The Mens Committee wants to encourage members to enter competitions, improve their standard, and above all enjoy their golf.
On this page: Handicaps: Competitions : Matches : Social Events : Open Events : Finally
Handicaps
All our members are members of the English Golf Union by virtue of our membership of the Cambridgeshire Area Golf Union.
If you do not have a handicap you need to submit three cards with a score on every hole of the course. This can be over any perion of time and should be played off the yellow tee markers. The card should be marked by someone who is a member of this club, or who has a handicap from another affiliated club. A member does not need a handicap to mark your card. The scores should be in the low hundreds, and there should preferably be one of under 100. Mark the card "For Handicap" and make sure your name and number are legible. Put the cards in the club's letterbox in the Mens changing room.
The highest handicap you can be given is 28. The handicap committee will process your three cards, and post your handicap in the glass case in the mens changing room. It is usually only possible to reduce your handicap after the initial award by playing in competitions. [Back to Top]
Competitions
The club holds 17 individual Medal competitions each year, 6 Stableford competitions and 11 other competitions mostly for pairs of players.
Entry sheets for competitions are posted on the notice-board in the lobby at least two weeks before the competition is due to be played.
Allow ten minutes at least before your tee time. When you arrive pay the Green Fee in the shop, and report to the starter who is usually a member of the Committee. The competition entry fee is usually £2.
You will exchange cards for marking purposes with another member of your match. He will mark your score in the player 'A' column (see scorecard) and his own score in the leftmost column of the card. After the round you sign his card and agree the score with him. Check your score, sign your card and put it in the box provided.
(The commonest cause for disqualification is players forgetting to sign their cards.)
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Matches
Every year the club has matches against other clubs in the area. Some of these are for the lower handicap players, but there are friendly matches against Mens, Ladies and Seniors teams from other Clubs. Seniors matches are for players over 55. There are also 9 mixed matches each year. Entry sheets for all these are put on the lobby noticeboards well before each match.
These matches are a good opportunity to meet other members of the club and to visit other courses. All matches are followed by a meal, at which you will be required to wear a jacket and a tie. If you play regularly we shall ask you to wear a club shirt and sweater and encourage you to buy a club tie.
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Social Events
During the year the Club organise two or three days out at other Golf Clubs within a hours journey where we usually play 36 holes. They usually conclude with a meal at the Club concerned where the jacket and tie rule is enforced.
We also have an annual Autumn Break playing one round each day. These are usually within a reasonable distance.
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Open Events
We receive notification of 'Open' events held by many clubs in the district. These sometimes have handicap restrictions on them but most players can usually find something suitable. You would be wise to ask for a handicap certificate before attending these events. The posters and entry forms are available in the Mens Changing room.
Thorpe Wood holds four Open Events during the year: Opens: For more detail click on the link.
Finally...
A brief word on etiquette. One of the commonest causes of complaint is speed of play. Please read the 'Rules of Golf' which contains more information on this, but as far as Thorpe Wood is concerned, be ready to play when it is your turn and try to play briskly. Don't hurry yourself, but don't waste time.
We hope you have found these notes useful and wish you many years of successful and enjoyable golf
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