Since the World Handicap System, does CONGU still exist?
The answer is yes, but not in its previous format.
Originally formed on 14th February 1924 and known as The British Golf Unions Joint Advisory Committee, on 21st March 1960 the Committee’s name was changed to the Council of National Golf Unions (“CONGU”) comprising representatives of The English Golf Union, The Golfing Union of Ireland, The Scottish Golf Union, The Welsh Golfing Union and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
Since that day CONGU has always maintained the Handicapping System in GB&I
The position with CONGU in 2022 is that following the introduction of the World Handicap System, which passes all maintenance of Handicapping to National Organisations, there is no longer a handicapping system that CONGU needs to support, so, as a handicapping system maintaining body, it no longer exists.
However, because CONGU has signed the World Handicap System licence, on behalf of the home unions, and then delegates the authority to those home unions, those representing the home unions on the board of CONGU are now simply those employed by the home unions and there are no longer any formal committees (e.g., the Technical Committee which previously maintained the system and Website).
Strictly speaking, therefore, it does still exist, but the CONGU Website is now just a single page showing links to the four home unions and the R&A.
One thing I will point out is that all the resources that were previously on the CONGU Website are no longer available there. Those documents should now be available on each of the home union Websites (e.g., the Mixed Tee Calculator, which is now certainly on the England Golf Website as I have checked that out).
England Golf have given an assurance that all the other relevant documents will also become available in the very near future (if not already). I can’t make any comment about the other three unions, although I have been assured that Scotland will publish most of those documents where there are variations because of their decision to use the exact Course Handicap in all Handicap calculations.
England, Wales and Ireland opted for the simpler approach, for players at least, to use the rounded Course Handicap (as that is what the player can easily determine by looking at the handicap boards which are displayed at her/his Golf Club).