The Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union have taken a further step in embracing the information age by providing members with a facility to query their handicaps using a mobile phone.
This service is now available to all affiliated golf clubs of the GUI and ILGU that uploaded handicaps to the GOLFnet website which ultimately will store the handicaps of every club member in Ireland.
Over the past year, members of compliant clubs have had the facility to view their handicap register by logging on to GOLFnet, accessible through the Golfing Union of Ireland website or the Irish Ladies’ Golf Union website, using the member number printed on the back of their GUI/ILGU member card as a username to access the secure site.
Now members of compliant clubs can obtain instant access to their own handicap data using SMS technology and software supplied by Dublin based company, mQuery.
To access their handicaps members text their eight digit GUI/ILGU member number to:
086 3832600 (or, if calling from Northern Ireland to: +353 86 3832600)
The GOLFnet server will then return a text message worded as follows: “Hi to John Smith from the GUI. Your exact handicap is 9.8 (last update: 23/04/03)”
or:
“Hi to Mary Smith from the ILGU. Your exact handicap is 12.8 (last update: 23/04/03)”
A further service is available to verify a player’s qualification to compete in Golfing Union of Ireland cups and shields events by confirming the player’s lowest handicap in the preceding year.
There is no charge for the message issued to the member from the GOLFnet server but the member will be charged regular text message rates by his mobile phone service.
GUI www.gui.ie
ILGU www.ilgu.ie