Life has finally got in the way. A decade ago, rain or shine, it was unfathomable to think my weekends wouldn’t be spent on the golf course.
It was very rare I’d miss a competition. I was a single figure handicapper, a club stalwart, and I played, thought, wrote, and generally obsessed about the game.
That feels a very long time ago. Now I’ve got other commitments – a nine-year-old being the most pressing.
It is inconceivable I could simply disappear for the best part of the weekend, as I used to routinely on a Saturday and Sunday before she was born, to go and do something as ludicrous as hitting a ball around a field.
As the golf has started to dry up, my handicap has risen – near doubled in fact. As I’ve got more shots, my motivation has waned. I kept up lessons for a bit, but the outlay seemed pointless if I wasn’t doing the practice.
I could console myself that on the increasingly rare occasions I did tee it up, I could largely be the master of my own destiny. Competitive, or social, the choice was mine.
It feels, though, that a collective paranoia within some golf clubs is threatening to take that away. Let me explain.
Some people don’t like the World Handicap System. In my experience of travelling round clubs and talking to players through my day job, it’s actually fewer than you might think.
But those who have never embraced the new ways are loud and persistent – and they are having an impact.
Grisly tales of manipulation and cheating run rife. There is a belief everyone is gaming WHS.
Don’t believe me? Look how resistant some clubs are to allowing iGolfers to enter Open competitions. They just flat out refuse to consider it.
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The reality is their handicaps are as strictly reviewed as the average club golfer’s – even more so, in fact, given some of the experts who sit on that iGolf committee.
But the suspicions are so strong clubs would rather turn down revenue than risk the wrath of their uninformed members.
Rather than utilise the considerable tools at their disposal to root out those that are seeking to one-up WHS – and let’s not forget there will be cheats no matter what system is employed – some take a more blanket approach to deal with the perception.
Golf scorecards: Why do clubs want so many?
Under the old CONGU system, you needed to put in three competitive scores a year to keep your handicap active. Even the most time constrained of us could generally manage that.
Now, you can be playing bingo with the numbers to get into a event depending on which club you go to.
You might not be able to enter. You might need six scorecards in the last 12 months, or eight, to win a prize. I’ve heard of clubs demanding a fully developed handicap – that’s 20 scores.
Imagine putting in your requisite 54 holes and getting a handicap for the first time to learn you’ve then got to get to 20 scorecards before you can be eligible to have a tenner added to your bar app? You can enter. But win? Don’t be daft.
Why golf club committees think their instantly forgettable pot is worth such a convoluted entry process is beyond me. I can barely even remember any of the names on the ones held so sacrosanct at some of the places I’ve played. It’s just another day and another round.
Inclusivity is being preached at every level of the game. But, yes, that’s inclusive for competitions as long as you’ve played on a certain number of occasions within an arbitrary time-frame.
Here’s a hint for you. If your policies result in excluding people – whatever the reasons behind them – you’re not being inclusive.
I’ve just about made the cut this time around. But it’s going to be a scrape from now on.
Will the demands for increasing numbers of acceptable scores – and clubs seem to be getting more and more adventurous in the numbers they want – mean I’ll be more motivated to get out more?
Would I leave the family at home to ensure I’ve recorded, say, my 12th score within a calendar year so I can compete for a prize the following campaign?
No I would not, and this would undoubtedly bring consequences. Because when I play I do like to have the opportunity to do so competitively. Remove that possibility – because I haven’t put in enough acceptable scores to satisfy a ridiculous criteria – and it’s the quickest way of getting me out of the door.
Not everyone is retired. Not everyone’s every waking moment revolves around being within the confines of the club. Not everyone can play even 8, 10, or 12 times a year.
They still pay their subs. They still want to experience the many joys of club membership and all that brings. Part of that is the chance to play as and when it suits them and that includes competitions.
I’d think you’d just be happy to take my money. But restricting the way I can play my golf even further isn’t going to inspire me to submit more scorecards, it’s only going to drive me away competitions entirely. And maybe even your club.
- A version of this piece also appears in the GCMA’s monthly Insights newsletter that is packed with expert opinion on matters relating to golf club management. Sign up to Insights for FREE here.
Now have your say
What do you think of this golf scorecards debate? A valid protection against manipulators or against the spirit of WHS? Let us know what you think with a comment on X.
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