The key requirements for obtaining a first handicap are as follows:

• 3 cards to be submitted to the handicap committee ( placed in box outside the locker rooms). All cards should be submitted over a three month period.
• All 3 cards must be from Oak Park. At least 2 of the 3 must be on the Woodland course. Two consecutive rounds on the Village course (comprising 18 holes ) is an acceptable third card.
• Where members join to play the Village course only then 3 cards showing rounds of 18 holes are acceptable.
• Maximum gross scores of 106 (Woodland) and 108 (Village) must be obtained.For Ladies maximum gross on either course is 120.
• Cards must be marked/signed off by a long standing OP member, preferably a committee member. Ladies must have 1 card marked by a Ladies committee member.
• It is important that cards are completed clearly and comprehensively: ie
  Are properly dated.
  Indicate which tee is used.
  Names of both player and marker are printed on the card and duly signed (the marker MUST hold a current CONGU handicap).
• Failure to ensure this will invalidate your cards and they will not be taken into account.

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(3 over par for Ladies) 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, for ladies 36.

General Play
The minimum reduction under general play is 1 stroke.
We will only adjust a players 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 Competitions
• Performances in Match Play Competitions

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Keith McDowell
John Pitt
Maggie Core

Handicaps Committee - handicaps@opgcma.co.uk