Handicap Guidelines: Changes for the 2003 Season

The following important changes have been made since the Guidelines were last published:

The maximum CA handicap has been reduced from 28 to 24. All players with a CA handicap above 24 will start this season with a handicap of 24 and an index of 850.
However, note that ‘no player whose handicap is over 20 when they enter, may play in an event organised by the CA. This limit does not normally apply to events organised by clubs, although any limit may be advertised in advance. For Association Croquet doubles, the maximum handicap a player may have is 20’: Regulation H1(e).
Clubs remain free to set club handicaps above 24 for their internal use. However, such handicaps may not be used in qualifying games.
From March 2000, Club Handicappers have had jurisdiction over handicaps above 8.
The break test (described below) is now just one factor that a handicapper should consider when setting and altering handicaps.
Handicappers now have a duty, where possible, to consult other handicappers who have altered a player’s handicap in the previous three months before making a handicap change.
Qualifying Games have been re-defined to remove ambiguities.
At Tournaments (other than CA Calendar Fixtures) that last no more than 4 days, a handicap change can only be triggered at the end of a Tournament.
For CA Calendar Fixtures, the position remains that a handicap change can only be triggered at the end of the Tournament. However, note Regulation H1(a), which states that for tournaments that run over several weeks, such as the Longman Cup or Mary Rose, each round shall count as a separate tournament for the purposes of triggering a handicap change.
Provision is now made for the non-automatic adjustment of minus handicaps.
A procedure has now been established for appeals against the decisions of handicappers. The requirements that must be satisfied before the decision of a handicapper to be overturned are set at a high level and allow a large margin of appreciation.
Note that this is in addition to the established appeals procedure under Regulation O1(c) of the Tournament Regulations, which only applies to appeals from Tournament Handicappers at CA Calendar Fixtures.
Previously if Club Handicappers wished for a handicap under 8 to be altered or set they had to recommend such changes to the HCC. Now the procedure is that a Club Handicapper should recommend such changes to an Association Handicapper, normally one within their Federation.

All players are required to maintain handicap cards, even A-class players who do not play handicap games. The reason for this is:

it is important for the leading players to set a good example; and
for the Inter-Counties, players’ handicaps affect the pairings that their teams may field. It is therefore important for players’ handicaps to be accurate and to achieve this they must maintain a handicap card.

The HCC is aware of the concerns expressed by some players about the operation of the handicap system. We are looking into this matter.