Lapsed Memberships & GUI Cards,

Unglika Norse

I don't know if this has been mentioned in the past but I came across 2 anecdotal instances in the last week of persons who had not renewed their memberships of clubs, but had used their GUI cards in open competitions.

I am sure none of the esteemed patrons of this site would do such a thing but has anyone else heard of such like.

DuckSlice

I thought if you weren't a member of a club for 6 months you were wiped off the system?

Almaviva

Have come across it directly. And them being allowed to play.

Your handicap is invalid as soon as you are no longer a member of a club. No 6 months.

Also, 'wiping' sounds a bit automated.
Your GUI card is only deactivated if someone in the club you have left actually does something to remove you. Many clubs are lax or slow to do so. Some dont do it at all, hoping the member will eventually come up with a few quid. Closing the player out does not increase that probability, hence the reluctance. The push to remove only comes when GUI subs are due and are paid according to the number of members on the books at that time....

mike12

I remember a discussion on here a couple of years ago and people thought it was fine to play in open days and not be a member of a club or have a handicap.
Mike

Almaviva

Fine for those getting away with playing with a handicap that they don't really have. Not fine according to the rules.

Unglika Norse

Almaviva wrote: »

Have come across it directly. And them being allowed to play.

Your handicap is invalid as soon as you are no longer a member of a club. No 6 months.

Also, 'wiping' sounds a bit automated.
Your GUI card is only deactivated if someone in the club you have left actually does something to remove you. Many clubs are lax or slow to do so. Some dont do it at all, hoping the member will eventually come up with a few quid. Closing the player out does not increase that probability, hence the reluctance. The push to remove only comes when GUI subs are due and are paid according to the number of members on the books at that time....

Actually it dosn't seem to matter if the person has been deleted from GOLFNET. The card will still swipe as valid or in some cases the number is given, and the host club only knows about it when they update to the GOLFNET server and get the error message.

brick tamland

I know someone who left club 3 years ago and still plays in the odd open. Still swipes card and it works. Plays in the open but doesn’t hand in a card at then end. They are always mid-week opens so in fairness I don’t the the clubs care to much anyway. They are happy enough to get the €15/€20

The only issue I see really if he was to sign/mark a card for someone in the prizes however I think that he avoids that by playing in 3/4 balls and doesn’t mark a card

Does a GUI card keep swiping? I always just thought it was an error with his card

Dtoffee

Many years ago, someone I know was in disagreement with his club and let him membership lapse. However, he maintained his handicap was good for a year and 'claimed' that he paid his GUI registration in order to do so.

I questioned this, but he was adamant and played many opens that year without any bother before joining another club the following year. Seems to be fairly common to keep playing without a club membership. Its just a pity its not policed better, because more and more will do it and it becomes a bigger issue when prizes are involved.

slave1

brick tamland wrote: »

I know someone who left club 3 years ago and still plays in the odd open. Still swipes card and it works. Plays in the open but doesn’t hand in a card at then end. They are always mid-week opens so in fairness I don’t the the clubs care to much anyway. They are happy enough to get the €15/€20

The only issue I see really if he was to sign/mark a card for someone in the prizes however I think that he avoids that by playing in 3/4 balls and doesn’t mark a card

Does a GUI card keep swiping? I always just thought it was an error with his card

When I came back playing the game in 2011 I played in a lot of opens for nearly 6 months without a GUI card or official handicap, not one course refused me a round, they just said I could not win a prize or mark a card.

Dr_Colossus

slave1 wrote: »

When I came back playing the game in 2011 I played in a lot of opens for nearly 6 months without a GUI card or official handicap, not one course refused me a round, they just said I could not win a prize or mark a card.

Between this thread and the "No Show Today" what if any are the requirements to be able mark a card? Do you have to be a fellow competitor with a valid GUI or equivalent handicap or can anyone who verifies your score count? The signature if effectively just confirming your score is honest and accurate so not sure of the requirement for that signatory to have a GUI handicap.

I presume clubs check all winning scores and that the player is a valid club member with a legitimate handicap before sending back their card and presenting the prize but I can't envisage them checking the marker. Besides the majority of signatures are ineligible so would be very hard to identify the marker initially and then obtain their club/handicap details if they exist.

It's an interesting one and although I personally wouldn't have any issue with a player with an expired GUI handicap from playing an open competition provided the timesheet is not full and they're taking the place of a player with a chance of a prize and featuring in the calculation of the CSS I would be greatly aggrieved if it transpired that I was disqualified from not having a valid marker/signature for my card.

Almaviva

brick tamland wrote: »

The only issue I see really if he was to sign/mark a card for someone in the prizes however I think that he avoids that by playing in 3/4 balls and doesn’t mark a card

Thats not a problem anyway even if he did sign. You dont need to have a handicap for for your signature to be correct on a card you marked. Anyone can mark and sign. (and why do you distinguish between someone in the prizes or not anyway?).

brick tamland

Almaviva wrote: »

Thats not a problem anyway even if he did sign. You dont need to have a handicap for for your signature to be correct on a card you marked. Anyone can mark and sign. (and why do you distinguish between someone in the prizes or not anyway?).

Yeah shouldnt have done that, sorry

slave1

Re: marking a card, I always understood it to be a golfer "of standing", and the requirement is GUI membership, for my handicap cards I needed members of the course I joined from memory.
I'm not saying this is my view, just my understanding...

The Premier Man

i presume in something like a 4 person team event everyones handicap and membership will be checked if there in the prizes?

Unglika Norse

slave1 wrote: »

When I came back playing the game in 2011 I played in a lot of opens for nearly 6 months without a GUI card or official handicap, not one course refused me a round, they just said I could not win a prize or mark a card.

That's fine you made your position clear to the organising committee, but for somone to use a card that they are not entitled to use, whether or not they get a prize, that to me is no different than kicking the ball out from under a bush, writing down down a wrong score or any other form of cheating you would like to mention.

If that carry on is widespread there is little or no point in paying a membership to a club.

The GUI need to sort this out with the clubs.

Clubs have enough headaches at the moment without this sort of practise.

Almaviva

Unglika Norse wrote: »

The GUI need to sort this out with the clubs.

Clubs have enough headaches at the moment without this sort of practise.

Agree the GUI needs to sort this out. Clubs dont really care and are complicit - they want ever cent they can get and so it suts not to do too much asking or checking.