25
May
2021
In a letter to affiliated clubs, the governing body announced more details about its plans to offer non-members an official handicap... England Golf's scheme to offer non-members an official handicap is expected to launch in early July. The governing body's independent golfer initiative will cost subscribers £40 annually and will see players gain a World Handicap System index, as well as personal liability insurance and access to England Golf's app to post scores, track progress and engage with other golfers. In a letter sent to affiliated clubs, England Golf also confirmed golfers who have left a club within the last six months would not be eligible to subscribe and that county and national events would remain open to golf club members only. It would be at the discretion of clubs, the letter said, to create an independent golfer-only competition or whether to "integrate them into some or all of the existing club competitions". Golfers will obtain an index in the usual way, by submitting scores from 54 holes of golf in any combination of nine and 18-hole scores. All rounds need to be pre-registered on the England Golf app and, on completion, must be "digitally verified by a playing partner who is either a golf club member or subscriber to the new platform". Surplus money generated from the new platform would be invested back into the game, with areas of investment that could include special projects funding for golf clubs, women and girls' participation, junior development and support for disability and minority groups. The governing body said that, since January, a working group had "consulted with clubs, counties and other stakeholders on plans to develop the platform for independent golfers with the ultimate aim of driving golf club membership" and that the final business model had been agreed. The scheme will be open to any golfer with a home address in England with registration taking place online for a 12-month rolling subscription. "Subscribers will sit outside of the current affiliation framework (including membership of the county". The letter also reveals that England Golf will "carry out all administration duties with no burden of work on clubs or counties". For clubs that wish to engage with subscribers of the new scheme, it added: "A simple process will be put in place for clubs to notify England Golf of opportunities they wish to promote to this audience. "This may, for example, include the following: green fee promotions, competition and event entry, club membership offers. "England Golf will communicate directly with golfers interested in exploring these offers and provide a platform to share details". For more on the scheme, visit the Independent Golfer update at England Golf's website. Do you subscribe to the GCMA's weekly E-newsletter? Make sure you're not missing out on the latest in the world of golf club management. Click here to join in. Please LOGIN to read the full article.
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