In February the Unified CONGU Handicapping System was introduced. This was a further development in the process of changing the Ladies Handicapping system begun in February 1998. From February Men and Women have had the same Handicapping System.

This system brings more responsibility to the Lady Golfer with regard to her Handicap. I thought therefore you might appreciate a few words to help you with these changes.

The most important change is that as of now your handicap can go up and down after every Competition that you play. There is no delay till the eighth of the next month.

From now on the following applies:

If your net score is less than the SSS and if after the appropriate deduction your Exact Handicap falls to a lower Playing Handicap then you must play off this new Playing Handicap immediately (except if the decrease occurs after the first round of a 36 hole competition then the adjustment is made after the second round). For example if you have a playing handicap of 24 and the reduction causes your Exact Handicap to drop to 23.2 then your new Playing Handicap will be 23. You can see, I am sure, that it is very important that you are aware of your exact Handicap after every competition and before the next one.

If, however, you play outside your buffer zone and the increase of 0.1 brings your exact Handicap up to something point 5 then you may not raise your playing handicap until your Handicap Secretary has confirmed the upward change.

As a player you are responsible for returning all scores from all Qualifying Competitions which you play on Courses in GB&I (other than your Home Club) to your Home Club as soon as possible. You only have to give the SSS of the other course. However, but if you know the CSS of the Competition it will be helpful to your Handicap Secretary. These competitions may be Opens, County Competitions or Competitions played at another Club of which you are a member.

The Other Clubs have the responsibility to return to ALL Home Clubs a list of players, their Gross Scores, or Stableford/Par results, together with the CSS of the competition as soon as possible but this does not relieve you of the duty to inform your Handicap Secretary your own results.

Each Club Handicapping Committee now has the responsibility of adjusting Handicaps (both up and down) on General Play. They should do this at any time they consider it is warranted and they are obliged to consider ALL MEMBERS? HANDICAPS once a year in January. In order to do this they need to know how you play in Non Qualifying Competitions and therefore you are also required to return to your Home Club ALL scores obtained in Foursomes, Greensomes and Better Ball Competitions, whether mixed or just ladies, played away from home. Also if you play in competitions abroad these scores should be returned to your home club. Match play results will also be taken into consideration but your Club will usually have a record of such matches.

To make things easier both for you and your Club there should be two forms (one for QCs and one for non QCs) available in your Locker room for you to fill in when you are next there after playing away from home.

Another major change for the Ladies is the introduction of the Stableford Adjustment which is Clause 19.8 in the New System. The men have been doing this for some time and it simply brings us in line with them. Very briefly if you return a high gross score on any hole in a medal round then this adjustment applies. To work it out for yourselves after you have finished the hole then if the score is higher than that which you need to score for 1 point, at that hole, in a stableford then your gross score is reduced to1 more than you need for 1 point. For example suppose you score 10 on a par 4 hole where you have 2 shots, to gain 1 stableford point you would need to score 7 and so your gross score of 10 is reduced to 8. This adjustment is made on all holes where your score is high. This adjustment only applies when you play competitions on your Home Course, be they Club Competitions, your Club Open or County stroke play competitions organised at your Club. You do not benefit from this adjustment in any medal competition played at an Away Course, even if you are a member.

Please remember that our Handicaps are intended to reflect our playing ability under Competition conditions. They are not supposed to be a reflection of those wonderful occasions when we play so well, when all the long putts go in, we hit the fairway with every drive, the trees never come into play and we visit neither a bunker nor a water hazard. Unless, of course, you are a scratch golfer in which case we can only admire from a distance.

I wish you all a good playing season, that many of you will drop your handicaps and if you don?t then at least you will have enjoyed yourself in good company.