NWFCC Document — Page 6 — Croquet in the North West

2013 Guide to the Golf Croquet Handicapping Systems

Golf Croquet Handicaps are in the range 0 to 12 as set out in Law 16(see also Handicap Range Change below). Each player bears the final responsibility for playing at the correct handicap. Each player records every qualifying game on their handicap card to maintain automatically their correct handicap as described below.

Club Handicappers assign an initial handicap to players who do not have one, using table 3 or 4 below.

A player’s index is changed after each qualifying game by increasing it after a win and decreasing it after a loss. For handicap games the winner’s index increases by 10 and the loser’s index decreases by 10. It should be noted that Table 1 is non-linear due to the points exchanged being calculated on the number of handicap steps not on the handicap difference. The number of handicap steps between handicap levels is shown in Table 2 below. The mathematics of the system is identical to the previous system used in England except for a change of 4 in the quoted handicap. A player’s index cannot go below zero.

Table 2: Handicap, Steps and Trigger Points
Handicap	Trigger Point	Steps Difference	Points Change
0	1000
		4	200
1	800
		3	150
2	650
		3	150
3	500
		2	100
4	400
		1	50
5	350
		1	50
6	300
		1	50
7	250
		1	50
8	200
		1	50
9	150
		1	50
10	100
		1	50
11	50
		1	50
12	0

Qualifying games – Qualifying games are all singles games in CA Calendar Fixtures, Federation Leagues, inter-club contests (including friendlies) and internal club competitions played in accordance with the laws of the game. Friendly club games, walkovers and abandoned games are specifically excluded from the system. If a player reaches or passes through the trigger point for a particular handicap in either direction that player adopts the handicap for that trigger point as set out in Table 2. Depending on the player’s existing handicap this may or may not involve a handicap change.

However, handicap changes do not become effective immediately. They only become effective at the end of the tournament if the tournament is a CA Calendar Fixture or any other tournament lasting no more than four days. In all other cases handicap changes become effective at the end of the day. In each case the handicap change should be implemented as if the player’s index had moved in only one direction during the tournament or day in question. For instance a player’s handicap remains unchanged if the player goes through a trigger point and returns back through the same trigger point during a tournament.

Allocation of Initial Handicaps – It is the Club Handicapper’s duty to allocate a fair handicap for players who are new to golf croquet or who do not have an existing handicap. Tables 3 and 4 are provided as an aid to this process. This does not absolve the Club Handicapper from the need to watch new players carefully and adjust their handicap if necessary. Table 3 can be used for Association Croquet players with a handicap of less than 10.

Table 3: for Association Croquet players with handicap below 10
Association Croquet Handicap			Golf Croquet Handicap
Lower than -1 or extremely proven record in golf croquet			1
-1 to 0 or reasonable proven record in golf croquet			2
0.5 to 1.5			3
2 to 3			4
3.5 to 5			5
6 to 9			6

Table 4 below can be used for players new to croquet or for Association Croquet players with a handicap of 10 or more. The player starts from corner four and counts the number of strokes required to run hoops one to six inclusive, completing the exercise three times to the best of the player’s ability. Table 4 is then used to convert the aggregate number of strokes taken for the three exercises into an initial handicap. If the player’s aggregate is less than 50 the player’s handicap should be separately assessed Table 4: for players new to croquet or Association Croquet players with handicap 10+
Strokes taken	Handicap	Index Awarded
50 – 54	7	250
55 – 60	8	200
61 – 64	9	150
64 – 70	10	100
71 – 78	11	50
>79	12	0

2013 – Systems for Changing a Players Association Croquet Handicap

Presented by James Hawkins and Don Williamson to a NWFCC Meeting on Sunday 17 March 2013

Handicap Guidelines: Changes for the 2011 Season

Qualifying Games played within the CA Domain

All singles games in CA Calendar Fixtures, Federation Leagues, inter-club contests, and Designated Club Competitions qualify for the system.

Designated Club Competitions are competitions for which all the following apply:

1. run by Member Clubs
2. hoops set to CA Tournament standard
3. clearly publicised prior to the start of the tournament as consisting of qualifying games.

Short croquet, golf croquet, doubles, friendly games within a club, ad hoc games and abandoned games are specifically excluded from the system.

Friendly matches between clubs are included in the system, unless both clubs agree prior to the start of the match that the games will not be included.

The Tournament Handicapper must assign a handicap to each non CA member prior to the start of the player’s first event in the Domain.

Qualifying Games played outside the CA Domain

1. In countries with an equivalent automatic handicap system all singles games are included
2. In countries without an equivalent automatic handicap system – (a) All handicap singles games are included and (b) Level games are included where the non-CA member has a World Ranking Grade greater than 1600. The handicap of the player must be estimated using the World Ranking Grade as a guide.

Handicap Changes under the AHS

All games within an event should be played off the same handicap. However, note Regulation H1(a), which states that for tournaments that run over several weeks, such as the Longman Cup or Mary Rose, each round shall count as a separate tournament for the purposes of triggering a handicap change.

Within a CA Calendar Fixture, if one event is played to a finish before a separate event is started then a handicap change can be triggered at the end of the first event. However, if several events overlap a handicap change can only be triggered at the end of the Tournament.

Handicap Guidelines: Setting Initial Handicaps

For a beginner

A handicapper will have to watch the player play a number of games and ask himself how many bisques the player needs to win half his games against opponents he is likely to play.

The following test may be used, as guidance for the handicapper. The handicapper should set the hoops on a court according to the Tournament Regulations. The balls should be placed on court as if the standard opening had been played and the tice missed on the fourth turn. Thus, two partner balls should be placed about three yards apart on the East boundary near hoop 4. One of the other balls should be placed in the tice position near hoop 1 on the West boundary and the final ball should be placed in corner II.

The player whose handicap is being assessed should then construct and play a four-ball break to peg, finishing with a tidy leave. Each attempt should be continued to the peg even if disaster strikes along the way. The total number of bisques used to complete this exercise should be noted and the exercise should be repeated about 5 times. The handicapper may disregard the first two attempts if he considers that the player performed poorly due to lack of familiarity with the exercise.

To calculate the player’s handicap the handicapper averages the number of bisques taken to complete the exercise and then subtracts one bisque. The result is then multiplied by two and rounded to the nearest integer to give the appropriate handicap for the player.

In all other cases

A handicapper will have to watch the player play a number of games and ask himself how many bisques the player needs to win half his games.

If the handicapper is considering setting a handicap of over 8, he should ask the player to complete the above test. However, he should not adhere religiously to the test result, but should also consider factors including the player’s tactical awareness and ability to hit long roquets.

A Club Handicapper may set an initial handicap of above 8. A CA Handicapper may set an initial handicap of 0 or above.

Handicap Guidelines: Non-Automatic Changes to Handicaps

There are occasions when the AHS is unable to respond to changes in a player’s ability. These occur where:

1. the player infrequently plays qualifying games; or
2. the player is a rapid improver.

In such circumstances, it is appropriate for a non-automatic change to be made to the player’s handicap, in accordance with the procedures below.

Handicappers

There are two grades of Association Croquet handicappers appointed by the CA: Club Handicappers and CA Handicappers. CA Handicap Committee policy is that there should be a Club Handicapper active within each Member Club.

Handicaps above 8

Both grades of handicapper have power to alter and set handicaps in this range. When a player’s handicap is so altered, his index is reset to the trigger point corresponding to that handicap.

From the start of the 2012 playing season the practice of allocating odd numbered handicaps above 12 may no longer be followed. Handicappers should set an index corresponding to one of the AHS trigger points. Where players already have an odd numbered handicap they should convert to the nearest AHS trigger point.

A Handicapper who is considering setting or altering a handicap above 8 should normally ask the player to complete the test described in Setting an Initial Handicap. However, the Handicapper should also have regard to the player’s ability to hit roquets, general tactical knowledge, and the results of any qualifying games played.

Handicaps from 0 to 8

Only CA Handicappers may alter and set Handicaps in this range. However, Club Handicappers may recommend such changes to a CA Handicapper but it will not take effect until confirmed by the CA Handicapper. Any such change must be by at least 3 steps and based on a period of 10 or more consecutive Qualifying Games. Qualifying Games are games that count in the AHS.

Consultation before altering handicaps

Where practicable, before altering a player’s handicap, a handicapper should consult with any other handicapper who has changed that player’s handicap in the last three months.

Minus Players

Handicappers may not alter or set minus handicaps. In exceptional circumstances, the Chairman of the Handicap Committee, on the recommendation of a CA Handicapper, may alter or set minus handicaps.

Reporting non-automatic handicap changes

Any handicapper who changes the handicap of a CA Associate has a duty to report the change to the CA office on the appropriate form. Changes to handicaps above 8 must be reported on Handicap Report Form HC1 (PDF) (or HC1 RTF) and other changes on Handicap Report Form HC2 (PDF) (or HC2 RTF.

Appeals from decisions of handicappers

Appeals from handicap changes made by handicappers may be made to the Handicap Committee or under the Tournament Regulations. Such appeals will only be successful if the appellant can prove that either:

(a) these Guidelines and Procedures have not been followed; or
(b) no reasonable handicapper acting reasonably could have made the decision that the handicapper made.

Appeals against a decision of a Club Handicapper may be made to a CA Handicapper who is local to the player concerned.

For appeals against a decision of a CA Handicapper, the Chairman of the Handicap Committee shall nominate three members of the Handicap Committee, which may include the Chairman of the Handicap Committee, who shall hear the appeal.

There is no appeal from a handicap change under the AHS.

Power of Handicap Committee to alter handicaps

The Handicap Committee recognises that there may be times when strict adherence to these guidelines and procedures may produce an unfair result. Thus in individual cases the Handicap Committee may depart from these guidelines and procedures when it considers it just and equitable to do so.

This power shall be exercised by the Chairman of the Handicap Committee on the advice of a CA Handicapper who is local to the player concerned

The Website Needs Your Croquet Pictures

18 January 2013 by Chris Alvey

SHARP SHOOTING CROQUET WITH YOUR CAMERA

New camera for Xmas? Decent camera on your mobile phone? Photography has never been so popular, yet most images are never printed – just stored and viewed on computers, mobile phones, and social media networks such as Facebook or Flickr.. Why not consider sending your pictures to the website? Whilst the webmaster loves to receive high resolution images with excellent colour balance, this is the real world where fancy cameras are not the norm at your average croquet tournament. Whilst that image may look good on your small LCD screen (it is designed that way), once it is transmitted, cropped and enlarged it can start to look a poor specimen of its former glory. However, with a little planning almost any camera can record an image that the webmaster may be able to use in some form or other.

Surprisingly, Croquet is not an easy subject to photograph. Yes, there are opportunities for group shots, presentations, or passport type mug shots, but important as these are for the usual reports, the website also needs a wider range to keep content dynamic. Not only does your website need images, but your local media (Newspaper, and local internet news services) will gratefully take reasonable quality pictures from you and so provide your club with regular free publicity. It is worth getting to know their deadline times and make sure your offering reaches them before they go to print.

So what is stopping you?

Basic rules are commonsense – before you press that shutter button – ask yourself what are you photographing? The tournament winner with trophy? – so give us head, shoulders and trophy, obviously with look of pride and eyes looking into camera. No distracting background, no messy tables, no flagpoles sticking out of head, avoid the sky if possible and use any autofocus mechanism your device has. Check shot for sharpness, no squinty eyes, then take another one for luck – job done. If your device has built in flash try switching it on (yes, even in daylight!) and see how it adds that extra ‘pop’ to your picture. If your subject is in shadow, most definitely switch on your flash. Don’t worry about exposure, the clever algorithms in modern cameras take care of most situations.

Don’t bother editing the picture, the webmaster can customise it to suit the website – just email the file, adding details of tournament, winner and any information about the event, commenting on the Who, Why, When, Where and So What? Remember your digital images are made up of thousands of pixels – the more the better, trouble is that if you crop the image, you throw away some of these pixels; worse if you attempt any adjustment to your image (eg changing brightness) when you re-save the image then more pixels are thrown away. Each time you re-save an image this throw away process repeats – it’s the way it works! So always save a copy of your original image and only adjust a copy of it. Send the webmaster a copy of the original image since this gives maximum flexibility for the website.

Then there is the group shot – is a formal or casual shot required? Speed is of the essence here, nobody wants to stand around in the rain and wind waiting for the photographer to sort themselves out. If it is the formal shot, agree with the supremo when you can do the shot, then decide your background and put chairs or other props in place. You can then direct people into their places, tell them how to sit, stand, fold arms, hold equipment, or whatever, smile at camera and bingo. Another one for luck and everyone gets on with their day. Sharpness is essential, if you have a focussing guide – flashing light or green box – be patient and use it – it may feel like taking ages but in reality it is only a few seconds. For the informal groups, your subjects have often arranged themselves into their comfort zones, all you have to do is a quick check for background distractions, perhaps a quick exchange of places to make a visually more attractive pattern of heights, tell them how to look (are sunglasses attractive?) and click – another one in the can. Incidentally, if anyone is wearing a hat, ask them to tilt it back slightly – just avoids dark shadows in faces.

Now we need some dynamic shots. Since you play the game you will know that running around the lawn perimeter chasing the action is not a good idea; neither is walking across the line of sight of a player and using your flashgun will definitely not make you the most popular spectator! Croquet (like Fishing) is not a magnet for Sports photographers – too much hanging around to capture that unpredictable ‘special moment’! – but you have the added advantage that as a player you will know when these moments are most likely to occur. So take a chair and sit somewhere unobtrusively where you get a good view of several lawns and put your lens on its longest focal length.

If you can control your camera settings, try 1/500 sec at f8 at ISO 200 and you will not be far away. Adjust the ISO number to fine tune. Obviously fancy cameras gives you lots more options and advantages but we are talking here of popular prosumer cameras. The most common detraction in photography is Camera Shake, not the result of excessive drinking, it’s just that cameras are so lightweight just pressing the shutter button causes the camera to move slightly as the shutter opens, resulting in blurred looking pictures. The solution is a small tripod (if possible) or a shorter shutter speed, but failing that, keep your elbows pressed into your side to support the camera and better still, rest your camera on something solid – a fence post is ideal – and squeeze the shutter button gently.

Some players have characteristic actions for certain shots (you know when these are about to occur) and you can also spot those concentrated moments – lying down, bending, kneeling, hammer shots, etc. all make for different pictures. Referees ‘in action’ can surprisingly give you unusual images. Don’t forget the moment of pegging out, especially a tournament winning moment – unique moments in time and the position on the lawn can be planned for – it will always be near the peg!

There are zillions of pictures of players running hoops or striking yet another ball, so if you wish to add to this library, try and get the players face in the picture, at least let us recognise them – a low viewpoint is useful.

We all like a nice blue sky but too often we get the grey variety – not good in pictures, ends up looking washed out, since its brightness fools your automatic exposure system. So avoid the sky unless it contains an interesting rainbow, bird or even the red arrows. Similarly indoors, it is not the sky which causes problems but the fluorescent or tungsten lighting producing all kinds of strange colours in your image – so flash is a definite here. If you are too close to your subject place a white tissue over the flash to diffuse the light.

Any decent compact camera is capable of producing images that are capable of being re-produced on the website. Why not give it a go? It is very satisfying to see your work published for the world to admire.

Happy shooting.

Tony Thomas is webmaster of www.www.croquetnw.co.uk