iGolf - Club & Open Competition Disputes

Dear ___, 

Thank you for contacting us and sharing your experience regarding access to golf club competitions.

We appreciate how disappointing it can be when you are unable to enter an event, particularly when you actively maintain a Handicap Index® and regularly submit scores.

Individual clubs and competition organisers are responsible for setting their own Terms of Competition. This means they can decide whether an event is open to iGolf subscribers or restricted to affiliated golf club members. England Golf cannot require clubs to accept iGolf subscribers into their competitions.

However, England Golf continues to engage with clubs about iGolf and encourages them to provide inclusive playing opportunities for iGolf subscribers where appropriate. We are also looking at how we can develop this engagement further, helping clubs better understand the iGolf community and addressing perceptions that may create unnecessary barriers.

Where clubs offer suitable opportunities, these can be promoted to subscribers through our Offers & Opportunities webpage, newsletters and wider club and county communication channels.

Thank you also for suggesting [briefly summarise the golfer’s suggestion]. While England Golf cannot require clubs to adopt a particular approach, suggestions such as this are helpful when considering how clubs could offer greater access while retaining appropriate competition safeguards. We will ensure your feedback is shared with the relevant team.

iGolf provides non-members with access to a Handicap Index®, personal liability insurance and the ability to track their progress through acceptable scores. We also recognise that access to competitive playing opportunities is important to some subscribers, and feedback from the iGolf community helps us understand where further club engagement may be needed.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind regards,