Policies & Documents

Policies & Important Documents

Matters relating to the Rules of Golf are the responsibility of the HG Championships Committee (CC), under the leadership of the Director of Championships.

Its activity includes:

• promoting the knowledge and understanding of the Rules of Golf throughout Hertfordshire clubs and amongst competitors in HG events
• producing a Hard Card at the start of each season, setting out the Local Rules that will apply to all HG events produces during the year. (This is likely to be closely aligned with the England Golf Hard Card for that season)
• working towards the target of having at least one person with an accredited knowledge of the Rules in every Hertfordshire club
• staging Rules Roadshows around the county to provide the opportunity for all HG affiliated members to learn about the Rules through practical demonstrations and discussion
• managing a team of qualified referees who officiate at all HG events

Club officials may submit Rules queries to the County Secretary who will reply with the help of the members of the Committee

Clubs are also encouraged to seek HG advice regarding their own Local Rules whenever necessary

HG Rules Accreditation will be awarded to any affiliated member who attends a Rules Roadshow and subsequently score over 90% in the R&A online Level 1 Rules exam

All HG referees have attained an R&A Level 2 qualification. Some have achieved Level 3 qualification. The CC ensures that referee qualifications are revalidated as required and upgraded when appropriate. Potential new referees are advised regarding the process for obtaining the relevant qualification and invited to shadow current referees at HG events.

For Rules of Golf queries or Local Rules queries please contact the County Secretary, secretary@hertfordshiregolf.org.

Please click here to view the HG Rules Information document published January 2025

Hertfordshire Golf Referees

The following referees are qualified to England Golf Level 2 or higher and form the current HG Tournament Panel:

• Jane Bellis – Porters Park
• Chris Bourne -Bedfordshire
• Ed Devine -Brickendon Grange
• Simon Deeley – Letchworth
• Judith Elborn – Mill Green
• Steve Fownes – Verulam
• Alastair Fraser – Old Fold Manor
• Colin Hinton – Letchworth
• Chris James – Mid Herts
• Peter Jennings – Berkhamsted
• John Lambe – Porters Park
• Carl Lawson – Aldwickbury Park
• Chris Medley – Stocks
• Neil Millar – Sandy Lodge
• Robert Moore – Batchwood Hall
• Marcia Oram – Bishops Stortford
• Liz Perrottet – Berkhamsted
• Anne Pyke – Harpenden
• Nick Simpson – Essendon
• Alan Thomson – Verulam
• Peter Uri – Porters Park
• Hugh Wikner – Hadley Wood
• Sue Wild – Berkhamsted

Herfordshire Golf Rules Accreditation

The following club members have been awarded HG Rules Accreditation:

• Berkhamsted: Richard Luker
• Brickendon Grange: Colin Hyde
• Brookmans Park: Amy Scott
• East Herts: Pauline Maile
• Essendon: John Amos & Nick Simpson
• Great Hadham: Trevor Dearing
• Hadley Wood Artisans: Chris Rose
• Harpenden: Karen Ellam
• Little Hay: Brian Ridgeway
• Mill Green: Jacqui Dixon
• Moor Park: Robin Colbourne, Jessica Myers, Janet Smith, Ali Walji
• Old Fold Manor: David Dobinson
• Stevenage: Simon Hinton, Nick Monk
• Stocks: Helen Medley
• The Melbourne Club: Mark Rimmer
• Verulam: Don Ward

England Golf Rules Ambassador

• Batchwood Hall: Graham Harvey
• Essendon: Jane Simpson
• Letchworth: Esther Strous
• Royston: Alan Greenbank
• Sandy Lodge: Judy Barker & David O’Donnell
• The Shire London: John Reynolds
• Whitehill: Andrew Smith

Contact for all enquiries on Course Rating:

course.rating@hertfordshiregolf.org  or  club.services@hertfordshiregolf.org

The USGA Course Rating System is the standard upon which handicaps are built. It drives the calculation of a Handicap for all golfers and is a central feature of the new World Handicap System that is being introduced throughout 2020.

The USGA Course Rating System takes into account the factors that affect the playing difficulty of a golf course.

Course rating teams from Hertfordshire Golf carry out the on-course portion of the rating process across the county. England Golf reviews the work of the teams and then issues the ratings.

Accuracy and consistency are the keys to effective course rating. A course must first be accurately measured. The measured yardage must then be corrected for the effective playing length. These effective playing length corrections are roll, elevation, dogleg/forced lay-up, prevailing wind, and altitude. Obstacles that affect playing difficulty must then be evaluated in accordance with established standards. These standards increase objectivity in course rating.

The County Secretary for Hertfordshire Golf is the delegated ‘County Handicap Advisor’ for all handicapping matters in Hertfordshire for all affiliated golf clubs and their members.

The County Handicap Advisor acts under the overall authority of Hertfordshire Golf under its responsibilites as the Regional Association. England Golf as the National Governing Body have overall authority in all handicapping matters within England.

The Worldwide Handicapping System (WHS) came into operation in the UK and Ireland in November 2020 and is the only authorised handicapping system in use. The WHS saw its 1st set of revisions in January 2024. 

For any handicap enquiries please contact the County Secretary via email on secretary@hertfordshiregolf.org

Useful web links;

England Golf website, Handicapping pages – https://www.englandgolf.org/handicapping

England Golf WHS Resource Center – https://www.englandgolf.org/resource-listing?topics=1

See dedicated page here for all General Rules for All Competitions