The National Rules Accreditation & Education Programs Framework is consists of five tiers. 1. Rules & Handicapping General Education Programs The Rules & Handicapping General Education Programs tier has no proof of competency component, nor is it limited to servicing people possessing any particular level of knowledge or skill. Rather it encompasses a series of tools designed to enable people of various skill or knowledge levels to further develop and improve their capacity to conform with or deliver: ~ The Rules of Golf. ~ The Australian Men’s& Women’s Handicap System. (For Clubs, this will include developing awareness and understanding of Club obligations regarding effective handicap system application and administration.) ~ Competition golf procedures (either as a competition committee or as an individual). (For competition committees, this will include developing awareness and understanding of best-practice competition management techniques appropriate to various types and levels of event.) The Rules & Handicapping General Education Programs tier will include tools for entry-level golfers as well as far more advanced tools. In addition to meeting the above primary objectives, initiatives falling under the Rules & Handicapping General Education Programs banner will where possible: ~ Act as a promotional and feeder tool for the Club Level and State Level Rules programs. ~ Increase awareness of the services and resources currently provided by State Associations and GA regarding rules, handicapping, competition management, and course set-up (being mindful that as Club personnel change over time, new office holders do not necessarily hold awareness of these services and resources). ~ Increase the dialogue between State Associations / GA and Clubs regarding the development of services and resources that will be of genuine benefit to Clubs.
2. Club Level Club Level Courses are conducted by State Associations. Participants attend a Seminar, and may then sit a multiple choice exam of 50 questions. Participants must attain a mark of at least 80% to pass. The Club Level Course is classroom-based. Aims: ~ To provide a rules education of the key Rules of Golf for Club golfers. ~ To provide an education as to how to navigate around the rule book, and how to locate the rule/s appropriate to a situation. ~ To provide a rules validation for course attendees. ~ To allow for greater intra-Club spread of rules knowledge. ~ To assist with intra-Club administration of Club events. ~ To provide for uniformity of the development of skills and application of skills.
3. State Level State Level Courses are conducted by most State Associations (usually one per year). Participants must have attained a Club Level pass mark of 45 or greater to be eligible for State Level. Participants attend a Seminar followed by a theory test of 60 multiple choice questions and 15 practical situations. The presentation of the State Level Course comprises indoor classroom-style components, as well as outdoor practical components. Aims: ~ To better enable attendees to assist with the administration of district, state, and national events. ~ To better enable attendees to adopt an intra-Club leadership role within rules & match administration. ~ To create and expand the communication channels between a State Association and Clubs from a rules & match perspective. ~ To provide an opportunity for the development of a person s rules & match related skills. ~ To provide for uniformity of the development of skills and application of skills.
4. Advanced State Level Rules & Competitions Course The Advanced State Level Rules & Competitions Course is a joint initiative of GA and The R&A and is presented by senior officials from The R&A, GA, and the PGA of Australia. It is conducted annually; attendance is via invitation (following consideration of recommendations from State Associations). It contains indoor classroom-style components, as well as outdoor practical components. The first broad objective of the course is to provide a mechanism which will serve to advance the capacity of all Australian State and National organisations to deliver elite competitions and administrative-type rules services (eg servicing Clubs and individuals, and delivering rules education programs). The strategy for achieving this is as follows: ~ By broadening the options of States in decision making via the provision of an enhanced awareness and understanding of various international procedures. ~ By providing an up-skilling opportunity for all attendees (irrespective of their existing experience) which will serve to limit the degree to which States will have to invest time and money in developing their own procedures for developing officials. Some-less experienced officials may attend several years in succession. ~ Further up-skill those State personnel who act as trainers and presenters at State Level and Club Level courses. ~ To calibrate state and national officials as well as the events they deliver. There is no reason why players should experience different event delivery procedures as they travel from state to state. The calibration process will involve having even the most senior officials returning every three or four years. Senior officials will also be well aware that irrespective of their degree of knowledge, they will always have plenty of scope for continued development. This Course will continue to provide changed discussion materials, which in part will cater for return attendees. The key presenters enhance their knowledge by virtue of their involvement with the course; senior attendees should enjoy a similar experience. The second broad objective is to provide a mechanism which will serve to enhance refereeing skills and improve knowledge of international refereeing practices. This is specifically with a view to achieving the following: ~ Allow GA, the PGA, and State Associations to further develop and identify referees with our respective major events in mind. ~ Meet the need of continuing to renew the stocks of talented and trained elite referees. Note i: GA is mindful that State Associations, the PGA, and GA itself have key administrators (both professional and volunteer) whose roles cover the execution of tasks which fall across not of one or the other of the above described objectives, but rather they fall across areas covered by BOTH of these objectives. As a result, the Advanced State Level Rules & Competitions Course is structured to provide a comprehensive development program for these key administrators. Not only will this allow for up-skilling and calibration of group leaders, it will also work to guard against organisations becoming overly reliant on the accumulated knowledge and experience of a too-limited number of select personnel. This will assist with succession planning as well as easing work-load pressures on group leaders. This group of administrators (both professional and volunteer) are some of the most valuable and difficult-to-replace assets of national and state bodies. GA has resolved to do more to both support and grow this group. Note ii: The Advanced State Level Rules & Competitions Course should not be viewed as a course which provides a qualification or a proof of competency. That it needs to cater for key State officials of all stages of development makes consideration of such an objective problematic. Instead, it should be viewed as a learning opportunity geared to achieve ongoing and undiminished value from repeat attendance.
5. National Level National Level Accreditation is granted only to those referees who are invited to serve on the Rules Committee for either the Men’sAustralian Open or the Women’s Australian Open. By granting someone National Level Accreditation, GA is making a statement to any Australian or international entity that the individual is a member of Australia s elite group of referees. For further information, contact your State Association for details of the next CLub Level or State Level Seminar and Accreditation course.