Introduction

After a number of years where deadlines have been extended and finals have been played very late, the Committee has decided to impose more discipline on Mens Knockout competitions, giving the Competition Secretary detailed policy to observe.
At the January 2004 meeting the Committee considered a draft set of General Competition Rules and Specific Knockout Competition Rules (prepared after much research on the way other Clubs control their Competitions). The Committee made a number of adjustments resulting in the final sets of rules approved at the February 2004 Committee Meeting and linked to below:

The policy was published in March 2004 and comes into effect on 1st April 2004. All 2004 Mens Summer Knock-Out Competitions and other Mens Competitions are subject to these new sets of Rules.

Highlights

This is a considerable culture change for men who take part in Club Competitions as there are now a number of sets of circumstances that will result in disqualification or even bans from all Competitions for specific periods. The Committee has been keen to word the policy strictly and in such a way that Competitors, who fall subject to such disciplinary action, will not be able to blame or take their anger out on the Competitions Secretary, just themselves for failing to read or comply with the Rules.

Here are some of the main changes:

• The Rounds of Knock-Out Competitions will correspond with calendar months
• The responsibilities of a player in arranging a Knock-Out match will differ depending on whether the player is drawn Top or Bottom in the tie
• If your handicap is 25 or more, you can still play in KO Competitions but you must play off 24
• The winning margins (eg. 6&4) in Knock-Out Competitions must be noted down on the draw sheet. This is to provide the Handicap Secretary with evidence in support of clause 19 handicap cuts, particularly for those players who don't compete in qualifying competitions.
• Prize vouchers for Knockout and other major competitions will be presented on Presentation Night. This is to provide winners with more of an incentive to turn up on the Presentation Night social event as in recent years, for a number of the major awards, no-one has been present to receive the trophies.
• Strict rules for competitors who enter Competitions but who are unable to take part. A player who takes the decision not to compete now has new responsibilities to inform both the Club and his playing partners before the event. This Rule has been introduced to enforce penalties on players who, for example, fail to arrive to take part in a 3-man Bowmaker competition, leaving their 2 team-mates in the lurch.
• Strict rules for competitors who leave the course before the completion of their round

SVGC Committee
JG March 2004