The competition is a Pairs event with the scores adjusted by handicaps to give players of all standards an equal chance.

RULES

1.  The 2016 Competition will be played at Bookham on Monday 22^nd August and Thursday 25^th August.  Play will be as normal in the two sessions – scores will be calculated and Master Points will be awarded in the usual way, but in addition a handicap score will be calculated for participating pairs.  The adjusted scores will be used to determine the winners of the Handicap Competition.
2. The handicap assigned to each partnership will be based on the individual performances at Bookham in the current year, 1 September 2015 to 31 July 2016.  Stronger players will have a negative handicap, reducing the score they achieve on the competition days; less strong players will have a positive handicap, increasing their score.  The method of calculating handicaps is explained in the example at the end of these Rules.
3. To be eligible for the Competition you must have played a minimum of 15 sessions at Bookham between 1 September 2015 and 31 July 2016.  This qualification period is necessary to determine a fair handicap.  Full members and Waiting List members are eligible if they have played the minimum number of sessions.
4. A pair can only be included in the Competition times if BOTH players in the partnership have played the minimum number of sessions.
5. There will be a single winning pair.  Handicap scores will be calculated for both North-South and East-West partnerships, ignoring the direction of play.
6. If the same pair play on Monday and Thursday, only one score (Monday’s score) will be included in the competition. If a player plays on Monday and plays again on Thursday with a different partner, the scores of the two different partnerships will be included in the competition.
7. The handicapped results will be calculated after Thursday’s play.  A trophy will be awarded to the winning pair at the AGM in October.

CACULATING HANDICAPS

Handicaps will be calculated from the individual playing records at Bookham. 

Example

Player A  has an average score for the qualifying period of 56%, Player B has an average  score of 60%.  The Partnership average is 58%, and their handicap is therefore 50 – 58 = -8. A and B are strong players.  Their competition score will be reduced by 8%.

Player X has an average score for the qualifying period of 42%, Player Y has an average score of 46%.  The Partnership average is 44%, and their handicap is therefore 50 – 44 = 6.  X and Y are less strong players.  Their competition score will be increased by 6%.

If on competition day partnership AB scores 60%, their handicap score for the competition will be 60-8 = 52%.  If partnership XY scores 48%, their competition score will be 48 + 6 = 54%.  XY will beat the stronger AB partnership on their handicapped scores.