Proposed changes to rules for Cups and Shields

LAST week I mentioned that the GUI are putting forward proposals to make changes to some of the Cups & Shields events and should these proposed changes be accepted by the delegates at all four provincial annual delegates meetings, then they will come into play for the 2018 season but let’s have a closer look at what we’re being asked to vote for.

The proposals (which are both in handicap and format) come after a lengthy review process which involved a survey of 4,000 golfers, a focus group of 12 golf club members and a series of internal discussions between the Provincial Councils and the Union’s Rules & Competitions Committee.

The Irish Junior Cup is the first event in which a change is sought whereby the proposed change is to drop the lower handicap limit from 5 to 4 and I can see why, as four handicappers in a lot of clubs would be in a type of limbo at present as they cannot play Junior Cup and in most cases, would not get on their club’s Senior Cup team.

This would be the case in a lot of clubs who would have a lot of one or two handicappers or even scratch players, but not necessarily here in Kerry.

The advantages of this would no doubt be firstly for the players who are currently in limbo, but for me the most important reason to change this would be for young players who might have played Junior cup this year and then find themselves ineligible next year because of a handicap reduction to four.

The proposed change would give these young players an extra year of competitive golf representing their clubs when they may not be good enough for the Senior Cup and Barton Shield teams, so I would be very much in favour of it and hope that it is passed.

The second proposal involves the Jimmy Bruen Shield which currently has a lower handicap limit of 6 and a minimum combined handicap limit of 17.

The proposed change would see the lower limit go from 6 to 5 and the combined limit go from 17 to 15.

I can’t see the logic in this, unless it’s trying to accommodate 5 handicappers who might not make the Junior Cup team (if the limit was dropped to four) but realistically, that might only happen in a handful of clubs, so I believe its fine the way it is right now.

It’s a similar proposal for the Pierce Purcell Shield whereby they want to allow 11 handicappers in as the previous bottom limit was 12 and they want to reduce the combined handicap limit from 27 to 25 so again I’d question the logic of this one unless they think that not enough 11 handicappers are playing in the Pierce Purcell ?

The final of these handicapmotions involves the All-Ireland Four-Ball competition where they want to reduce the individual handicap limit from 16 to 15 and combined handicap limit from 36 to 34.

Now to the non-handicap proposed changes and the first of these is to make the Pierce Purcell a “Scotch” Foursomes event whereby each player would play a tee shot and then revert to foursomes.

Its currently the format used by the Joe Carr Diamond Trophy and our own Dr Billy O’Sullivan Shield both of which are of course non-GUI events, but it works well in both and players do enjoy it.

However, changing an event as popular as the Pierce Purcell Shield to this format may not be acceptable to those who have enjoyed it for many years and although I really don’t mind whether it is changed or not, I would think that it will certainly slow down play, if four golfers must play from every tee, so if I were a betting man, I can’t see it being passed.

There is also a proposal to introduce a new All-Ireland over 55’s Seniors inter-club event and I would certainly welcome this as a lot of guys around 55 and a little older, are deemed surplus to requirements for Bruen & Purcell and cannot play in the Joe Carr because it’s for over-60’s, so bring it on I say as I might once again donn the maroon sweater of Ballybunion (if I’m picked).

The final proposed change is to the existing All-Ireland Junior Foursomes which they want scrapped and replaced with a five-man team nett event.

I have to say a big NO to this one as the All-Ireland Junior Foursomes is a great event and teaches the young players how to play foursomes golf which they will later encounter in the Purcell, Bruen and Barton Shield.

The Fred Daly is already in place for Under-18 five-man teams playing inter-club competition and if they want to introduce a new event for handicap (nett) then do so by all means, but don’t scrap the Junior Foursomes.

Finally, and probably most importantly, there is a new voting system this year whereby every single vote cast at each of the four Annual Delegates’ Meetings will be counted and the overall result will determine whether these changes are introduced.

Don’t forget that the Annual Delegates Meeting for Munster is on Wednesday November 29 in Mallow at 6.30pm