Farrington Seniors Competitions

Weekly competitions and knock outs are organised by the Match Secretary - Ray Vickers 01761 416749 To participate in competitons and senior events you need to be a registered Senior Member

• Wednesday Competitions Calendar
• Next Wednesdays Draw and Start Times
• Wednesday Results
• Handicaps Guidelines
• General Play Adjustments
• Supplementary Cards
• Handicap calculations
• Link to "HOWDIDIDO" website - for latest senior competiton results and handicaps
• Emergency Cancellation for Wednesday Competitions
• Knock Outs
• Hole in One Kitty
• Xmas Competition
• Registering as a Senior Member
• Match/Competition Prizes
• Farrington Senior Invitation Match
• Farrington Senior Open - Wednesday September 3rd 2008
• Competition Rules

To enter the weekly Wednesday morning competions enter your name on the appropriate sheet on the Senior Notice Board one week in advance of the competition date. The Competition Secretary will draw for start times by the previous Wednesday and post the times on the Senior Notice Board. You will need to arrive on the Wednesday morning at least fifteen minutes prior to this time to pay your entry fee, collect your score card, secure your entry and meet at the start tee with your playing partners. Late arrivals will be substituted as appropriate. Late entries are accepted on the day but early arrival is advised as players are entered (in rota) into last minute gaps and then tagged onto the end. In the event of it being a team competition we cannot guarantee it being possible to accommodate late entries if there is the wrong number of seniors to give a complete team. The current entry fee for the Wednesday Competitions is £2.50

Calendar of Events 2008:-

Start Sheet for 10th Septemebr 2008

Medal - Yellow tees Div 1 0-19: Div 2 20-25: Div 3 26-28

Entry fee £2.50

If you wish to play in the above competition add your name to reserve list on the senior notice board, and turn up as early as possible on the day (by at least 8.15) when Ray will fit you in as appropriate. DO NOT insert your name in spaces made by people cancelling as Ray will have prepared the score cards in advance and this can cause problems with handicaps, seeding etc.

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 16th April 2008 - Texas Scramble

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 23rd April 2008 - Stableford

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 30th April 2008 - Medal

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 7th May 2008 - Medalford

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 7th May 2008 - Away Day at Chedington Court

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 14th May 2008 - 4BBB

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 21st May 2008 - Executive Senior Championship

GROSS Scores

NET Scores

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 4th June 2008 - Medal

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 11th June 2008 - Bowmaker

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 18th June 2008 - Texas Scramble

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 25th June 2008 - Stableford

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 2nd July 2008 - Medal

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 16th July 2008 - Stableford

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 23rd July 2008 - Senior Club Championship

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 30th July 2008 - Captains Day

Wally Sage Trophy

Seniors Captain's Tantalus

Seniors Captain's Putting Competition - winner: Jim Farmer

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 6th August 2008 - Medal

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 13th August 2008 - Tennessee Waltz

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 20th August 2008 - 4BBB

Farrington Seniors Results for Wednesday 27th August 2008 - Stableford

Senior Open - Wednesday 3rd September 2008 - Stableford - max HCP 24

So how do you first get a handicap?

Basically you must complete at least three rounds and get a fellow player who has a handicap to sign your card during a round of golf to ratify your score. You must make it clear which tees you use. One of these cards will need to be about 100 shots or less. These cards are used to determine your initial handicap. The senior Website www.farringtonseniors.co.uk gives exact details of how your handicap is calculated.
Any fully completed and signed cards that you wish to be considered as evidence for obtaining a handicap should be submitted to any member of the Senior Handicap Committee.

So how are other handicap adjustments to be made?

Qualifying Competitions

The majority of changes to Seniors’ Handicaps is expected to take place as a result of taking part in qualifying competitions. Such competitions are the Wednesday monthly medal / monthly stableford, Senior Opens and other Farrington weekend qualifiers. The scores from any qualifier are entered into the computer and after comparing the score to the computer produced ‘Competition Scratch Score’ the computer applies a calculation and automatically adjusts handicaps. Any changes will be posted on the Senior Notice Board.

The Annual Review

Rule 19 has now become Rule 23 in the latest CONGU publication. This makes it clear that it is the duty of each club to review the handicap of each member and to make adjustments where necessary both upwards and downwards. This must be done at least once a year by a handicapping committee made up of fellow players (rather than administrators such as the Secretary). The review for 2007 was completed in January and anyone that had their handicap adjusted as a result of the review has been notified of any changes.

General Play

As well as this annual review, the Handicap Committee may make adjustments based on general play.
The Senior Section now has its own Handicap Secretary. Please note: the Senior Handicap Secretary will not make handicap decisions on his own. He will work in consultation with the Senior Handicap Committee.
Any adjustments made under Rule 23 will be based on several rounds, and these need not be just qualifying rounds. Players will be informed on an individual basis. Though we would hope that members involved will understand the reasons for the adjustment (either up or down) these adjustments are not voluntary.

These manual adjustments are required to be made when the player’s "Home Club considers that a player’s Exact Handicap does not reflect his current playing ability.

Handicaps should not reflect a player’s average performance instead they should be representative of the top end of his game.

The biggest problem with ‘General Play Adjustments’ is obtaining evidence for such changes. It can include performances in knockouts and team competitions, but is more likely to be evidence provided from cards from individual rounds. So we are relying on you to provide the evidence.

Any fully completed and signed cards that you wish to be considered as evidence for handicap changes should be submitted to any member of the Senior Handicap Committee.

There will be further information on how we will apply and handle such changes (both up and down)

Supplementary cards

Anyone who has played six or less qualifying rounds in the handicap year will be allowed to submit up to 10 supplementary cards to adjust their handicap. These will require the player to indicate their intention to play such a round before starting to play and will be subject to a handicap increase where the player is outside their “buffer zone”. Handicaps will be adjusted on the same basis as qualifying competitions. A maximum of one card per week can be submitted. The exact details of how this will operate are outlined below..
Please note members found abusing this procedure can be suspended.

REMEMBER: Reduction in Handicap is a reward not a penalty

What is a ‘General Play’ adjustment? In the old system rule 19 but now covered under rule 23

A General Play change is a manual adjustment of a player’s handicap usually made by the Handicap Committee of a Club. These manual adjustments are required to be made when the player’s "Home Club considers that a player’s Exact Handicap is too high and does not reflect his current playing ability".

Are there limits on adjustments made under ‘General Play’?

There is no maximum amount a Handicap Committee may cut a player’s handicap under General Play. However, a minimum of 1 whole stroke applies.
Handicap Committees can also increase handicaps under General Play. This is not very common and under some circumstances is subject to prior agreement from the ‘Area Authority’.

How does the Committee decide what adjustments to make under General Play?

When making a General Play change, the Handicap Committee is required to set the Handicap to a value that matches the player’s "current playing ability". How the committee determines an appropriate value is the subject of much debate!
The following guidelines are laid down in the Handicapping Scheme:
The committee shall consider all available information. In particular:

• How frequently the player has returned scores in competitions to or near to their handicap,
• How the player has performed in non-qualifying competitions, such as match-play knockouts, Fourball Better Ball competitions, etc.,
• If any stroke play competition scores have been unduly affected by one or more particularly bad holes.

The Handicap Committee are advised to deal more severely to Handicaps for those players which it knows their standard of play is improving rather than those who have returned some low scores but whose general playing ability is not improving.
The Handicap Committee may NOT apply any formula to the calculations made under General Play.
The regulations identify that a single low score is not sufficient evidence alone to justify a General Play reduction.

Peter H. Wilson (an English Golf Union representative to CONGU) provided further insight for clubs when he penned an article in "English Golf", the English Golf Union’s journal in May 1998. Although these related to the previous CONGU Handicapping scheme, they remain relevant for the Unified Handicapping System. Included in his article were the following points:
Handicap adjustments under Clause 23 ("General Play") should be made in the following circumstances:

1. Exceptionally, where a player is trying to achieve a handicap higher than his ability justifies,
2. Where a player returns poor scores in Handicap Qualifying Competitions, but has been successful in Match play and Best-ball events,
3. A player whose standard is clearly improving and who has returned two or more scores well below his handicap in a short period of time,
4. A player who, because of health or advancing age, is quite unable to play to his current handicap and does not compete in enough competitions for his handicap to be adjusted accordingly.

An example of (3) was given whereby a category 3 or 4 player who returns two nett differentials of –5, say, in quick succession should have an aggregate reduction of 5 strokes taken from their handicap.
Examples of players who might be expected to achieve this are young players, those taking early retirement or those made redundant or unemployed.

What value do we put on a handicap?

An extract from the English Golf Union Website helps us to understand how we value a handicap.

“The way the CONGU system works is that a typical Category 1 player is expected to play about 2 strokes above his handicap on an average day. Category 4 players can expect a short fall of about 6 or 7. Put another way a player who finds that he plays to an average handicap of 28 will probably find that he has a handicap of 21/22.”

Seniors’ Supplementary Scores 2008

1. A maximum of 10 Supplementary Scores may be returned each handicap year.

2. Supplementary Scores are Stroke Play or Stableford scores, which may only be returned at the Home Club of the player, subject to the above limit.

3. Supplementary Scores are available to players who have returned six or fewer cards in Qualifying Competitions (excluding Supplementary Scores) in the preceding year. (1st January 2007 – 31st December 2007) The list below identifies those who are eligible to complete supplementary cards.

4. A maximum of one card per week may be returned (A week commences on a Monday).

5. The round must comply with the Rules of Golf and the completed card must be counter signed by a playing partner who has a recognised handicap.

6. Supplementary Scores are only available to players in Categories 2, 3, 4 [and 5].

7. Players must register their intention to take out a Supplementary Score before going out to play. To do this collect a stamped and dated score card from the Pro shop and enter your name in the Seniors Supplementary Card Book.
RETURN YOUR SIGNED CARD TO THE PRO SHOP AT THE END OF YOUR ROUND.

8. Play must be over a Measured Course under Competition Play Conditions. No CSS to be calculated. Changes of handicap to be against the SSS.

9. Supplementary Scores are for increase as well as reduction of handicap.

10. Stroke Play returns shall be subject to Stableford/Nett Double Bogey adjustments (maximum net double bogey on any hole) in compliance with Clause 19 before the card is used for handicap adjustment.

11. Supplementary scores are recorded in your Player Handicap Record.

12. Players who have recently been awarded a CONGU handicap qualify immediately for the return of Supplementary Scores.

13. Remember a 0.1 increase should be applied when a player does not return a score after signing their intention to use the round for a Supplementary Score.

14. Returns may be subject to action under Clause 23 if ‘manipulation’ is suspected.

Seniors eligible to complete Supplementary Cards:-

How your Initial CONGU golf handicap is calculated

To calculate your first (initial) golf handicap you need to enter three golf cards. The computer system will then assess your 3 cards to determine which one will provide the best Nett Differential Score (NDS); essentially this is done by reducing any holes that are greater than 2 shots over par to being 2 shots over par, for example, if you have entered an 8 on a par 5 then, for the sake of this calculation, the system will read it as a 7.
Although CONGU rules does not put a limit on the number of holes that are reduced, most systems limit it to a maximum of six holes to ensure that they only provide handicaps to players that they feel can play to 28.0 or 36.0, at worst. If the system fails to calculate your handicap it is because the maximum number of adjusted holes has been reached. In these situations cards can be reviewed manually to assess if it is possible to provide the maximum handicap.

Let’s assume that 4 holes have been adjusted to double-bogeys (2 over par) resulting in a total reduction of 5 shots for your round. If your gross score was 95 then the resulting Nett Differential Score would now be 90. To calculate the handicap based on this card the course SSS (Standard Scratch Score) is then subtracted from the Nett Differential, for example if the SSS (for the tee colour in question) is 67 then it would be 90 - 67 = 23. This calculation is applied to all 3 cards to determine which one gives the lowest golf handicap, this then becomes your golf handicap.

Note: the Course Par plays no part in the initial golf handicap calculation.

How your CONGU golf handicap is adjusted ongoing

Golf handicaps are divided into 5 categories as shown here, each of these categories has a respective buffer zone that is used to assess whether or not a handicap should change. The table below displays the categories along with relevant Adjustment Factors.

Each time you enter a new card in a qualifying competition it is your responsibility to adjust your golf handicap. You must then immediately play to this new handicap until at a later stage a Competition Scratch Score will be calculated from all category 1 to 3 cards from the competition and used instead of the Standard Scratch Score to produce a final adjusted handicap. All changes will then be published on the Senior Notice Board.

So how do you do this? Depending on which Category you fall in to a Buffer Zone and respective Adjustment Factor is applied, essentially this allows you to enter cards that are higher than your Handicap without your handicap being increased. To demonstrate how this works, please study the two examples shown below.

Examples of adjustments:

Lets assume that your golf handicap is 17.0 (Cat 3) and the card that you entered was with a gross score of 87 and the SSS for the tee colour is 67, in this case your net score would be 3 shots (87 – 67 = 20) above your handicap . As your Buffer Zone allows you to be between 0 and 3 Shots above your handicap (17 + 3) then no adjustment is made. If your gross score was 89 resulting in your net score being 2 shots higher than your Buffer Zone, then your handicap would increase by 0.1, which is the Maximum increase allowed. However, if your gross score was 82 with course SSS of 67 resulting in your net score being 2 shots below your handicap (82 – 67 = 15) Then your are below the Buffer Zone of zero so an adjustment is required. The adjustment would be the number of shots below handicap x the Adjustment Factor i.e. 2 x 0.3 resulting in a cut of 0.6 shots. Your new Exact Handicap would now Be 17.0 – 0.6 = 16.4 giving you a Playing Handicap of 16.

Club results for seniors and mens qualifying competitions (medals and Stableford) are now published on line. It is possible to view RESULTS, CURRENT HANDICAPS, FIXTURES and MORE by clicking on:-

www.howdidido.co.uk/farrington-golf-club

Farrington Seniors often need to cancel their entry into Wednesday Competitions. Presently they do this by crossing off their name on the notice board. Problems however frequently arise on Wednesday morning when there is a last minute emergency.

Ray Vickers should now be contacted on his mobile phones after 8.00 a.m. on Wednesday morning when such occasions arise:-

Ray's mobile number: 07790328113

He asks that you do not use these number for cancellation purposes on any other occasion as the phones probably will not be switched on.

On Wednesdays when it is a team competition, it is important for the sake of other members of your team that we be informed of your none attendance as early as possible. The committee have indeed discussed sanctions that may need to be applied if senior members fail to turn up without cancelling. Thankfully this a rare occurrence but it does happen. We owe it to Ray (and other members) to make it easy for him to do his job by

• Turning up well before tee off time and registering (15 minutes)
• Informing us if you are unable to make your tee time

We are anxious that all Farrington Seniors can continue to enjoy Wednesday Morning Competitions so please do your bit to help.

The Seniors Committee

18 Hole Winter Knock Out

Rules:-

• Complete matches by date shown
• Match Play - White tees
• Strokes received calculated as full difference of the two handicaps

Executive Winter Knock Out

Rules:-

• Complete matches by date shown
• Strokes received calculated as the full difference of the two Executive Course Handicaps
• Executive Course Handicap calculated as three quarters of 18 holel course handicap
• Match decided over 18 holes

4 BBB Knock Out

Rules:-

• Complete matches by date shown
• Match Play - White tees
• Strokes received calculated as three quarters the difference of the two handicaps taken from the lowest handicap player who receives no shots

Congratulations to Charles Romaine for a hole in one on the tenth green (temporary) during the Ray Dando Trophy 2001. A glass of whisky was enjoyed by all 48 participating contestants. A fitting event for the first pay out of this kitty! Congratulations also to Derek Piggott for a hole in one on the fifth during the May 2002 monthly medal. A full house of seniors toasted his success. Congratulations to our present Captain, Roger Cockhill for a hole in one on the fifth (temporary) during the greensome on 5th February 2003. He is maintaining the tradition of the Senior Captain holing in one during his year of office. Congratulations to Tony Bridges for a hole in one during his Summer K.O. round on the 9 hole executive course 2004. Congratulations to Jeff Kelly for a hole in one on a par three at Alhaurin, 12th March 2006. All 24 Spanish tour members toasted his success. Congratulations to Maurice Sanders (fresh back from Australia) for a hole in one during the senior match at Farrington on 4th May 2006 against Brean. All the seniors toasted Maurice with a tot of whiskey. 3rd Octoberr 2007: Congratulations to Geoff Moore for his hole in one on the14th hole. November 2007: Congratulations to Richard Curtis for his hole in one on the on the 8th hole. April 2008: Congratulations again to Charles Romaine for a hole in one on the 8th at Farrington during a match with Woodspring. I guess they won that hole? May 1st 2008: Congratulations to Colin Robinson for a hole in one on the 15th - also a nearest the pin hole. With 70+ seniors we drank our way through two bottles of whisky to toast his achievements.

ALL the above have greatly appreciated being members of the 'Hole in One Kitty' .

1. If you are skilful or lucky (unlucky) enough to manage `hole in one` and of course happen to be a popular fellow as well, then it could cost you a few bob once you have made it back to the bar – not straight to the carpark and away!
2. With this in mind the committee have included, as part of your subscription, a seniors Hole in One Kitty, working along the following lines.
3. It was agreed that the basis on which a hole in one should count is:-

• The event must be an official Farrington Seniors sponsored event
• It must be one in which all members can choose to play
• Events can be either at Farrington or elsewhere
• A maximum of £60 can be claimed for your bar bill

It will therefore include all Wednesday morning competitions,