[AndyJ]

I'm the handicap secretary for a small local Golf Society. I generally follow the UK CONGU rules for assigning and adjusting handicaps however, the Society has a number of slightly more draconian rules.

We play three competitions a year, excluding tours, League Championship, Matchplay Cup and Winter League. The League Championship is a league table of players Stableford scores from 6 organised events with the best 4 of 6 counting towards their league position. The Matchplay Cup speaks for itself and the Winter League is another matchplay event that starts in small leagues with the winners of those leagues going on to play in a knockout stage, obviously through the Winter months.

We have the following extra handicap cut rules that go on top of the usual CONGU rules:

• Top 3 in any League Championship event get cut, 1st 1 shot, 2nd 0.5 shots, 3rd 0.2 shots.
  
• 5 points scored on 1 hole in a League Championship event gets cut, 1 shot.
  
• Overall winner of the League Championship gets cut, 1 shot.
  
• Overall winner of the Matchplay Cup gets cut, 1 shot.
  
• Overall winner of the Winter League gets cut, 1 shot.
  
• For Tour events handicap adjustment is the same as a League Championship event but only for the whole event not each day.

The Society is limited to 20 members and we have been running now for 2 years.

Here's my issue. The handicaps of the members are starting get too low for their playing ability.

We would like to keep the extra handicap cuts we do mainly because it adds to the entertainment value for those who did not win. But I think we do need to do something to better balance the handicaps of the players.

I am considering increasing the +0.1 to +0.2 for not playing to your handicap on each League Championship event. By my logic this would mean I would be adding +1.7 shots into the overall Society to balance the -1.7 shots I'm taking off the top three.

I would welcome the thoughts of all of you out there and any ideas to achieve the right balance.

Thanks,

Andy