To obtain your first handicap we require:

• 3 cards to be submitted on either the Woodland, or 2 consecutive rounds on the Village Courses.  Non Oak Park cards are also acceptable, but a minimum of 2 must be from Oak Park.
• Maximum gross score of 106 (Woodland) or 108 (Village) on at least 2 of the cards.
• All cards to be within 3 months of each other

It’s important that the cards are properly completed.  It seems obvious, but please ensure that the card:

• Indicates which tee is used.
• Is dated.
• Clearly prints both names; the marker and the player (the marker MUST hold a current CONGU handicap, and preferably be an Oak Park GC member).
• Is signed by both player and marker.
• Has the scores added up and totalled (this is not strictly necessary but we assume you want to know what you scored!).

There have been far too many cases recently where cards for new handicaps have been put in the box with one or more of the above conditions not being satisfied.  This basic lack of compliance with CONGU rules invalidates the card just as it would if you were handing it in for a competition.

The rules for calculating your handicap are fairly straightforward:  Although there are some exceptions, in general we ignore any score greater than 2 over par on a hole, and then take your best card to determine by how much your adjusted score is greater than the standard scratch.  The maximum handicap for men is 28.

General Play

We will only adjust a player’s handicap in the period between annual reviews in exceptional circumstances. In this respect there must be compelling evidence that the handicap does not reflect the current playing ability. This will be based upon information from:

• Scores returned in Qualifying Competition (including supplementary scores)
• Performances in Match Play Competitions
• Scores in "social" golf will not normally be taken into account

The minimum reduction under General Play is 1 stroke.  

If you have any further questions, or need a handicap certificate, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Neil Dockar
John Pitt
Jez Corbin

Handicaps Committee - handicaps@opgcma.co.uk