Quick links for leagues:
| Unrestricted Handicap (U) | Beginners Handicap (B) | One Lawn Handicap (S) |
| Restricted Level Golf (GR) | Handicap Golf (GH) | |
| B & U: full bisques | At a Single Lawn Club | Advantage GC incl videos |
General Rules
Changes for the 2024 season: the use of substitutes has been clarified and we are joining the trial of alternate stroke doubles in AC matches.
Each club has four fixtures in each league; the home team has responsibility for contacting their visitors to arrange a mutually convenient date and for reporting the result. No extra fixtures can be arranged. If a match cannot be arranged please contact the League Secretary as soon as possible to arrange an alternative match with another team in the same situation.
Teams consist of 4 players (except for the Association B and S Leagues). There is no general cap on handicaps and players must play off their correct handicap.
Substitutes:
- Each team may have up to 2 substitute players for each league match or day of a tournament.
- A substitute player may take the place of any team member who becomes incapacitated during an event for reasons of sickness or injury.
- A substitute player may take the place of any team member as a scheduled change but such replacements must be planned at the beginning of the day and the opposing league team or tournament manager informed. This means there cannot be adhoc substitutions according to the vagaries of play on the day.
The exact number of games played is set in the individual League Rules, but unless agreed in advance, any other games played will be treated as purely friendly and will not count towards the league match.
The winning team earns 3 league points and the losing team earns 1 league point (thus giving credit for arranging and turning up to matches). If a team is missing players the relevant game(s) are forfeit.
A walkover (for 3 points) can be claimed if the opposing team fails to appear or if the match is cancelled within 48 hours of the start time. Furthermore, if a match has been arranged and a team then withdraws and no alternative date can be agreed, a walkover may be claimed against the defaulting team.
The league winner will be the team with the most league points. If two teams only are tied and have played each other then the winner shall be the winner of that match; otherwise the tied teams shall be placed in order of percentage games won; if necessary, these two stages may be repeated until a winner is found. If there remains a tie then play-offs among the tied teams will be held before April of next year.
(Team Captains should be aware that the win % will be impacted if clubs decide to abandon the remaining games once one club has achieved sufficient game wins to win the match.)
Only members of a club may play for that club. A team may comprise more than one small club if the club is unable to raise their own team.
A player may only play for a single club in each league, but may play for different clubs in other leagues. When a club enters more than one team in a league, players may only play for one team.
All players should bring their handicap cards to the match. If a player doesn’t bring one this should be reported to their Club Handicapper and the League Secretary and the handicap to be played off is a maximum of 6 for Golf (or the handicap specified in table 4 of the CA’s Golf Croquet handicapping guide – initial handicap setting where they have an Association handicap below 10).
All singles games should be entered on the appropriate AC or GC handicap card.
These rules may be varied by agreement between the two teams involved in a match, e.g. having an additional round counting in the B League or playing a match in the A League in which both sides field only 3 players.
The time limits are defined in the rules pertaining to each league below and are mandatory. Only in very exceptional cases should a game end in a draw (for example, a player is taken ill). In all other cases a winner is required. For Association Croquet matches, Law 61 applies. For Golf Croquet matches CA Tournament Regulation T3 shall apply.
Association Croquet: Prior to the start of a doubles game, either side may elect to apply Association Croquet Law 50 (alternate stroke doubles play); otherwise conventional doubles play laws shall apply to that game.
Golf Croquet – Playing with Reasonable Despatch: GC Rule 16.3 shall apply to all SECF GC League matches.
All matches should be completed and reported by 1st October. The leading teams in the two GC handicap leagues need to complete their matches earlier so that the qualifying play-off for the Federation Shield can take place.
Unrestricted Association Handicap League (U)
Each match consists of 7 games, a round of 2 singles and a doubles and a round of 4 singles. There is no restriction on which 2 players play in the doubles game. The singles games will be paired in handicap order for the round of 4 singles.
Each game will be a full 26-point game, with a time limit of 3 1/4 hours.
All games are played handicap with full bisques to a base of 6; Appendix 3 of the Laws of Association Croquet shall apply.
If a lawn is less than 2/3 size normal handicap differences are reduced by a factor of 2/3.
If there is a two-way tie at the top of the league between teams that have not played, there is a play-off. If not, then the general tie-breaker rules apply.
The winner of the league is eligible for entry into the CA’s Secretary’s Shield competition for the subsequent year.
Beginners Association Handicap League (B)
Each team consists of three players and each match consists of 3 rounds of 14pt games, each round consisting of one singles and one doubles game. Team members will be listed in ascending handicap order A to C versus a to c. In the first round A will play singles against a, in the second round B will play singles against b and in the third round C will play singles against c.
All games shall be played with full bisques to a base of 6; Appendix 3 of the Laws of Association Croquet shall apply.
All games are played handicap, with a time limit of 90 minutes. If a lawn is less than 2/3 size normal handicap differences are reduced by a factor of 2/3.
Each player’s handicap must be at least 10 when the fixture is arranged.
One Lawn Association Handicap League (S)
Each team consists of 3 players and each match consists of 4 games, two rounds of a singles and a doubles. The doubles pairings may not be the same in each round.
All games are played handicap and a time limit of 3 1/4 hours. If a lawn is less than 2/3 size normal handicap differences are reduced by a factor of 2/3.
Restricted Level Golf League (GR)
League teams will be listed in ascending handicap order A to D versus a to d. In the first round A and B will play doubles against a and b and C will play d and D will play c. In the second round the players will play singles in order (a total of 7 matches).
All games are played level, with a 1 hour time limit. Each individual match comprises a best of three 13-point games.
Results of all single games should be submitted to the CA ranking system following the instructions provided on the League Results Submission Process page.
The sum of the four players’ handicaps must be at least 16. No player with a handicap of 1 or below is eligible to play. If a selected player’s handicap becomes altered outside competition ranges up to 30 days before a pre-arranged match, the person may still play in that match.
Handicap Golf League (GH)
These rules are under revision for the 2023 season, to take account of Advantage Handicap play.
There are two leagues split according to regions designated West and East.
Each match consists of nine 1st-to-7 point handicap games played according to Rule 21 of the WCF GC Rules 6th Edition. There will be three rounds: 2 doubles, 4 singles, and 2 singles and 1 doubles. There is no restriction on which 2 players play in the doubles games, however all singles games in the second (singles only) round must be played in handicap order.
All games are played Advantage Handicap, without a time limit. However, if captains agree, a time limit may be imposed, either at the outset or during the match, should it be expedient to do so. If a time limit is imposed and the game is unfinished, then the winner of the game must be calculated as set out in the document “Advantage GC 2023 How To Play – Complete”; we strongly recommend using the Winner Scales set out in that document as the easiest method to use.
When a fixture is played at a club using only a single lawn the home team must contact their visitors well before the match to discuss and agree the planned schedule of play. As with all SECF Leagues, the format of the match may be adjusted to take account of local limitations, subject to the agreement of both captains. If time constraints are a significant issue (perhaps due to longer travel distances) please consider using the 1st-to-four point game rather than time limits.
Federation Shield
The club eligible to take the Federation’s place in the Federation Shield shall be the winner of the East and West Divisions of the GC Handicap League with the better result (determined by the number of League points and then the percentage of games won). If the two winners have identical results the nominee shall be chosen by a coin toss, or similar method, arranged by the Federation Secretary.
If a club cannot take up the place by choice or circumstance it shall be given to the winner of the other Division. If neither of the winners of the Divisions can take up the place it shall be given to the team from either Division which has the next best result.
B & U Leagues: Playing with full bisques
The B and U Leagues are now played with full bisques to a base of 6. This means that any player in a singles game whose handicap is above 6 will receive bisques, not just the higher handicapped player or side. It also applies in doubles matches, and both teams may receive bisques, depending on the handicaps of the two players in each team.
The B League has 14 point games so any bisques must be reduced using the table in the AC Laws Schedule 1 AFTER making the calculations below.
Here is a reminder of how to work out the bisques, with some examples.
Singles
Is the handicap of either (or both) of the players 6 (the base) or below? If so, normal handicap calculation method applies. Otherwise, each player gets their handicap minus 6 bisques.
Examples:
1. Player A h/c 18 v Player B h/c 10.
Neither player is below the base of 6 so Player A gets 18 minus 6 equals 12 bisques and Player B gets 10 – 6 = 4 bisques.
2. Player A h/c 10 v Player B h/c 4.
Player B is below the base of 6 so normal method applies: Player A gets 6 bisques (10 – 4) and Player B gets none.
3. Player A h/c 2 v Player B h/c 5.
Both players below base so normal method applies: Player B gets 3 bisques.
Doubles
First follow normal procedure: add both handicaps and divide by two. If one or other team has a joint handicap of 6 or less, normal method applies. Otherwise each side gets their joint handicap minus 6 bisques.
Examples:
1. Player A h/c 12 & Player C h/c 14 v Player B h/c 8 & Player D h/c 16.
Team A/C has joint handicap of 12 plus 14 then divided by two equals 13.
Team B/D has (8 + 16) / 2 = 12. Neither team’s joint handicap is below the base of 6 so Team A/C gets 13 – 6 = 7 bisques and Team B/D gets 12 – 6 = 6 bisques.
2. Player A h/c 4 & Player C h/c 12 v Player B h/c 3 & Player D h/c 20.
Team A/C joint handicap is (4 + 12) / 2 = 8 and Team B/D is (3 + 20) / 2 = 11.5. Neither team’s joint handicap is below the base so both get bisques: Team A/C gets 2 and Team B/d gets 5.5.
3. Player A h/c 6 & Player C h/c 5 v Player B h/c 8 & Player D h/c 12.
Joint handicaps are 5.5 and 10 for the two teams. One team’s joint handicap is below the base of 6 so normal method of calculation applies. Team B/D will get 4.5 bisques.
Please note there have been changes to the laws governing Alternate Stroke Doubles Play. See Laws Appendix 3 and Appendix 4. The AC laws committee agreed that there should be no restriction on using bisques in that form of the game.
Playing League Matches at a Single Lawn Club
Comment from Reigate Priory: “The “hybrid home” match formula worked out OK for us and Ealing, playing here and there simultaneously with teams split 2&2.“
By prior agreement between the two clubs (Team Captains or League Contacts) involved, the rules allow the match format to be varied, and single lawn clubs are being encouraged to do so to play their home matches at home. Here are some ways that might be achieved:
U League
Standard match: 7 games, a round of 2 singles and a doubles and a round of 4 singles. There is no restriction on which 2 players play in the doubles game. The singles games will be paired in handicap order for the round of 4 singles.
Example revised match: 7 games. Players AB play doubles against ab, then A v a & B v b as singles. Subsequently, on another day or at another venue, C v c & D v d, then D v c & C v d. The handicap in order rule is relaxed.
B League
Standard match: 3 rounds, 1 singles and 1 doubles game per round.
Example revised match: 3 rounds. On a standard lawn it should be possible to double-bank the singles and double games; on a small lawn the doubles and singles might need to be played consecutively over two sessions rather than in one round and the number of rounds reduced to two.
GC Level League
Standard match: League teams will be listed in ascending handicap order A to D versus a to d. In the first round A and B will play doubles against a and b and C will play d and D will play c. In the second round the players will play singles in order (a total of 7 matches). Each individual match comprises a best of three 13-point games:
AB v ab & C v d, D v c; A v a, B v b, C v c, D v d.
Example revised match: reduce individual matches to single 13pt games and play otherwise as standard. Players will spend some time off court.
Example revised match: reduce individual matches to single 13pt games. Play rounds as AB v ab then A v a and B v b; second session play C v d, D v c then C v c, D v d.
Example revised match: Play above format but best of three matches at two venues or on two days with team split in two.
GC Restricted League
Standard match: League teams listed in handicap order A to D versus a to d. In the first round A and B will play doubles against a and b and C will play d and D will play c. In the second round the players will play singles in order (a total of 7 matches). Each individual match comprises a best of three 13-point games.
Example revised matches as GC Level League above.
GC Handicap League
Standard match: nine 13-point handicap games in three rounds: 2 doubles, 4 singles, and 2 singles and 1 doubles. There is no restriction on which 2 players play in the doubles games.
Example revised match: 6 rounds, re-arrange order of doubles and singles so players play their games consecutively as far as possible.
Resources for playing Advantage GC
The most important resources for learning the correct way to play Advantage GC is the document “How to play ADVANTAGE Golf Croquet” which is available on the CA website.
In addition, the Federation held a Zoom training session with Roy Tillcock who has been involved in the design of Advantage GC since the beginning. The Federation thanks Roy for the time he has generously given to helping us introduce Advantage GC as our hadicap league this season.
The Zoom Seminar was recorded and can be viewed in segments:
- A brief introduction to the rules of Advantage GC
- Why play Advantage GC (and not extra turn handicap)?
- The extra equipment needed
- The importance of announcing the score out loud
- Help! Negative numbers!
- Checking the score against the hoops
- Where’s the Golden Hoop gone?
- Unfinished games
- How long does an Advantage GC game take?
- Wide handicap differences are a problem
- 1st-to-4 point games in place of time limits
- Lessons learned so far
There was a Q&A after Roy’s presentation and the salient questions and answers were:
- Calculating tournament block winners
- Playing doubles
- How many handicap points for a win?
- Game timeline
- Advantage peg and post
These video clips will be available shortly.
