HANDICAP AND COMPETITION COMMITTEES MESSAGE

Dear Members

With the golfing season starting and qualifying competitions for handicap purposes having recommenced on Wednesday last, the Handicap and Competition committees feel it's a good time to remind everyone of someone important CONGU regulations.

"8.6 Before commencing play on the day of a Qualifying Competition ensure that his entry has been registered in the competition record, manually or by computer in the manner required by the club or committee in charge of the competition. A player who fails to enter a Qualifying Competition in the required manner is deemed to have neither a score for the competition nor a score for handicap purposes."

Members wishing to enter a competition must sign in on the computer in the pro shop before commencing their round, In exceptional circumstances sign in may not be possible before going out to play e.g the computer in the pro shop may not be working. When there are exceptional circumstances, and alternative arrangements have to be made, members will not be excluded from the competition.

"8.8 Ensure that all competition cards in Qualifying Competitions, whether or not complete, are returned to the organising committee, and make such computer entries as may be required."

When a member decides to sign in before commencing play, at that point they have entered the competition and therefore must return their card. Please note that entrants that do not return their card (NRs) will get 'point one' back automatically. There can be exceptional circumstances that mean a card is not returned but we kindly ask that members do not persistently fail to return cards.

"The Universal Handicap System is based on the premise that a player will endeavour to make the best score he can at each hole in every qualifying round he plays and will report all such rounds for handicap purposes.

Note: It is expected that every player who enters a Qualifying Competition intends to complete the round"

The committees appreciate there can be occasions when members do not complete the round for some reason but it is important that the intention when starting out was to finish the round. It is expected that members do not routinely fail to play the 18 holes having entered the competition.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Regards

The Handicap & Competition Committees

Pat O'Donovan - Communications Officer