From the Fairways: Handicap scheme creating golf members

When is a golfer not a golfer? The old argument was when he or she is not a member of a golf club. This situation is now according to the UGA thankfully changing as the game of golf becomes more accessible. A dilemma experienced the world of golf over is the status of the golf player who is not a member of a golf club.

The genuine golf enthusiast will traditionally join a golf club and for his subscriptions will play and experience the facilities at that club. However, a golfer who is not a member of a club, through a variety of reasons including a full membership with a wait list and the inevitable cost factor, has had a problem of status and recognition.

The ultimate catch 22 scenario, which gladly, has all but disappeared, was that a golfer could not become a member of a golf club until he had a handicap and the golfer could not get a handicap until he was a member of a club.

In the UAE, in early 1993, a project began under the Dubai Golf Handicap banner for non members of golf clubs the opportunity to gain and have administered a domestic handicap that was recognised by the Golf Clubs of Dubai as well as small golf competitions being arranged for these nomadic golfers with like interests at the local golf clubs.

With the creation of the UAE Golf Association in 1995 these Dubai Golf Handicap holders were absorbed into the UGA Handicap Scheme and became recognised in the world of golf as an official handicap under the Association banner, administered, as with all handicaps in the UAE, under the CONGU (Cou-ncil of National Golf Unions) and LGU (Ladies Golf Union) systems and a monster was created.

Today the UGA Handicap Scheme boasts an active membership of over 1700 golfers – an interesting statistic is that over a third of all golfers in the UAE are not members of golf clubs.

More significant than this is that the UGA Handicap Scheme has proudly "lost" 429 members since January 2001 – these golfers having converted to golf club membership.

It must also be ack-nowledged that in the same period 53 golfers have gone in the other direction from clubs to UGA Handicap Scheme, but they are still within the golfing community of the UAE, still using the golfing facilities – perhaps playing and also taking lessons – and are recognised by all 12 Clubs and all 5000 golfers in the UAE and the world over as legal golfers with legal handicaps that have a recognised status.

In time these golfers, experience has shown, may well revert back to club membership. Another interesting fact is that many of these UGA Handicap Scheme members spend well in excess of the annual fees of the UAE Golf Clubs, but prefer the choice of when and where to play.

There are still perhaps up to 500 golfers in the UAE who are not part of either the Club or UGA Handicap Scheme structure. For the benefit of everyone these are being targetted by the UGA but to attract these occasional golfers the support of the clubs will be required with the continuation of the 3 tier rate structures for members, UGA members and non members with perhaps a greater differential between the latter two categories.

A model structure has been created in the UAE for these non golfers. This would not have been possible without the 100 percent support of all 12 UAE Golf Clubs. The English Golf Union estimates that there are in the region of 1 million nomadic non members of golf clubs in England that they are trying to attract to their equivalent of the UGA Handicap Scheme.

It has met with positive success but without the support of all clubs through both preferential rates and acknowledgement of handicaps, total acceptance is an uphill challenge. Other golfing countries and bodies are now looking at the UAE to see how they can expand their game and embrace these non members into the golfing scene.

The UGA Handicap Scheme has been one of the success stories of the UGA. The quantity and quality of benefits and status of these non members has found its level – a balance has to be acknowledged by the UGA of club membership status.

As golf develops in the UAE the UGA Handicap Scheme golfer will gain more importance and credit as an introduction level not just for the game but for club membership that will continue to more than thrive.

Nick Tarratt is the General Manager of the UAE Golf Association (UGA).