Committee Meeting - 27th March

The Committee met today to review a number of items:

• Annual Subscriptions & Subsidies

• Handicap Allowences

• Tiebreaks

Annual Subscriptions & Subsidies

You will remember that the subscription was increased to €50 after a vote at the AGM on the 10th December 2025. This was in response to an overspend of €680 in 2025.

Three reasons were given for the overspend:

• purchase of two new trophies.

• cost of the end of year dinner.

• subsidising certain games, to keep green fee and buggy costs to a maximum of €80.

We looked again at the Society's 2025/2026 finances and concluded that:

• The overspend was due entirely to costs incurred at the end of year dinner, and associated awards (trophies, gifts, donations etc.)

• Subsiding certain games did not contribute towards the overspend.

• The €680 overspend was more than covered by the carry forward surplus of €2,183.

• The Society started 2026 with a carry forward surplus of €1,503.

And for 2026, for sake of clarity, we can advise that:

• Subscriptions will only be used to cover the Society's day to day running costs.

• We will not subsidise games from green fees or from subscriptions. The cost of each game, including buggies and prizes, will be met in full by the fees collected from those playing in that game.

• The costs of the 2026 end of year event will be reduced and kept within an agreed budget.

Based on the above, we have decided that the increase in the annual subscription to €50 is not needed and that it will revert to its previous level of €30. Those who have already paid €50 will get a €20 refund at their next game. Those that have not paid yet, should pay the €30 subscription at their first game.

Your Committee would like to advise of other changes made for 2026 intended to help keep your green fee as low as possible:

• Some courses offer a free green fee. This is worth around €2.50 per player. Where this is available to us, we will pass it on to you.

• At certain courses we may not include a prize fund. This was the case at El Saler recently. The green fee on that day was €75. With a prize fund, it would have been €83.

Handicap Allowences

Shortly after the AGM, the divisional split was reviewed and updated for 2026. At the same time, the practice of playing with a reduced handicap allowence of 90%, was also reviewed. The intention of the reduction was to level the playing field and help lower handicap players. As you know, after course and slope adjustments, higher handicap players receive more shots than do lower handicap players.

The findings were:

• Reduced handicap allowences are appropriate for mid sized fields with a standard spread of handicaps. The R&A recommendation in such an instance is 95%.

• Our fields are small and the spread of handicaps is not standard, because of our divisional split

• The divisional split levels the playing field, which negates the need to level the playing field with a reduced handicap allowence.

Based on the above, your Committee can confirm that:

• All our competitions are being played with the full handicap allowence (100%).

• Our GolfDirecto system is fully aligned with the RFEG and WHS handicapping rules that require the adjustment of a players handicap index to take into account course and slope adjustments.

Tiebreaks

Until the end of 2025, when players scored equal points, the tiebreak was decided by comparing scores on the back 9 and final holes (countback).

Given the switch to GolfDirecto at the start of this year, and our closer alignment with the RFEG, your Committee sought to establish the RFEG tiebreak rules. These are contained in the RFEG libro verde. For individual stableford handicap competitions like ours, tiebreaks are decided in favour of the player with the lower handicap.

Your Committee can confirm that we are following these rules:

• Tiebreaks will be decided in favour of the player with the lower handicap.

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We hope you like the changes we have made so far, but please feel free to to raise any issues or concerns with any Committee Member.

There are other items that we will be reviewing in the coming months. We will be looking again at Divisions, Order of Merit, Prizes, our End of Year Event, and more besides. We will keep you posted.

Thank you for your continued support, it is much appreciated, and it's what keeps White Coast still going strong today.

The Committee.