Message to EACF Club Secretaries and Handicappers

UPDATE: the New System is rolled out nationally with effect from 2016. See the CA website
for details. Though essentially the same as the new national scheme, the 2015 EACF trial details
are retained here as a matter of record only.

• The New System
• Changing to the New System
• Initial handicaps
• Handicap card
• Message to EACF clubs
• Message to ranking players
• Messages to tournament managers
• Printer version ( 249 kb)
• Handicap card insert (A4) ( 61 kb)
• Handicap card insert (A5) ( 70 kb)

To: EACF Club Secretaries and Club Handicappers

Subject: Golf Croquet Handicap System for 2015

Dear Club Secretary or Handicapper,

You will be aware that in 2014, the CA trialled a revision to the GC handicap system that introduced Effective Handicaps for low players. These were not popular, but luckily only affected a small number of players. This winter, the CA Handicap Committee has collected results for 8,300 handicap singles games under both the 2014 trial and previous systems. From an analysis of this, a New System has been developed which it is believed will be stable over the long term and will treat all players fairly.

It has been decided by the CA Council and by the EACF that this new system should be trialled in the EACF area for 2015. It is expected to roll out nationally in 2016, but there is a strong desire to test it thoroughly first – so the rest of the country will continue with the 2014 trial system for 2015.

Use of the new system is mandated for all EACF league matches, tournaments and fixtures – we hope you will use it for all your club events and games too.

The good news is the new system work exactly like the previous ones – only the handicap range and trigger points have altered. Further good news is that for the majority of players, the translation to the new system is very simple. The only tricky part might be the rare occasions when someone with an EACF handicap plays elsewhere in the country, or vice versa – but we have added some guidance on how to manage this.

I'd like to ask for your assistance in getting the trial underway at your club for the new season – it is effective immediately. Please will you actively ensure all your members who currently keep a GC handicap card – and any others who start competitive play this season – understand they are on the New System, have a correct initial handicap and index under the New System, and know how to find out information about the New System. At the end of the season, I will contact all EACF clubs and ask for copies of handicap cards for anyone who plays a reasonable number of games during the season – so we can analyse how the trial went and confirm it treated players of all standards fairly. Martin French will be available at any time to help with any problems you find with the New System or the documentation supporting it; he will do his best to assist you (martin.french#btinternet.com; 01473 288448; 07718 630804).

The EACF website is hosting the pages describing the New System - most of these are pages that could transfer to the CA website at the end of the season ready for the national roll-out. Players with an existing handicap of 2 or less and with a current CGS Grade (a 'ranking') should see the page Changing to the New System to see how to find their starting handicap and index. For most other players, their handicap will remain the same, but with a new index taken from the trigger point table.

We will not be changing the GC handicap card for the new system trial, so instead we will be posting an A5 insert giving the critical information players need: trigger points table, points exchanged in level play table, and extra turns in different length games (so replacing all the information inside the front cover of the existing handicap card). This will also be available as an A4 poster for the club notice-board.

Please ensure this information is communicated to your players, and that they mark clearly on their card when they change to using the new system (so that the end of year analysis works smoothly).

If there is any further information you need, don't hesitate to ask. We believe this new system will be a great improvement over the 2014 Trial System and previous system, and that the EACF area is fortunate to be moving to it now, rather than in a year's time. Many thanks in anticipation of your help with this trial.

regards,
Terrey Sparks
01485 534782

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