KGU tightens enforcement of the rules of handcapping
Instances of members whose handicaps are domiciled in Club A but they play most of their golf in Club B where they are also members will be discarded
Players and clubs are now under strict instructions to abide with the rules of handicapping. The rules strongly recommend that a handicap review be done at least once a year, at the discretion of the handicap committee, or at the request of a player or another player at any time.
The handicap committee under Kenya Golf Union (KGU) is responsible for the handicap review and ensures that the Handicap Index of a player reflects their demonstrated ability. To assist this process, the Handicapping Software (ClubV1) now offers a handicap review report that gives recommendations on upward and downward adjustments.
A statement from Kenya Unified Handicapping Committee chairman David Kihara stated; “The Handicap Committee will review the players listed in the report and also those that may have been flagged for review and determine the value of the handicap adjustment to be applied up to a maximum of two (2) strokes. The adjustments can only be done in whole numbers (-2, -1, +1, +2) and must be communicated as such.”
Additionally, adjustments that are more than 2 strokes will only be made under exceptional circumstances such as illness, injury, or temporary disability impacting the ability of the golfer to play with or against all other players on a fair and equitable basis (Rule 7.1a) of the Rulebook.
Once the committee has conducted the review, the adjustment must be communicated to the player, and an opportunity to respond or appeal is given. The handicap committee will then communicate the confirmed list of adjustments to the Kenya Golf Union secretariat.
During this review, the handicap committee must also ensure that the golfers are handicapped at the clubs where they play most of their golf for proper oversight and management of the handicap index.
Instances of members whose handicaps are domiciled in Club A but they play most of their golf in Club B where they are also members will be discarded. The Rules of Handicapping prohibit a player from designating a Home club to obtain a Handicap Index that could give them an unfair advantage.
In addition, the rules provided are that the designation of a Home club should take into account several criteria including proximity to primary residence, frequency of play, and the golf club where a player submits most of their acceptable scores.
