Welcome to the Admirals Club. When you joined Oakmere Park you automatically became a member of this club. We pride ourselves and being a friendly club so if your unsure at any time don't be afraid to ask for help. We were all new members once!

All Admirals Club competitions are played under the rules of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews with the addition of the following Admirals Club Rules.

~ Course Rules
~ Competition Rules
~ Local Rules
~ Knockout Rules

A copy of The Rules of Golf are available from the Secretary, as are the Golf Rules in Brief. Our Club rules are posted on the main notice board and can be viewed on this web site by clicking the "Competition Rules" link above.

Your copy of the diary also contains the Competition Rules, Local Rules and the Competition Entry and Withdrawal Procedure

Don’t panic, there’s no test – just use them for reference as required.

We pride ourselves on holding more competitions for our members than any other club in the county and this is one of the main reasons for many to join us. The following guides will help you get started as well as being a refresher for experienced golfers:

The beauty of the game of golf is the handicapping system, which allows all standards to compete against each other on a level playing field. So don’t be afraid, get out there and play.

If you do not already have an handicap you need to hand in 3 score cards played on the Admirals Course from the yellow tees (men) or red tees (ladies). They need to be signed by yourself and a marker, who must be a member of the club. Any of the Committee Members will help to find you a marker if necessary. These cards can be returned separately or (preferably) all 3 together. Men should put their cards in either the competition box in the spike bar, or in the Handicap Secretaries box in the corridor. Ladies should place their cards in the Admirals Ladies box in the corridor. You must include the appropriate form indicating that you have not previously had a handicap. This form is in the new members starter pack and can also be downloaded be clicking here.

If you had a handicap at a previous club and you left that club more than 6 months ago you need to follow the same procedure but should inform us of the previous handicap on the same form

If you had a handicap at a previous club and left, less than 6 months ago, you need to also fill in the form and produce a handicap certificate so that your handicap can be restored at the same level.

If you are still a member of another club, you need produce a certificate from that club and to let both (or all) clubs know who is to be your home club as they will be the club responsible for handicap adjustments.

You may not take part in club competitions until your handicap has been posted on the main corridor notice board.

When first getting a handicap it will be a whole number, but as it is adjusted you will have an exact handicap to one decimal place and a playing handicap (nearest whole number). The playing handicap is the one you put on your card.

Your handicap will be up to a maximum of 28 for men and 36 for ladies, and for adjustment purposes you will fall into one of 5 categories:

Your handicap can alter in one of two ways. If the handicap committee of your home club consider that your handicap is too high or low they will adjust it under general play (CONGU rule 23). This alteration will be posted on the main notice board and it is your responsibility to check for such alterations.

The second way is by playing in Qualifying Competitions (QR’s). This is decided as follows:

If you look on a scorecard there is a SSS (Standard Scratch Score) for each course. This is the number of shots a scratch player is expected to take under ideal conditions, and your handicap has been set relative to this figure. On the day of each competition you play in, a CSS (Competition Scratch Score) is calculated according to how the course played on that day. This can vary from +3 to –1 from the SSS.

Your handicap will then be adjusted according to how you performed relative to the CSS.

For every shot you are below the CSS your handicap will be reduced by 0.1 for Category 1, 0.2 for Category 2, 0.3 for Category 3, 0.4 for Category 4 and 0.5 for Category 5.

If your score is equal to the CSS your handicap is unchanged. In addition you have a buffer zone of +1 for Category 1, +2 for Category 2, +3 for Category 3, +4 for Category 4 and +5 for Category 5.

If your score is within the CSS + your buffer zone, your handicap is unchanged. Any higher score will result in a change to your handicap.

One additional complication to this procedure is that, for handicap purposes only, in medal play, any score that is higher than a NETT double bogey, will be reduced to a NETT double bogey.

As soon as possible after a QR any handicap changes will be posted on the board. However, if you have shot a good score and enter another competition at home or away before the result is posted, you must play off your new handicap, presuming that the CSS will be equal to the SSS.
Note: You cannot give yourself a shot back if you will be getting 0.1 back and this would change your handicap, you must wait for it to be posted.

Mid-week competitions are entered by booking your own tee time either online or through the Pro-Shop or simply turning up on the day, paying the fees by swiping your smart card through the reader attached to the computer in the Spike Bar and following the on-screen instructions. This will add you onto the start sheet.

The weekend competitions tee-times will be available for booking either online or through the Pro-Shop from 6.00pm on the Saturday, 4 weeks in advance of the weekend concerned. Competitors are able to book up to 4 names in a tee slot. Where there is a Ladies Competition, Ladies will have an equal opportunity of booking a tee time.

Players using this facility to book competition tee times in advance will be deemed to be liable for the competition fee, subject to the cancellation policy shown on the notice board, in the club diary or here.

The online booking facility is accessed through the Oakmere Park web site and clicking "Tee Times" and then "Members". You will first have to register to gain access to the site.

You should enter the competition name and date on your score card. The time helps us to check who played with who when gross scores are in doubt. Your handicap must be put on the card (this is your playing handicap). The strokes received box is used where reductions are in place. Ticking the tee played box helps to ensure the correct ones were used.
In singles, only Player A line is filled in. The player B, C & D lines are used in pair’s and team competitions.
You are only responsible for the gross scores but it is helpful in stableford competitions if the Nett and points boxes are filled in. (The committee will check possible winning cards and there is no penalty for mathematical errors).
Equally, you are not responsible for the addition of gross, nett or point scores but it greatly assists in checking the competitions, as does filling in the box on the bottom right corner.
Remember to sign your card and make sure your marker has also.

Completed cards are placed in the slots underneath the computer screen (Men’s on the left, Ladies on the right). If you have entered the two’s competition and have a two remember to stamp your card.
If the competition is a QR you must return your card even if you do not complete your round, as all cards have to be used when calculating the CSS. You should enter your scores into the computer in the Spike Bar. The computer is used for the calculations and for handicap adjustments, thus all cards have to be entered on it. If you do not, then the committee have too. We reserve the right to ban players from future competitions if they consistently fail to input their scores.

All the competitions appear in the diary and on this web site under the "Fixtures" link above.

There are two main types of golf competitions, Match Play and Stroke Play:

MATCH PLAY

In match play, two players (or two teams) play every hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the lowest nett score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is “halved” (drawn). The game is won by that party that wins more holes than the other.

There are less opportunities to play match play in club competitions. The main avenue for playing this format is by taking part in the matches against other golf clubs. The men’s section play friendlies throughout the season and also take part in the Southwell Autocentre Challenge Cup competitions. The senior’s section also plays friendly fixtures throughout the season. Lists are put on the main notice boards at the start of the season for people interested in playing. You can also contact the relevant Committee member for inclusion.

The Club Knock-out competitions are also match play events and are entered by putting your name on the lists in the Pro-Shop at the beginning of the season to enter the draws.

You do not need a scorecard for match play, but using one helps to keep track of the state of play as well as making sure players know where they get shots.

In Single match play, the lower handicap player gets no shots, and the higher handicap player subtracts the lower player’s handicap from his to determine how many shots he gets. The competition rules may set a maximum handicap limit and may set a handicap allowance e.g. ¾, in which case the handicap difference is multiplied by the allowance. i.e. player A is 10 handicap, player B is 24 handicap, difference is 14, ¾ of difference is 10.5 which is rounded up to 11.

In Pairs match play, the lowest handicap player gets no shots, and the other 3 get the difference between the lowest figure and their handicap subject to the conditions above.

Note: Pairs match play can also be played as a foursome or greensome, an explanation of these is given under pairs stroke play.

STROKE PLAY

The vast majority of club competitions are stroke play competitions. In them you are playing against the course (or all the competitors or teams on the day who have entered the competition).

There are two main types of Stroke Play, Medal and Stableford, and can be played as individuals, pairs or teams.

If you enter a club singles competition you should enter the competition details including date and time on your scorecard. Your name is entered as player A, with no name against player B. The handicap box is for your playing handicap, not your exact, and the strokes received box is only used where there is a maximum handicap for the competition or where a handicap allowance is being used e.g. ¾. The boxes to indicate which tee is played should be ticked. You then need to exchange cards with others in your group so that someone else marks your card.

In medal play, the marker will then mark your gross scores down column A and can keep a check on his own scores using the Marker’s column. At the end of the round you must check that the gross scores are correct on your card, sign it and ensure your marker does. You should add up your scores, subtract your handicap and record your nett score, also putting this in the box in the bottom right hand corner. You cannot be disqualified for not doing the arithmetic, but it greatly helps the organisation and you will not be held to account for mistakes, other than wrong gross scores. You should the enter your gross scores on the computer in the Spike Bar. The card should then be placed in the box provided. The lowest gross scores on the day win the prizes, these may be organised into three divisions by handicap.

In stableford competitions the prizes are determined on a points basis. Two points are awarded for a nett par on a hole, 1 for a nett bogey (1 over par), 3 for a nett birdie (1 under par), 4 for a nett 3 under par etc. The marker, as before, enters the gross score in column A. He should then enter the nett score for that hole in the Nett Score column, and the stableford points in the last column. The card should then be signed as above, the stableford points totalled in the bottom right hand corner bo x.. The scores should then be entered into the computer in the Spike Bar. The card should then be placed in the box provided. The highest points scores win the prizes.

A third type of individual stroke play is a bogey (or par) competition. Your gross and nett scores are recorded as for a stableford competition, but instead of points you simply get a plus for a nett score better than par, a minus for a nett score worse than par and a zero for a nett par. These are recorded in the last column and totalled at the bottom.

PAIRS STROKE PLAY

If the competition to be played is a pairs competition entry is made as per the singles competition, but you will be playing in pairs. One partners name is entered on the card as player A and one as player B. Usually you go out as a fourball, i.e. 2 teams of two, with one card per team. You exchange cards and mark the other pair’s card. If you are in a three ball, one player usually acts as a marker and is not in the competition, however he can take part in a “betterball” competition but is at a disadvantage.

There are 3 main types of pairs stroke play:

1) Betterball (Rules 30 and 31). In a betterball competition both partners play their own ball at each hole. The better nett score of the partners count on each hole. The gross score is entered either in column A or column B, according to who had the better score, and his nett score entered under “Nett Score”. If the competition is a stableford then the points are entered in the final column. Usually each player in a betterball plays off a reduced handicap (usually ¾), the number of handicap strokes allowed being recorded in the box marked “strokes received”.

2) Foursome (Rule 29). In a foursome competition each pair has only one ball and players alternate playing it. If player A tees off at the first hole, player B will play the second shot, A the third and so on until the hole is finished. On the second hole, B will tee off (regardless who played the last putt on the first hole), then A does the second shot and so on. Thus one partner always tees off on the odd holes and the other on the even holes. Adding their handicaps together and using the handicap reduction in the competition rules determine the number of strokes the pair receives. The competition may be medal play or stableford. (Match play can also be played as a foursome). Gross, nett and points are recorded as before. The gross may be entered entirely in column A, or use A and B to show whose drive was used.

3) Greensome. A greensome is a special type of foursome in which each partner tees off, the pair then chooses which players drive to use, and his partner then plays the second shot using this drive. They then alternate as before. This is repeated at each hole.

Another form of pairs play is a Texas Scramble, but as this is usually played as a team competition and is described below.

Yet another form of pairs play is the aggregate medal or aggregate stableford competition. Here, both players play as if they are in a singles competition, except the marker will score both players on the same card, one in column A and one in column B, and, in a stableford competition, the combined points in the last column. At the end, either the stableford points are added up or, in the case of a medal, the two nett scores added together.

TEAM COMPETITIONS

There are two main types of team competitions:

1) 2 from 4. (Sometimes called an AM/AM or, if a Pro is in the team, a PRO/AM). In a two from four competition, four players play together as a team. The players names are entered on the card as players A, B, C & D and their gross scores entered in the respective columns. The final two columns are for the team nett score and points on each hole. All four players play each hole individually, but only the 2 best nett scores count and the grosses recorded in the relevant columns. At the end of the competition, 2 players from the team sign the card.
A “yellow ball” competition is a special form of 2 from 4, where one player, usually player A, is selected before playing the first hole and his score must be one of the two that counts. At the second hole a different player is selected, usually player B, the third hole player C, and the fourth player D. This same pattern is then to be adhered to for all the holes.

2) Texas Scramble. In A Texas Scramble each player in a team tees off on each hole and the players decide which shot was best. Every player then plays his second shot from that spot and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished. The competition rules will stipulate the handicap allowance of the team, which is usually a percentage of the sum of the handicaps of the team. The rules usually also require that each team members drives are used on a minimum number of holes. In this case, the team score is entered in the column of the player whose drive is used.

SOCIAL EVENTS

In addition to golf competitions we also have a number of social activities through the year at which you would be very welcome. This years programmed events can be viewed by clicking on the "Social Events" link above. Other ad hoc events are also put on from time to time and these will be advertised on the notice boards around the club house. Reports on activities that have happened can be view by clicking the "News" link above.