CONGU

1 CONGU Manual COVER:Layout 1 18/01/2016 15:46 Page 1. CONGU . UNIFIED HANDICAPPING SYSTEM 2016 -2018. CONGU . The Council of national Golf Unions @ Copyright 2016. Council of national Golf Unions Ltd CONGU . All Rights Reserved. The Council of national Golf Unions Not to be reproduced by any means whatsoever without prior permission CONGU . Unified Handicapping System 2016 2018. Effective 1 January 2016. (supersedes all previous versions). Copyright 2016. Council of national Golf Unions Limited All rights reserved Cover photograph - Royal Portrush Golf Club C O N G U U N I F I E D H A N D I C A P P I N G S Y S T E M. The Composition of the Council of national Golf Unions Limited ( CONGU ').

2 CONGU is a company limited by guarantee. Its membership is comprised of two representatives from each of England Golf, Golf Union of Wales Ltd and Scottish Golf Ltd, and one representative from each of Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies' Golf Union Ltd, together with a representative from both the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the Ladies' Golf Union Championships Ltd and an elected Chairman. Board Members (2016): Chairman: Jim McArthur (replaced Richard Muckhart June 2015). England Golf: Claire Dowling Richard Flint Golf Union of Wales Ltd: Val Franklin Trefor Davies Golfing Union of Ireland: Jim Mooney Irish Ladies' Golf Union Ltd: Roma English Scottish Golf Ltd (formally Scottish Kevin Weir Golf Union Ltd and Scottish Ladies' June McEwan Golfing Association Ltd): R&A: Bob Carrick LGU Championships Ltd: Jane Powell Technical Committee: Kevin Weir (Chair); Trefor Davies; Jean Jones; Nora Murphy; Jerome Clancy; Lynne Terry; Gemma Hunter; Ernie Stene; Peter Austerberry (co-opted); Bill Mitchell (co-opted); Melvyn Goddard (Secretary).

3 UHS Manual Revision Committee: Bob Carrick (Chair);Jerome Clancy; Lynne Terry; Jean Jones; Margaret Berriman; Bill Mitchell;. Melvyn Goddard (Secretary). Handicap Research Committee: Val Franklin (Chair); Peter Austerberry; Liz Gaertner; Bill Mitchell; Rona Walker; Ernie Stene; Jerome Clancy; Melvyn Goddard (Secretary). Secretary: Melvyn Goddard e-mail: Website: Correspondence: Please refer to above website for address. Overseas Affiliates: Kenya Golf Union, Ivory Coast Golf Federation, The Fajara Club - Gambia, Malta Golf Association, North Cyprus, Tanzania and Zambia (Ladies), British and Commonwealth Women's Club of Brussels, Uganda Golf Union, Mauritius Golf Federation, Bahrain Golf Association, Sudan Golf Association, Saudi Arabian Golf Federation, Ghana Golf Association, Egypt Golf Federation, Qatar Golf Association.

4 2. C O N G U U N I F I E D H A N D I C A P P I N G S Y S T E M. CONTENTS. Page Foreword 5. How to Use the Manual 6. Principal Changes 7. PART ONE INTRODUCTION. 1 Purpose: Operation 10. 2 Definitions 11. PART TWO RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 3 Rights and Responsibilities of the Council of national Golf Unions 17. 4 Rights and Responsibilities of the Union 18. 5 Rights and Responsibilities of the Area Authority 20. 6 Responsibilities of the Affiliated Club 20. 7 Responsibilities of the Handicap Committee 22. 8 Responsibilities of the Player 23. PART THREE THE GOLF COURSE / STANDARD SCRATCH SCORE / COURSE RATING. 9 Standard Scratch Score 28. 10 Establishing Par 29. 11 Course Measurement 29.

5 12 New Courses and Alterations to Existing Courses 30. 13 Permitted Adjustments to a Measured Course 30. 14 Tees 31. 15 Preferred Lies 31. PART FOUR HANDICAPPING. 16 Allotment of Handicaps 34. 17 Qualifying Scores / Qualifying Competitions 36. 18 Competition Scratch Score 39. 19 Stableford / Nett Double Bogey Adjustment 42. 20 Alteration of Handicaps 43. 21 Supplementary Scores 45. 22 Nine Hole Qualifying Competitions 47. 23 Review of Handicaps 48. 24 Suspension and Loss of Handicap 55. 25 Status of Handicap 55. 26 Regaining a Handicap 56. PART FIVE APPENDICES. A Golf Course Measurement 60. B Competition Scratch Score Procedure 61. Competition Scratch Score Tables 65. C Stableford / Nett Double Bogey Adjustment 69.

6 D Par and Stableford Conversion Table 70. E Table of Handicap Adjustments 71. F Handicap Allowances for Different Formats of Competition 72. Greensomes Handicap Conversion Table 73. G Handicap Stroke Index 75. H Computer Software Requirements 76. 3. C O N G U U N I F I E D H A N D I C A P P I N G S Y S T E M. I Player Handicap Information 77. - Specimen Player Handicap Record 77. - Summary of Scores Table 80. J CONGU Club Handicaps 81. K Handicaps for Players with Disabilities 84. L UHS Compliance Checklist 85. M Guidelines for Annual Review / General Play Adjustment 86. N Resolution of Ties 87. O Events in Which Competitors Play from Different Sets of Tees 88. P Disqualified Scores in Qualifying Competitions 91.

7 PART SIX DECISIONS. Index to Decisions 94. 1 Qualifying Competitions Clause 17 99. 2 Qualifying Scores Clause 17 99. 3 Competition Scratch Score Clause 18 101. 4 Alteration of Handicaps Clause 20 101. 5 Review of Handicaps Clause 23 102. 6 Handicap Allowance Appendix F 102. 7 Golf Course 102. 8 Categories of Golf Club Membership 103. INDEX 104. 4. C O N G U U N I F I E D H A N D I C A P P I N G S Y S T E M. FOREWORD. Throughout its history there have been regular revisions to the CONGU handicapping system all with the aim of assisting club members to have handicaps that truly reflect their playing ability. These revisions have proved highly beneficial. The system does not stand still and a number of further refinements, borne out of experience and new evidence, are being introduced with effect from 1 January 2016.

8 The rationale for change includes the following principles: to encourage participation in both competition and social golf;. try and make the system fairer for players of all abilities;. try and make the handicapping system more uniform throughout GB&I;. develop the system in the light of new evidence. A great deal of four-ball better ball golf is played throughout the GB&I and research has shown that setting the handicap allowance at 75% for such competitions is not fair for those players with a higher handicap. Consequently the allowance has been increased to 90% to ensure more equitable competition. It is now possible for handicap committees to allot initial handicaps up to 54 for adults as well as for juniors.

9 This will give all beginners a yardstick against which their progress can be monitored and can enable players of declining ability to have a more realistic handicap above the current maximum for their gender. Players in this handicap range can submit unlimited Supplementary Scores so they can have more opportunity to reduce their handicap. Of course any handicaps over the current limits (28. for men and 36 for women) are Club Handicaps and it is up to each club to decide if such players may play in competitions alongside those with competition handicaps or clubs can set up separate competitions for them. Nine-hole qualifying competitions have proved to be very attractive to many clubs and players.

10 To encourage growth in this area, it is now be possible to put in Supplementary Scores over nine holes and nine-hole scores will now be taken into account for an Exceptional Scoring Reduction. To encourage players to submit more qualifying scores players can now input Supplementary Scores played at any Club of which they are a Member and not only at their nominated Home Club. There are also two areas where more assistance is now given to Handicap Committees. Firstly an adjustment process, the Exceptional Scoring Reduction, was introduced in the last review in respect of those players who recorded an exceptional scoring pattern. Evidence has now shown that in some instances the process introduced may have produced punitive decreases for some players.