Philip Reid on the new initiative to support amateur golfers in IrelandYour flexible friend, or, at least, the one that any golfer affiliated to a club in Ireland will be adding to their wallets or purses over the months ahead, is about to become as important in pursuing the game's addictive traits as any swanky giant-headed driver, rusty wedge, two-ball putter or bank balance.

The result of a combined initiative between the two governing bodies of the sport in this country - the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golf Union - the long-anticipated card looks every bit like a credit card, but it's nothing of the sort. It won't allow you to buy green fees, goods, meals or treats. What it will do, however, is give all club golfers and administrators access to their current handicaps at all times via the Internet.

Not only that, but the Central Database of Handicaps (CDH) means clubs will have the facility to maintain constantly updated registration of handicaps of all GUI and ILGU members and, when holding a competition, will also be in a position to record scores of players from visiting clubs. In what is a first for Europe, the card will eventually become mandatory for entry to all competitions.

The concept was primarily designed to make the lot of administrators and handicap secretaries so much easier than the old way of sifting through a multitude of cards at the end of each month and then adjusting handicaps. However, the introduction of the new cards - which is being phased in over the next three or four months - brings a very welcome side effect in that it will effectively wipe out the cheaters who use bogus handicaps in open competitions away from their home clubs.

Contrary to some preconceptions, this is not a swipe card. Instead, the stylish cards - sponsored by Bulmers Ireland in what is the largest ever sponsorship initiative in amateur golf in this country - each has a personalised eight-digit code for the cardholder (and also includes the player's name, union affiliation and club) as a username.

A magnetic strip and smart chip on the card will store the player's current handicap which will be updated each time the card is inserted in the "read/write unit" in the respective golf club, while it can also be used as a security feature for such things as competition entry, door access, or electronic point of sales.

With the card, each player will be able to access his or her handicap online at any given time and will be in a position to confirm competition scratch scores and verify that appropriate adjustments have been made.

The benefits for the club is that away scores will be returned automatically to the home club to reduce the workload of the the handicap secretary and, in the future, the GUI will be able to invoice clubs for union subscriptions, saving clubs the time and expense associated with the current method.

Ireland is the first of the "home" countries to go online with such an advanced database (the other countries are keeping a keen eye on developments) and, although there are voluntary schemes currently being conducted in Sweden, France and Switzerland, this is the first in Europe to be mandatory and, as the GUI's Pat Finn, one of those involved in the steering committee, explained, "it is the first to be all inclusive, at a low cost to everybody."

The sponsorship has obviously offset much of the cost to the clubs and made it a viable proposition. But the development - overseen by a steering committee that included Shay Smith, the General Secretary of the GUI, Rollo McClure, the GUI Treasurer, Finn, the GUI assistant secretary and project manager, Theresa Thompson, Secretary of the ILGU, Nora Murphy the ILGU treasurer, Peter Shields and Martin Goss, of Belfast-based EG Consulting who provide database enabled web solutions, and Mark McCusker, an IT consultant - is set to revolutionise the administration and implementation of the handicap system.

While the card is mainly an administrative tool, there are obvious side benefits. The old story of the player who plays in an open competition using the name and handicap of someone else will be wiped out under this system.

"For that to happen now, there would have to be collusion," said Finn, "and who would allow someone else use their card, and provide them with their password, knowing there was a chance that doing so would result in their handicap being cut?" As yet, there are no plans to have a photo identity on the card but, in the not too distant future, it is expected that players' photographs will be used on their personal online page where the history of their scores will be stored under the scheme.

The attraction of the card is that it is secure. For instance, if somebody is a member of a club this year and issued with their personalised card, but doesn't renew membership, the card becomes void; or, if a card is lost, or damaged, then club administrators can request the replacement card online and the GUI or ILGU will handle the printing and distribution. It is expected replacement cards will be posted within two working days.

"The introduction of CDH cards is not only a major historic development for amateur golf in Ireland, it also represents the biggest single investment ever by the GUI with some €500,000 being allocated to support the initiative," said Jack Lynch, the president of the GUI.

"Club golf is now a hugely substantial enterprise nationwide and it is essential that the administration of this phenomenon is conducted to the highest standards. This technological advancement will result in Irish golf being at the leading edge of international standards."

At the launch in Dublin, Maurice Breen, Marketing Director of Bulmers, said: "This new initiative moves our support for amateur golf onto a new level and we are particularly pleased that it coincides with one of the biggest ever innovations in amateur golf, the introduction of centralised electronic handicapping."

In excess of 100 clubs are currently equipped to monitor handicaps electronically and, it is anticipated, the rest will come online over the summer months. Over 85 per cent of clubs have access to internal computerised systems and the approximately 40 clubs who don't will be given assistance to help them meet the criteria.

"We expect to have all clubs online within three months and, to assist the implementation, we are conducting a two weeks roadshow to 10 venues around the country," explained Finn.

The card will revolutionise the handicapping administration in this country, and make the lot of both administrators and players alike much easier. In fact, it could be that the new card will be a status symbol of sorts for all players, men, women and juniors.

The most frequently asked questions

Who will have access to the CDH?

Access to the CDH will be controlled by password protection on the following three levels:

(1) GUI/ILGU and Provincial/District offices will have access to the entire database;

(2) Affiliated clubs will have access to handicap details of members and or visitors on production of a handicap card/ID number; and,

(3) the individual golfer will have access to his/her own detailed handicap report.

How will the CDH handle away scores?

There are three ways that the CDH will handle away scores:

(1) Club adminsitrators can access a list of away scores online and print it out;

(2) The CDH will send an e-mail to the home club with all away scores for a given period; and,

(3) Away scores will be published to an FTP address, which can be accessed by Handicapping Software Vendors, which is the preferred option of the GUI and ILGU.

What are the Hardware/Software requirements for connection to the CDH?

PCs with modem (internal or external) - PC will preferably be a Pentium processor but older 486s with at least 16mb RAM will suffice.

PCs must have compliant handicapping software; telephone line - a dedicated line is preferable, however an existing fax line or infrequently used phone line will suffice.