With the introduction of the WHS coming in on the 2nd Nov 2020 and the change of Supplementary cards to General play cards.

DG competition committee have decided to suspend both types of scores for the week before & the week after the 2nd of Nov to allow all cards to be cleared as supplementary and give the new system a week to settle down.

So from Midnight the 25th Oct until 8 am on 9th Nov no supplementary or General play cards will be accepted.

Cards for defining a new handicap can be submitted as normal for new members etc i.e. their 3 cards.

Before the 9th Nov information will be published on how to complete a general play card on the WHS system on DG website as well as by email & be available in the pro shop.

(Also known as general play cards and previously known as Supplementary Cards)

With effect from 2 November, additional qualifying cards are no longer referred to as 'Supplementary Cards' and will become known as either Casual or General Play Cards. For the immediate future, everyone will understand what a Supplementary Card is but, eventually, the term will be lost in history.

As handicap software we use at DG refers to these cards as Casual Play Cards, it is term we will use but, be aware, other clubs may prefer the term General Play Cards. Both are perfectly acceptable.

Background

Whilst the UK handicap authorities would prefer it if everyone played in multiple competitions each year it is recognised that this isn't always possible and so the concept of the 'Supplementary Card' was born.
The term 'general play' refers to any golf, mostly social, that isn't part of an organised club event. Under WHS 2020 rules, in the UK and Ireland, players are not required to return cards from general play, however, if they wish to submit additional cards from time to time, they can. As these additional cards come from general play, it was felt better to refer to them as 'general, or casual, play cards' and so the term supplementary has been dropped.

Rules for the Submission of Casual Play Cards.

The basics are much the same as for supplementary cards but the scope has been expanded.

For a card to be deemed qualifying, it must be played under competition conditions, or close to and the player must adhere to the rules of golf. As with supplementary cards, for a casual play card to be valid, the player must register his or her intention to play the round before playing.

Casual play cards can be submitted in strokeplay and Stableford format. If playing Stableford, in the interests of speed of play, please pick up your ball from the moment it's not possible to score on a hole.

Standard competitions rules must be followed which means players must putt out (except on Stableford format where a player can no longer score on a hole) and no Mulligans.

The player must play with, at least, one other player who will be the marker. In normal conditions, both the player and marker must sign the card but in periods of high Covid risk, only the marker should handle and sign the card to avoid the risk of transmission.

Once registered, failure to return a casual play card is an NR and will result in a penalty as it would in a competition.

Unlike supplementary cards, whose use was restricted to the club, or clubs, a player was a member of, casual play cards can be returned at any golf club. However, to do so, the player must register at the away club before playing and return the scores there. The player must also abide by the rules and processes of that club for the submission of casual play cards and so it is advised to contact the club question to check their processes before travelling.


Completion of a Casual Play Card

The same rules apply as they would in any normal competition.

The card must be headed 'Casual Play' or 'Casual Play Card'. Both the player's and the maker's names must be clearly written in the appropriate boxes at the top of the card.

The card must be dated.

The player's gross scores to be entered in the Player A column. If playing Stableford, there is no need to enter the points. Also in Stableford, if a player is unable to score on any given hole, a simple dash ( " - " ) will do.

Normally, both player and marker must sign a card but through periods of high Covid transmission, only the marker's signature is required.

In a safe manner, the player should check the scores and then the marker should hand in the card to the Pro Shop or slip it into the Competitions post box if the Pro Shop is closed.

Methods of Registering and Returning Casual Play Scores at DG

The most important aspect of submitting casual play cards, as it was with supplementary cards, is to register intention to play on the day and before playing. Registering means actually having the name written down - merely informing someone is not sufficient. This is not a DG only rule, it's a national standard.

Currently, members have two options. The use of Howdidido is the preferred option.

1. Howdidido
Howdidido can be accessed via PC, laptop, tablet and smart phone. To use this option, a players must have a Howdidido account.

Howdidido Pre-registration
Login to your Howdidido account and on the ClubV1 Members Hub page select the Today's Golf section.

Click the Sign in box and then sign in under the Casual Round heading.

You will then need to select which course you will be playing from the drop-down selection; decide strokeplay or stableford (remember, we'd prefer stableford in order to maintain a good speed of play). Then select 'Qualifying' (please note, should you select non-qualifying your score will not be added to your record).

Then 'Sign in'. You have now registered for your round so select 'Today's Golf' to take you back to the Today's Golf screen.

Return of Scores Using Howdidido

Upon completion of round, login to Howdidido again and select the Score Entry box. Then, select the 'Enter Scores' button in the Supplementary Score box.

First, you must enter the name of the marker. If you don't your card will be rejected by the committee.

Then, you will be presented with a handicap check box. Only change it if you believe the number shown is incorrect. If this is the case, you will need to contact the handicaps committee after your round.

Then enter your scores, hole by hole, using the plus and minus buttons. When you have entered the score for hole 18, select the 'Finish' button.

You will be asked to sign and then confirm. At this point, your scorecard is sent to a 'Committee Pending' folder. The score will not be uploaded to your record until it has been accepted by the committee.

Finally, select 'Finish' and exit Howdidido. Hand your card in to the Pro Shop (or the Competitions box if the Pro Shop is closed). If the card itself is not returned the scores cannot be accepted.

2. Manual Casual Play Registration and Returns 

As previously with the supplementary card process, a player informs the Pro Shop team of their intention to play. A member of the Pro Shop team will record the player's name in the Casual Play Card register and provide the player with a numbered score card.

After the round, the player returns the competed score card to the Pro Shop. For a card to be valid, the earlier section headed 'Completion of a Casual Play Card' applies.

Should you wish to return a causal round card from another club, for the time being, you will need to follow their manual process as Howdidido does not, currently allow you to select courses other than your home club.

During periods of highest Covid transmission

The need to pre register remains, however, the Pro Shop team will not hand out the usual numbered score card. Instead, the player should ask his or her marker to take a score card. The card must be headed Casual Play Card and include all the information mentioned earlier except without the player's signature.

At the end of the round, and in a safe manner, the player should check the card and the marker returns the card to the Pro Shop team