Category: England Golf

Information about and from England Golf

Reviewing and Adjusting a Player’s Handicap Index

Reviewing and Adjusting a Player’s Handicap Index

The WHS has been 10 years in its development, based on the USGA system that has been in use for over 50 years, it will be an excellent system for managing handicaps.

I say ‘will’ because although it launched in GB&I in November 2020, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic it really didn’t get up and running until July 2021, which means it has only been running for 8-9 months.

Because it is an average-based system it works best the more data input it has; because it has only been running for a short period of time, the data for GB&I is limited and so some anomalies with players’ Handicap Indexes may occur. Given time these anomalies should be resolved or sort themselves out naturally.

It is not helped, in GB&I, by players not being required to submit all scores and so we must put up with these anomalies until the System has been running for a year or two.

Unfortunately, some Committees are trying to adjust Handicap Indexes for what they see with players who win competitions regularly. This is not the way to go about it because, in doing this frequently and only for a few players, they are manipulating the system for their own devices and could be providing players with a Handicap Index that may not be an accurate representation of their current playing ability.

Committees must also be aware that any review of Handicap Indexes must also consider any player whose Playing Ability may be declining.

Perhaps Committees would spend their time better in encouraging players to submit more scores, which would include General Play scores as well as ‘qualifying’ competition scores.

Under the WHS, there is a responsibility for your Handicap Committee to ensure that players’ allocated Handicap Indexes correctly represent their current level of playing ability. They must perform an Annual Review every year between 1st October and 31st March.

However, at any time that they feel, or are informed, that your Handicap Index may be incorrect, often indicated by your rapid improvement or decline in performance in competitions, then they can conduct a review of your Handicap Index before the Annual Review.

The circumstances under which a Committee may review your Handicap Index are outlined under Rule 7 of the Rules of Handicapping and there is a correct procedure for reviewing and adjusting your Handicap Index which must be followed and is given in Appendix D of the Rules of Handicapping.

All adjustments must be made through the WHS Platform.

ADJUSTING A HANDICAP INDEX

If your Handicap Index does not reflect your demonstrated playing ability your Handicap Committee should conduct a handicap review. Using all available evidence, including handicap software and reporting for analysis, the Handicap Committee may adjust or freeze your Handicap Index. Your Handicap Committee should continue to monitor your scoring record and further adjust the Handicap Index if needed. An adjustment to your Handicap Index must be, at minimum, a one stroke difference from their current Handicap Index. This adjustment must not last for longer than a one-year period. The Handicap Index will be identified with the letter “M” (e.g., 16.3M).

ADJUSTING A LOW HANDICAP INDEX

When your Handicap Index has been adjusted or frozen by your Handicap Committee, it may impact your Low Handicap Index value, thus potentially triggering a soft cap or hard cap. Your Handicap Committee should review and consider resetting your Low Handicap Index to a new value unless a lower Handicap Index value becomes eligible. An adjustment to your Low Handicap Index must be, at minimum, a one stroke difference from your current Low Handicap Index. This adjustment must not last for longer than a one-year period. Your Handicap Committee should continue to monitor your scoring record and further adjust the Low Handicap Index value if needed. An adjusted Low Handicap Index will be identified with the letter “M” (e.g., 15.0M)

Clicking on the links below will take you to the relevant references in the Rules of Handicapping:

Committee Actions (randa.org) – Rule 7

The R&A – Appendix D – Handicap Review (randa.org)

England Golf have also produced a Guide to Conducting a Handicap Review, which you can read below or download a copy by clicking on the Download Button.

 

England Golf – Update on Independent Golfers 3 July 2021

England Golf – Update on Independent Golfers 3 July 2021

The move to offer golfers in England, who are not members of Golf Clubs, official World Handicap System Handicap Indexes moves ever closer.

England Golf, in a recent update to Independent Golfers, is inviting players to pre-register for its digital platform offering World Handicap System indexes to non-club members.

This new digital community, which will offer official handicaps to non-club members, has opened for pre-registration.

England Golf is appealing to players to become one of the first subscribers to iGolf, which it calls a “historic progression for the amateur game in England”.

Branded as England Golf’s official digital community, it will give players the chance to receive an official WHS handicap index and personal liability insurance while connecting players who are not members of clubs across the country.

The scheme, which is expected to launch officially later this month, will cost subscribers £40 per year and follows the launch in Scotland of OpenPlay, the first scheme for independent golfers in the UK.

Wales and Ireland are expected to follow with similar initiatives in the coming months.

Independent golfer programmes have attracted much controversy but are a key feature of the R&A and USGA’s plans, following the launch of the World Handicap System, to make golf as inclusive as possible.

England Golf has projected that at least 25,000 golfers could sign up to the scheme within the first 12 months of its launch with 125,000 within five years.

That could bring in as much as £5 million to the organisation, with costs estimated at about £2 million. England Golf has pledged that they will shoulder the running costs and any surplus made would be reinvested back into golf.

Last month, Richard Flint, the England Golf’s chief operating officer, said clubs should back themselves and not worry about the independent golfer scheme as some concerns have persisted about whether it would provide a pathway or entice people to leave club membership.

He said that giving nomadic players an official handicap was “not competing with club membership” and asked whether handing non-club members a World Handicap System index was taking away a reason to be a member – harming both recruitment and retention – Flint said: “Handicap isn’t the biggest driver of why individuals join a golf club”.

To find out more about iGolf, and to pre-register an interest in joining the scheme, visit England Golf’s iGolf website.

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England Golf – Update on Independent Golfers 3 July 2021

England Golf – Update on Independent Golfers 3 July 2021

Probably more for information than for anything else, but relevant to any of you are not members of any golf, yet.

The move to offer golfers in England, who are not members of Golf Clubs, official World Handicap System Handicap Indexes moves ever closer.

England Golf, in a recent update to Independent Golfers, is inviting players to pre-register for its digital platform offering World Handicap System indexes to non-club members.

This new digital community, which will offer official handicaps to non-club members, has opened for pre-registration.

England Golf is appealing to players to become one of the first subscribers to iGolf, which it calls a “historic progression for the amateur game in England”.

Branded as England Golf’s official digital community, it will give players the chance to receive an official WHS handicap index and personal liability insurance while connecting players who are not members of clubs across the country.

The scheme, which is expected to launch officially later this month, will cost subscribers £40 per year and follows the launch in Scotland of OpenPlay, the first scheme for independent golfers in the UK.

Wales and Ireland are expected to follow with similar initiatives in the coming months.

Independent golfer programmes have attracted much controversy but are a key feature of the R&A and USGA’s plans, following the launch of the World Handicap System, to make golf as inclusive as possible.

England Golf has projected that at least 25,000 golfers could sign up to the scheme within the first 12 months of its launch with 125,000 within five years.

That could bring in as much as £5 million to the organisation, with costs estimated at about £2 million. England Golf has pledged that they will shoulder the running costs and any surplus made would be reinvested back into golf.

Last month, Richard Flint, the England Golf’s chief operating officer, said clubs should back themselves and not worry about the independent golfer scheme as some concerns have persisted about whether it would provide a pathway or entice people to leave club membership.

He said that giving nomadic players an official handicap was “not competing with club membership” and asked whether handing non-club members a World Handicap System index was taking away a reason to be a member – harming both recruitment and retention – Flint said: “Handicap isn’t the biggest driver of why individuals join a golf club”.

To find out more about iGolf, and to pre-register an interest in joining the scheme, visit England Golf’s iGolf website.

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England Golf Independent Golfers – Update 25 May 2021

England Golf Independent Golfers – Update 25 May 2021

The latest update from England Golf states that they have finalised their offer to Independent golfers (non-members of golf clubs) of the opportunity to join a new digital community of golfers aligned to England Golf. This means:

Firstly, the scheme will be open to all golfers, with a home address in England, regardless of age.

Any golfer who has left a golf club within the last six months will not be eligible to join.

However, once outside this six-month period, any lapsed golf club members may be allocated a handicap index based on scores in the system dating back to January 2018.

The provisional launch date and opening for registration is early July.

Secondly, following online registration for an annual subscription of £40, golfers will receive:

  • A World Handicap System handicap index
  • Personal liability insurance
  • Access to the ‘My England Golf’ app to post scores, track progress and engage with friends.

Thirdly, Independent Golfers will not be allowed to compete in County and National events, these remaining open to golf club members only.

If clubs wish to create an independent golfer-only competition or, alternatively, integrate them into some or all the existing club competitions; this would be at their discretion.

Fourthly, England Golf will carry out all administration duties so there will not be any extra work for clubs or counties.

They will ensure that the integrity of the handicap system will be maintained through a robust system of checks and balances. These include:

  • Processes on the app
  • Setting up of a national independent golfer handicap committee
  • Educating on rules of handicapping, rules of golf and etiquette
  • Opportunity for peer review

Fifthly, for any clubs which choose to actively engage with Independent Golfers who have joined the scheme, a process will be put in place for them to notify England Golf of opportunities they wish to promote to these golfers. This may, for example, include the following:

  • Green fee promotions
  • Competition and event entry, or
  • Club membership offers.

England Golf will communicate directly with golfers interested in exploring these offers and provide a platform to share details.

Further guidance will follow around what this could mean for clubs, points to consider and how the programme will work.

Sixthly, England Golf have said that any surplus revenue generated from this scheme will be re-invested back into our game and the areas of investment may include:

  • Special projects funding for golf clubs
  • Women and girls’ participation
  • Junior development
  • Support for disability and minority groups

Lastly, England Golf will publish further updates during June 2021.

You can read a full version of this update by Clicking Here or download a full copy of this update by clicking on the Download Button below:

You can also keep in touch with any new updates by following them on:

England Golf Independent Golfers – Updates

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Correction to Information Re MyEG App

Correction to Information Re MyEG App

Apologies,

I have a correction to make to my information that I sent you in the 26th April Newsletter, ‘New insurance benefits exclusively available to England Golf Members’, regarding the MyEG App.,

It has been pointed out to me, by a subscriber, that I said you could now ‘enter your competition score’ via the App.

This is not strictly accurate.

The MyEG App only allows you to pre-register and post scores from general play rounds at any rated course in England via the ‘My England Golf App. It does not allow you to submit scores for any organised Club Competitions.

Please accept my apologies for any confusion I may have caused.

Tony

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New insurance benefits exclusively available to England Golf members

23 APR 2021

New insurance benefits exclusively available to England Golf members

England Golf, in partnership with insurance brokers Bluefin Sport, have launched ‘My Golf Insurance’ – a new range of benefits available exclusively to members.

England Golf automatically provides £10,000,000 personal liability insurance for all members of an affiliated club.

But, this automatic cover does not provide any insurance cover for your equipment, personal accident or hole in one insurance.

The new ‘My Golf Insurance’ product allows England Golf members the option to supplement their England Golf membership personal liability cover as well as insuring against other exposures, including financial protection for golf equipment, personal accident, and other benefits which can be found at My Golf Insurance.

The ‘My Golf Insurance’ product is underwritten by Chubb European Group SE, and is available to all England Golf affiliated members from Friday 23rd April 2021. Premiums range from £19.04 to £33.60 a year, dependent upon the level of cover you choose.

Exclusive to England Golf members, all cover options under the ‘My Golf Insurance’ will include up to £500 for third party property damage claims. This complements the £10,000,000 liability cover already provided by England Golf and effectively means that no policy excess would be applicable should an individual golfer be proven negligent for third party property damage in the UK. (There is no excess for injury to Third Parties).

The cover also includes a number of bespoke extensions such as, no age limit on the personal accident coverage, new for old equipment coverage, theft of equipment whilst unattended at a golf club, and more.

To find out more visit My Golf Insurance

“We’re thrilled to have helped design an insurance product with Chubb which will provide additional value for England Golf’s members, allowing them to purchase a range of extra covers. We have been working on this product for some time carrying out extensive market research and are pleased to be able to provide this tailored insurance to England Golf’s members, which we believe to be market leading in coverage and competitively priced to complement the liability protection provided already to England Golf members.” Daniel Thompson – Bluefin Sport.

Independent Golfers – England Golf

England Golf and the Independent Golfer

Having dismissed the idea, in July 2020, of offering golfers, who are not members of an affiliated golf club, the means of attaining a recognised Handicap Index, England Golf, under pressure from the R&A have performed a ‘’U-turn’ and set up a national working party that is looking into offering a handicap index and personal liability insurance to golfers who are not members of a golf club.

This is part of a core strategy from the R&A to promote greater enjoyment for all that play the sport by enabling as many golfers as possible (members and independent golfers) to establish and maintain a handicap. 

The R&A estimate that there are between 1.2 and 1.8 million people who play golf but are not members of any golf club.

Looking at Flexible membership schemes that are in operation especially in the USA and New Zealand, England Golf suggest that golfers will be willing to pay around £40 to access the handicap, to be used by about 125,000 golfers within five years, which equates to roughly £5 million. At least 25,000 golfers are projected to use the scheme within the first 12 months of launching.

Despite reservations from many Counties on the timing of the introduction of this scheme, especially as Clubs are still coming to terms with the WHS, England Golf is planning to introduce the scheme by the end of June 2021.

Golf clubs are under no obligation to be involved in the scheme but are being asked to consider allowing Independent Golfers the opportunity to play in Clubs’ Open Competitions or even Monthly Medals etc.

It is also suggested that Clubs might even consider organising Competitions for Independent Golfers.

The idea is that by encouraging Independent Golfers to become involved in Club Competitions some might see the greater benefits of being a member of a Golf club and consider joining.

The costs of running the scheme might be in the region of £2,000,000 with the remaining revenue being plied back into grass roots golf.

England Golf are issuing regular monthly updates on the progress of the scheme, which can be accessed by following the link below.

Click here to read more and keep up to date with all developments from England Golf

England Golf Launch New World Handicap System App

17 NOV 2020

MyEG App Header

New World Handicap System App Launched

England Golf has today launched its innovative new app, My England Golf (MyEG), allowing golfers to stay up-to-date with their Handicap Index as part of the World Handicap System (WHS).

The app, available now to download for free in Apple and Google Play stores, follows on from the official transition on 2 November to the new WHS for the 1,800 golf clubs and 630,000 golfers across England.

England Golf has created the app to provide golfers with the ability to access their Handicap Index on the go, as well as to easily keep track of their overall playing record on a regular basis.

The Course Handicap calculator is another unique feature of the new My England Golf app.

This function will allow golfers to cross-reference their Handicap Index with whichever set of tees they will be playing from on a particular day, for any course in the country, in order to work out their Course Handicap.

There is also the opportunity to link up with fellow golfers all over England and follow their progress by creating a ‘Friends’ group.

The new app forms another part of England Golf’s extensive WHS education process, as the governing body of the amateur game in England continues to provide golfers with all the information and tools they need to understand the key elements related to the new WHS.

Commenting on the launch of the My England Golf app, England Golf’s Head of Handicapping & Course Rating, Gemma Hunter, said: “The My England Golf app will help golfers around the country to keep track of their new Handicap Index as it updates after every score is submitted. Using the calculator function through the app will also make it far easier and quicker for golfers to work out what their Course Handicap will be for a certain set of tees at a specific golf club on any given day.

“The team at England Golf is delighted to be able to bring this new app to golfers, and we are confident that it will make the transition from CONGU to the new WHS a much smoother and easier process for golfers around the country.”

Developed by The R&A and USGA, the WHS – for the first time – unites six handicapping bodies across the globe under one standardised system. This will allow handicaps to be truly portable as golfers will be able to use them on any golf course around the world, as well as make for a fairer and more equitable system of accurately calculating a golfer’s current playing ability.

The WHS was developed with consideration given to club golfers who play both sporadically and more regularly. It reduces the barriers of entry for golfers by allowing players of all abilities, who are members of a golf club, to obtain and maintain a Handicap Index; in addition it will allow them to compete, or play recreationally, on an equal basis with any other golfer regardless of where they play.

A golfer’s Handicap Index will be updated at the end of a day where a new score is submitted using an average of the eight best scores from their previous 20 rounds. This information will now be instantly available through the My England Golf app as well as the ‘My England Golf’ Platform on the England Golf website.

Golfers can find out further information about the new World Handicap System via the WHS pages on the England Golf website.

You can also receive WHS updates from England Golf on social media:

Twitter: @EnglandGolf
Instagram: england.golf
Facebook: England Golf

For details on how to download the My EG App for Android or iPhone please click on the link below:

Take Me to My EG App

 

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World Handicap System 2020 – Data Requirement 29 September 2020

World Handicap System 2020 – Data Requirement 29 September 2020

Well, just over 4 weeks to go before the World Handicap System launches in GB&I on Monday 2 November 2020.

It has been a difficult time for Golf Clubs to prepare for this launch, but I hope they have run through their WHS Checklist and have everything in place for a smooth transition.

In preparation for the launch of the World Handicap System (WHS) England Golf have sent communications to support all golf clubs with their transition to the WHS. This notice outlines the necessary steps to ensure that your Golf Club’s handicapping software and member data is prepared for launch on Monday 2 November 2020.

Golf clubs in England must provide two key pieces of information to ensure their members obtain a handicap index for the start of the WHS on 2 November.

    • A member’s email address
    • A member’s date of birth

*This information should be logged on golf club handicapping software systems by 5 October 2020 in preparation for it to be transferred across to the central WHS database.*

Without this information, golf club members will not receive a handicap index when the transition from the current CONGU handicapping system to WHS takes place.

It is advisable that every member has her/his own personal Email Address, this will help England Golf to identify and prevent duplicate CDH entries.

England Golf will be moving to a higher integrity level of handicapping for and on behalf of its affiliated members with the introduction of WHS.

The initial transfer of information is required to ensure player identification and to eliminate the duplication of handicap records.

Ongoing communication with affiliated members will be for handicap purposes and will be fully compliant with GDPR regulations.

Junior members without an email address of their own may use an email address of a parent or guardian. SafeGolf procedures as well as GDPR regulations remain of paramount importance in such cases.

If you are concerned about providing this information to England Golf and wonder why they require it and how they are going to use it, you can download a copy of the Data FAQs by clicking on the Download Button below:

Please co-operate with your Club as much as you can, they have a difficult job to do.

Stay Safe and Play Safe

Enjoy your golf,

Tony