Council Of National Golf Unions

=History=

The British Golf Unions Joint Advisory Committee, later The Council Of National Golf Unions (CONGU), came into existence at a conference held in York on 14th February 1924. The conference was convened by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews as a means of enabling the representatives of the Golf Unions of Great Britain and Ireland to formulate a definitive system of calculating Scratch Scores and to arrive at a uniform system of handicapping based on Scratch Scores.

The Consultative Committee was appointed to receive and consider schemes for calculating and allocating the Scratch Scores and adjustments to handicaps throughout Great Britain and Ireland. The Standard Scratch Score and Handicapping Scheme was prepared by the Council in 1925 and has been in operation throughout Great Britain and Ireland since the 1st March 1926.

On the 21st March 1960 the name was changed to the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) comprising representatives of The English Golf Union, The Golfing Union of Ireland, The Scottish Golf Union, The Welsh Golf Union and The The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

Unified Handicapping System (UHS)

On February 1st 2004 the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU) introduced the Unified Handicapping System (UHS). From that date, and for the first time, the same set of rules for calculating and regulating handicaps applied to golfers, male and female, who are members of clubs affiliated to one of the eight Unions/ Associations. These Unions/Associations are responsible for administering amateur golf, including handicaps, for club golfers in G.B. & I. This important step is intended to help and promote a greater mixed participation in the game of golf and to increase the enjoyment of the game at club level and beyond.

The System

In the UK and Republic of Ireland, a "Scratch Score" system was previously in place in order to rate courses and be fair to golfers of varying ability, and to make allowances that courses may play "easier" or "harder" than par, overall, to the amateur field. For this reason, a Standard Scratch Score (SSS) is used as a baseline for how the course plays in practice (e.g. an SSS lower than par indicates a course which golfers find slightly easier, and vice versa).

Akin to the SSS is the Competition Scratch Score (CSS). Only scores gained in qualifying competitions are applicable the system (although rule 19 general play, does allow corrects). The principle is the same, only this describes how easy or difficult the course played during a given competition. It is against this CSS score that a player's handicap is adjusted by the club. Golfers with a handicap of 5 or lower are said to be Category 1 players. Higher handicap players are categorised as Category 2, 3, or 4. For every stroke the Category 1 golfer's net score is below the CSS, their handicap is reduced by 0.1. For Category 2 golfers, this figure is 0.2, for Category 3 golfers it is a 0.3 reduction, and 0.4 for Category 4 golfers.

Similarly, amateur golfers are allowed a buffer zone to protect their handicap on "off-days". For Cat 1 this is 1 stroke, for Cat 2 this is 2 strokes, etc. This means that if a Category 1 golfer's net score is one stroke higher than the CSS, their handicap will not increase. If a golfer's net score is higher than the CSS plus buffer zone combined, their handicap will increase by 0.1. This 0.1 increase covers all golfers and does not vary by category.

Golf Club Administration

Golf clubs in GB and Ireland appoint a Handicapping Committee to administer the calculation of Handicaps. Most use computer software to do the donkey work. By far the most popular is CLUB2000 [http://www.club2000.co.uk/ Homepage] , produced by Club Systems International. Results from competitions are posted on the HowDidIDo [http://www.howdidido.com/ Homepage] , website.

Members

*English Golf Union - English Men
*English Women's Golf Association formally the English Ladies' Golf Association - English Women
* [http://www.gui.ie Golfing Union of Ireland] - Irish Men
*Irish Ladies Golf Union - Irish Women
*Scottish Golf Union - Scottish Men
*Scottish Ladies' Golf Association - Scottish Women
*Golf Union of Wales - Welsh Men & Women
*The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews the R&A - Rules of Golf Outside US, Canada & Mexico
*the Ladies Golf Union