Introduction

This page provides some background information on the management of Association croquet handicaps within the context of the Purley Bury club.

The Purley Bury Handicap Committee (PBHC) is responsible for oversight of the handicaps of club members. The PBHC maintains a list of the current handicaps of all playing members. This list is available on the web site and is displayed at the club.

How handicaps are set

Players joining the club who are or were members of another club will normally be allocated the handicap they had at their previous/other club. It is the policy of the PBHC to review the handicap card, if they have one, of members joining the club.

Players joining the club to take up the game will be allocated a handicap by the PBHC (normally 24 in the first instance).

How handicaps are adjusted

The English Croquet Association (CA) operates a very effective scheme for adjusting handicaps. Each player keeps their own handicap card on which they enter details of every eligible game they play. This system is called the Automatic Handicap System (AHS) and has been operating for many years. Any player who enters CA sanctioned events (i.e. those advertised in the CA's Fixtures Book) must keep a card. The PBHC strongly recommends that any member who plays in South East Croquet Federation (SECF) events keeps a card, even if they never enter CA events. Other members may wish to keep a record of games played for their own benefit and to assist the PBHC in setting handicaps.

Therefore PBCC members fall into one of two categories:

CA AHS: Members who play in CA and/or SECF events and who keep a handicap card according to CA regulations. Members in this category must only enter onto their card details of eligible games, as defined by the CA (see below). The member's handicap will normally be determined by the AHS, and the PBHC will only intervene to adjust a member's handicap (acting as Club Handicapper) if the member does not play sufficient games for the AHS to work effectively or if there is a rapid change in the member's standard of play. This is in accordance with the guidelines published by the CA. Members in this category should notify the PBHC of any handicap changes. A member of the PBHC will sign your card to endorse a change if necessary.
No CA card: Members who do not keep a CA card. The handicaps of members in this category are reviewed from time to time by the PBHC.

Eligible Games

The CA define the following games as being eligible for entry on a handicap card:

"All singles games in CA Calendar Fixtures, Federation Leagues, inter-club contests and Designated Club Competitions qualify for the system."

Games played at Purley Bury as part of the All England Handicap competition are eligible because they are part of a "CA Calendar Fixture". The club has also designated its annual singles competition as consisting of eligible games.

Completing your card

In the AHS your handicap is determined by your current index. Each handicap level (e.g. 10, 12 or 14) is associated with an index trigger point. The table of these trigger points is printed on the official handicap card and appears here. For handicaps of 0 and above the triggers are separated by 50 index points.

For 26 or 18 point handicap games, each game you win gives you 10 index points and each game you lose costs you 10 index points. For 14 point games the index change is 5 instead of 10. When your index reaches a trigger point - either up or down - your handicap changes. So if you were winning every game (all 26pt) your handicap would change every five games (i.e. every 50 index points).

A different procedure applies for level (i.e. not handicap) games. The CA provide help on completing your card here.

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Page last modified on April 07, 2010, at 03:01 PM