Membership
Who is Hurstville Golf Club?
Hurstville Golf Club provides and manages competition golf and handicaps (via Golflink) for our members.
We play at Hurstville Golf Course which is owned by Georges River Council.
Bluefit have been engaged by Georges River Council to manage the pro shop. As well as running the pro shop, Bluefit also provides lessons and manages social golf.
I am a beginner at golf. Can I become a member?
Yes, we have no restrictions on a member’s ability for adult members. We all had to start somewhere.
However, you will enjoy the game more and be more confident if you have some lessons first. You’re welcome to play some social golf at Hurstville Golf Course before becoming a member. This way you can be sure you actually enjoy playing golf before committing to a membership. You can contact the Pro shop to arrange lessons and social golf.
I have decided to become a member of Hurstville Golf Club. What are the next steps?
Once you have selected the membership type that suits you, print and complete the membership application form. You can either leave the form at the Hurstville Golf Course pro shop and pay your membership fee using a credit or debit card, or you can email a copy to [email protected] and transfer the fee with a bank transfer using the details on the form.
Your application and payment will be reviewed and processed within a few days. When complete you will receive an e-mail from the Club Secretary and a welcome pack will be held at the Pro-shop for you to collect. This contains more information about our club as well as your new Golf Link number.
Is the membership different for women?
No. Hurstville Golf Club is gender-neutral. Women are welcome and encouraged to play on any competition day and there are no restrictions on tee times.
We have both women’s and men’s competitions running on every competition day. When we have an insufficient number of women players to form a competition, the day’s event will be converted to a medley competition. Differences in the women’s course and the men’s course are taken into account to make medley competitions fairer.
How does the annual member subscription work?
Membership is valid from 1 July to 30 June each year. You will be sent a membership renewal notice prior to the end of the membership period.
If you join after 31st August, a pro-rata membership fee is calculated based on the number of months remaining in the membership period.
I am a member at another club. Can I keep that membership while being a member at Hurstville Golf Club?
Absolutely. You can be a member of as many clubs at the same time as you like.
When joining you will need to nominate one of the clubs as your Home Club. The Home Club will be responsible for managing your handicap. You can change your Home Club by transferring your Golf Link number. This will carry your existing handicap information over to the new Home Club.
Handicap
What is a Golf Link number?
Golf Link is the system run by Golf Australia that calculates official Australian handicaps. When a you join a club for the first time, you will be allocated a unique 10-digit Golf Link number. Your handicap will be linked to this number and clubs across Australia will be able to verify your handicap.
You can transfer your Golf Link number between clubs. This allows you to continue with your existing handicap rather than having to start again from scratch when joining another club.
How do I get a handicap?
For Hurstville Golf Club to issue an official Golf Australia handicap, you need to submit three completed score cards to the club. Two of these cards must be played at Hurstville Golf Course.
You get a competed score card by either playing in a Hurstville Golf Club competition, or by playing a conforming social round. The card must be signed by a marker who has a valid Golf Australia handicap.
Once the handicap cards are submitted, the scores are sent to Golf Link and the new handicap is calculated.
Can I look up my handicap?
Yes. Golf Australia have an online portal which displays all your scores and your handicap.
Once the club has sent you your Golf Link number, you can visit the Golf Australia website (www.golf.org.au) and create a new account. You will be able to search with your Golf Link number to display your handicap information.
I have an old handicap from another club. Can I use this instead of getting a new one?
Yes. It is encouraged to keep using your existing Golf Link number and associated handicap. If it has been inactive for quite a while, we can still reactivate it. If you think the old handicap no longer reflects your ability, let us know. We can monitor this and adjust the handicap manually if necessary. Each time you play, your handicap will be adjusted to reflect your most recent rounds, so after a few rounds you will have a more accurate handicap.
Who calculates handicaps and how?
Golf Australia is responsible for calculating your handicap. They use the World Handicap System, and as the name implies, you can use your handicap all over the world. The handicaps are automatically calculated by the Golf Link system when the club submits your scores at the end of each competition round.
To calculate your handicap, Golf Link looks at your last 20 valid rounds of golf. It finds the best 8 rounds and uses these scores to calculate the handicap. Each time you play a round, the calculation is re-run. The actual formula used is a bit complicated and there are a couple additional adjustments that are made at the golf course that you are playing. If you would like to dig a bit deeper into handicaps, we recommend you visit the handicapping information at Golf Australia web site (www.golf.org.au/whs).
Competitions and Tee Booking
What competitions can I play in?
Your membership type will dictate what competitions you can play in. 7-day memberships allow you to play in every competition. 6-day members can play in every competition except Saturdays.
There are some eligibility requirements for championships. These relate to the number on rounds played at Hurstville Golf Course prior to the championship.
Can I play in a competition while I am getting my handicap?
Yes, and this is a good way to get your handicap score cards. The down–side is you can’t win a prize until your handicap has been allocated.
When you play for a handicap card in a competition you will play a stroke round, regardless of the competition type being played on the day.
Do I need to book a tee time?
We recommend booking tee times, there is easy on-line access that is opened up 8 days prior to the competition with phone bookings from 8am and online at 8:10am. On our busy competition days, Tuesdays and Saturday’s early tee time are tight.
How do I book a tee time?
You can book a tee time to play in a competition by either using our online booking system in the member portal, or phoning the pro shop.
The time sheets for a competition open for booking eight days prior to the competition date. On some days there is considerable demand for early tee times. If you miss out on the time you want, have a look for a tee time later in the day as these are often available. You can also use our waiting list that will automatically allocate a tee time if one becomes available.
If I do not know a member, who do I play with?
We like to think we are a friendly club, especially to new golfers. Playing groups are no larger than 4 players playing 7 minutes apart, and members would be happy to help you around the course, with scoring your round and keeping up with the speed of play, just ask them if you need help. In no time you will find regular playing partners and new friends. That is the great thing about golf.