General Competition Rules 1. The Rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, St Andrew s shall apply, with the exception of Local Rules as printed on the score card or posted on the Club Notice Boards. 2. Standard Scratch Scores (SSSs) The club was re-rated to the USGA Course Rating System in September 2017 and the resulting SSSs are: Gender Tee SSS Effective Date Men White 72 (35pts) 22/11/2017 Yellow 71 (35pts) 22/11/2017 Ladies Red 74 (35pts) 22/11/2017 3. Handicaps: a. These will be administered in accordance with the CONGU Unified Handicapping System (UHS). b. Handicap Lists and Members individual playing histories are held on Master Scoreboard software. c. Alteration of Handicaps The majority of Members, particularly those who have returned a reasonable number of Qualifying Scores through the year, will probably have had appropriate handicap alterations applied by the system and do not require further adjustment. In addition, the Handicaps & Competitions Committee monitors players performance and, where considered appropriate allocates and adjusts Handicaps via Initial Handicap Award, General Play, Continuous review and the Annual review. The Handicap Appeals procedure is set out in Annex A. d. A CONGU Handicap is a handicap allotted and adjusted by the Home Club of a Member in accordance with the requirements of the UHS. The upper limits are 54.0 for both men and women. d. A Competition Handicap is a CONGU Handicap of a player who has returned at least three Qualifying Scores in the current or previous calendar year. Such a handicap is annotated with a c symbol after the numeric value of the handicap. e. It shall be the duty of every player to Report to their Home Club, as soon as practicable, all Qualifying Scores, including No Returns and Disqualified Scores, returned away from their Home Club advising the Home Club of the date of the Qualifying Competition, the venue, Standard Scratch Score and the Competition Scratch (CSS). f. If a player returns a Qualifying Score or Scores below their Playing Handicap at their Home Club or away and is unable to: (a) report an away score(s) to their Home Club or (b) ascertain whether or not their Playing Handicap has been reduced as a result of the score(s) he must, before playing in another competition at their Home Club or Page 1 of 5
away, for that competition make such reduction to their Playing Handicap as shall be appropriate under the UHS by applying the Competition Scratch Score, if known, otherwise the Standard Scratch Score, to calculate their Nett Differential and handicap reduction. Should a player not know their Exact Handicap, such reduction should be made from their Playing Handicap less 0.5, (e.g. If Playing Handicap is 16 then reduction should be from 15.5). Note: This applies to Handicap reductions only. Handicap increases may only be made by a player s Home Club after scores have been duly reported and published. g. Markers of all Competition and For Handicap cards must hold a Competition c status handicap. 4. Handicap Allowances (unless otherwise stated): a. Stroke Play: Singles - Full handicap allowance. 4 Ball Better Ball (4BBB) - 90% of handicap. Foursomes 50% of the combined handicaps. 3 Ball Team Event 75% of handicap. Greensomes - 60% of lower Handicap plus 40% of higher. 3 Ball Texas Scramble 20% of combined handicaps. 4 Ball Texas/FloridaScramble 10% of combined handicaps. b. Match Play: Singles - Full difference. 4 BBB - Back marker to concede strokes to the other 3 players based on 90% of the difference. Foursomes - Half of the difference in combined handicaps. c. Other Greensomes Stroke Play - Lower handicap x 0.6 plus higher handicap x 0.4 d. Mixed Events When a Qualifying competition is open to both men and women, a Competition Handicap Allowance is used to determine the Prize-winners. For the game to be fair the handicap allowances have to be adjusted to allow for the difference in SSS between the two courses. Medal the difference in SSS is added to the Ladies handicap. Stableford it is the relationship between the par and SSS that matters. Men and women use their own stroke indexes. Par (Bogey) as for Stableford competitions. For singles Match play and 4 Ball Better Ball (4BBB)events - Ladies add shots to their Handicap before any calculation of shots received. For Dartmoor Foursomes - Ladies add shots to their Handicap before any calculation of shots received. Respective SSSs / Pars / Stableford: Page 2 of 5
Ladies Red 74 / 73 / 35pts. Mens White 72 / 71 / 35pts & Yellow 71 / 70 / 35pts. Ladies Competition Handicap Allowances in Mixed format events. Competition Format Men playing off White tees Men playing off Yellow tees Medal +2 +3 Stableford No adjustment No adjustment Par (Bogey) No adjustment No adjustment Match Play - Singles +2 +3 4BBB +2 +3 Dartmoor Foursomes +2 Not applicable 5. Entry Fee. Competitors are deemed not to have entered a competition if they have not paid the competition entry fee. 6. Starting. In all competitions where starting times are allocated, competitive play starts at the first booked tee time. In Stroke play, players who arrive at their starting point, ready to play, within 5 minutes after their starting time are subject to a penalty of 2 strokes. Later than 5 minutes, the penalty is disqualification. For players who start early the penalty is 2 strokes, which is similar to the penalty for starting late within 5 minutes of the starting time. In Match play, if the player arrives at their starting point, ready to play, within 5 minutes after their starting time, the penalty for failure to start on time is loss of the first hole (and proceed to the 2 nd hole) in Match Play or 2 strokes at the first hole in Stroke Play. Later than 5 minutes, the penalty is disqualification. 7. Starting Point. The 1 st Hole is the only official starting point for official Club competitions unless otherwise stated. 8. Slow Play. Slow play may lead to 2 strokes or loss of hole penalty. Persistent slow play may lead to disqualification. Guidelines for pace of play are set out in the club s Pace of Play Policy. 9. Failure to comply with Competition Rules may lead to a suspension from competitions. 10. Constant or blatant failure to comply with the obligations and responsibilities imposed by the CONGU Unified Handicapping System may result in the suspension of players handicap. Page 3 of 5
11. The Handicaps and Competitions Committee reserves the right to make any decision, which in its opinion is both just and compatible with the competition and its decision is final. 12. Juniors with CONGU Competition Handicaps have equal rights to enter all Qualifying competitions. Page 4 of 5
Annex A CONGU Handicap Appeals Procedure A member who receives a handicap adjustment under Review of Handicaps (Clause 23) or has a Suspension / Loss of Handicap (Clause 24) under the CONGU Unified Handicapping System (UHS) may appeal against the decision under the following guidelines. Grounds for appeal: Unfair Sanction. Serious irregularity in process. Error of fact. Steps to a resolution: 1. Home Club discuss with player and try to resolve without formal appeal. 2. If not resolved informally, the player must appeal in writing, within 14 days of receipt of notification of the adjustment, to the club Handicapping Committee explaining their reasons for appealing against the decision. 3. If the Handicap Committee does not support the appeal, the player must make a Formal appeal in writing to County Union/ Area Authority. If the Handicap Committee do not support the appeal, they must send a copy of the player s playing history, including club match play competition results and performance in Non-Qualifying events at home and Away, a copy of any correspondence between the member and the club, and submit these together with the reasons for the adjustment to the County Union/Area Authority for further consideration. 4. The County Union/ Area Authority will deal with the appeal, under their discipline procedure, by considering all known facts and do one of the following: (a) Write to the club with their decision, plus a copy to the member. (b) If uncertain submit details of the appeal to England Golf. The County Union/Area Authority shall only overturn a decision made by the club handicapping committee if they consider that the actions of the club were not in accordance with the CONGU Unified Handicapping System or any directive imposed by England Golf. 5. Should a resolution not be achieved, the appeal can be directed to England Golf, whose decision shall be final. Page 5 of 5