GUI/CONGU handicapped player is acceptable, it sounds like someone throwing their weight around. but the official stance is the GUI would prefer it to be a home member it's up to your club to rule on that, however the GUI have no steadfast rule on it, it's the clubs discretion, just depends on whether your secretary is a nice guy or not.

sector7g

As far as I knew you could not hand in cards for handicap whilst winter rules are in place as you have the advantage of placing the ball.

In my club new members put their names on the notice board and members with handicaps will play with them.

I wouldn't accuse a handicap sec of throwing their weight around, they do a hell of alot of work with little thanks.