1. OBJECTIVES

1.1. This Policy is intended to ensure all polo players playing in Australia carry a handicap which is a fair assessment, taking into account account: a) The players’ ball skills, riding skills, game sense and knowledge of the rules; and b) International standards.

1.2. All players are assessed against criteria as advised by the Australian Polo Council from time to time. No particular group of players is to be assessed in a biased or concessional manner.

1.3. Handicaps are to be current at all times. Clubs and Handicap Committees must work together to ensure that as players improve or deteriorate their handicaps are reviewed and amended as necessary.

1.4 The procedures for determing handicaps must always be: c) Fair; and d) Transparent.

2. CLUBS

2.1. Primary responsibility for providing for appropriate handicapping of players rests with the Clubs. Clubs must ensure that they regularly review the playing performance of their members and report to State Handicap Committees all cases where a player’s performance is persistently inconsistent with the player’s handicap.

2.2. Clubs are required to provide the base data required for the Annual Review referred to at 5 below. They are also required to respond to regular requests for information from the State Handicap Committee Chairman.

2.3. Clubs are accountable for the integrity of information they supply about their members. This includes relevant information about players before becoming members, including highest overseas handicap and prior handicap.

2.4. In all matters regarding handicaps, Clubs are required to exercise the highest standards of impartiality, objectivity and probity. This will require Clubs to maintain appropriate controls over conflicts of interest, which at a minimum, would include officials standing aside from decisions in relation to themselves, family members, employers or employees.
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2.5. Where a Club has insufficient independent officials to meet the requirements of 2.4, it must request the Chairman of the State Handicap Committee to appoint officials from nearby clubs or members of a State or Benchmark Handicap Committee to provide the handicap recommendations for the Club. The Club remains responsible for providing the base data for the Annual Review.

3. STATE HANDICAP COMMITTEES

3.1. Each year each State Association shall appoint a Handicap Committee which shall be responsible for determining a player’s handicap.

3.2. Each year each State Handicap Committee shall elect a Chairman and Deputy Chairman immediately following its appointment. The Chairman shall not remain in that role for longer than 3 years. The Chairman shall convene meetings and conference calls as appropriate to manage the business of the Committee. The Deputy Chairman shall act as Chairman in the Chairman’s absence. The Secretary of the State Association shall act as Secretary of the Committee. The President of the State Association shall be entitled to be present at any meeting or conference call of the Committee, but shall not be entitled to vote.

3.3. Meetings or conference calls shall require a quorum of three voting members.

3.4. The Chairman of a State Handicap Committee may, at his discretion, co-opt members of the APC Benchmark Committee to participate in meetings and conference calls and vote on handicap decisions.

3.5. The decision of a State Handicap Committee shall be final except in the case where the player is listed on another State’s Handicap list with a different handicap, in which case the decision shall be referred to the APC Benchmark Committee.

3.6. A State Handicap Committee may review a player’s handicap and assign a different handicap at any time.

3.7. Handicap changes for T rated players take immediate effect. Handicap changes for all other players take effect from the conclusion of any tournament they are participating in at the time of the decision.

3.8. The Chairman of a State Handicap Committees is responsible for the timely execution of the Annual Review referred to at 5 below.

3.9. The Chairman of a State Handicap Committee may undertake interim general reviews of handicaps at any time.

3.10. The Chairman of a State Handicap Committee is responsible for ensuring that members of the committee are available to assess T Handicapped players as soon as possible after they commence playing in the State.

3.11. State Handicap Committees shall maintain the highest standards of impartiality, objectivity and probity. Appropriate controls over conflicts of interest must be enforced, which at a minimum, would include members standing aside from decisions in relation to themselves, family members, employers or employees.
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4. APC BENCHMARK COMMITTEE

4.1. The Benchmark Committee is appointed by the APC. Its purpose is to make recommendations to the APC, so that the APC may acquit its obligations in relation to handicaps under its Constitution.

4.2. The members of the Benchmark Committee shall determined as follows:

a) One representative of each State Association. This would usually be the Chairman of the State Handicap Committee.
b) Two members appointed by the APC to provide balance to the committee, taking into account the need for:
• International perspective
• Regional balance
• Amateur / professional balance
c) The President of the APC shall be Chairman but shall not be entitled to vote.

4.3. Benchmark Players may be members of the Benchmark Committee.

4.4. A quorum shall be four members, not counting the President.

4.5. In the event that there is not a clear majority vote in relation to a Handicap, the Handicap recommended by the player’s home State Association shall prevail.

4.6. The Benchmark Committee has the following functions:

a) To advise the APC on handicap issues and to make recommendations in relation to handicap policy;
b) To advise State Associations in relation to handicaps;
c) To provide a list of Benchmark Players who are to be taken as a guide by the States in assessing handicaps. A Benchmark Player is regarded as being representative of the middle of the handicap band; and
d) To resolve any differences in handicaps set by States.

4.7. The Benchmark Committee does not have the authority to:

a) Change a handicap given for a player unless two or more states have given that player different handicaps; or
b) Require a State to give a player a certain handicap.
c) A State may if it chooses, assign a handicap to a Benchmark Player which differs from the Benchmark. The handicap would only be determined by the Benchmark Committee if another state assigned a different handicap to the player, in which case a decision would be made under 4.6
d) above.

4.8. The Benchmark Committee shall meet in person or by conference call as follows:

a) To assign Benchmarks to assist State Handicap Committees conduct Annual Reviews;
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b) Provide advice to State Handicap Committees, generally, and to bring to the attention of State Handicap Committees apparent anomolies; and
c) To determine handicaps for players with different handicaps assigned by States.

4.9. Where a State assigns a handicap to an interstate player during the year, and that handicap differs from the APC endorsed handicap, the matter shall be referred to the Benchmark Committee for decision. The President of the APC, as Chairman of the Benchmark Committee shall convene a conference call of the Benchmark Committee to determine the matter. Until such time as the matter is resolved, the player will continue to play on the APC endorsed handicap.

4.10. In the absence of manifest error, the APC will resolve to adopt the handicap recommendations of the State Handicap Committees as amended by the Benchmark Committee under 4.8 c) above. 4.11. The Benchmark Committee shall maintain the highest standards of impartiality, objectivity and probity. Appropriate controls over conflicts of interest must be enforced, which at a minimum, would include members standing aside from decisions in relation to themselves, family members, employers or employees.

5. ANNUAL REVIEW

5.1. Prior to 31 August each year, the APC Benchmark Committee shall prepare and distribute to State Associations a list of Benchmark Players to assist State Handicap Committees in their handicap determinations.

5.2. State Associations shall require affiliated clubs to submit recommended handicap lists, showing for each player who was a playing member of the club during the year:
• the player’s current handicap;
• the player’s date of birth;
• the club’s recommended handicap for the following year; and
• comments which may assist the State Handicap Committee (eg win/loss record).

5.3. At around 31 October of each year, State Handicap Committees shall review the recommended handicap lists and assign provisional handicaps to each player, taking into account the list of Benchmark Players provided by the APC Benchmark Committee.

5.4. Prior to 15 November each year State Associations shall submit a Provisional Handicap List to the APC Benchmark Committee.

5.5. Prior to 30 November each year the APC Benchmark Committee shall submit to the APC a Final Handicap List which shall have been determined in accordance with the APC Benchmark Committee Guidelines attached at Schedule 1.
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5.6. Prior to 15 December each year the APC shall adopt and distribute to the State Associations, the Final Handicap List, which take effect from 1 January the following year.

6. T RATINGS

6.1. Any player who was not subject to an Annual Review within the previous year shall be assigned a T Handicap until assessed by a State Handicap Committee, as follows:

a) In the case of overseas players, the T Handicap shall be the highest current handicap anywhere in the world that applies to the player;
b) In the case of players who have played polo previously, they shall be assigned the a T Handicap of their last rating: and
c) In the case of new players who have not played polo, they shall be assigned a T Handicap by their Club (which in the case of competent polocrosse players is likely to be 0 goals).

7. APPEALS

7.1. Appeals should be made direct to the President of the Australian Polo Council, who will not consider appeals on a subjective view of handicap levels, but only to the extent that there has been a substantially incorrect procedure or substantially incorrect information has been provided. In resolving an appeal the President may institute such procedures as he deems