Rabbit Section Membership
It’s that time of year where we are collecting the £5 subscription fees to join the Rabbits Section.
It affords the opportunity for non-Rabbit golfers to play in a number of our events and encourages greater unity and harmony throughout the club.
All of the money that we raise not only helps the section, but ultimately allows us to carry out various projects that benefit the wider membership in addition to enabling the section to make our traditionally annual financial donation to the club.
There are envelopes behind the bar or please see myself or any Rabbit Section Committee member.
Our Aims
Providing friendly and competitive golf for higher handicap golfers. Providing opportunities to represent your Club in external competitions organised by the Halifax and Huddersfield District Rabbits Golf Association (HHDRGA) and the Yorkshire Rabbits Golf Association (YRGA)
Fostering links with the Rabbit Sections of other local clubs through friendly matches. Raising money for projects that benefit the whole Club Integrating new members into the Club Membership.
Full membership is open to any male golfer over 18 years old with a World Handicap System Index above 15.
Associate membership is open to any male golfer over 18 years old with a World Handicap System Index below 15.
We were originally formed in 1953 and have been a recognised Section of the Club ever since and are accountable to the Board of Directors. We charge a nominal annual subscription of £5 for full and associate
members.
Subscription runs from 1 st January to 31 st December.
Officials 2023
Rabbit Captain – Ben Robinson
Rabbit Vice Captain –
Rabbit Treasurer – Kevin Slater
Rabbit Secretary – Mark Buckley
Subscriptions Co-ordinator – Dave Mayall (outgoing Rabbits Captain 2020 and 2021)
League Competition Co-ordinator – Jason Powell
Friendlies Competition Co-ordinator – Mr President, Malcolm Turner
Internal & External Competition Co-ordinator – Bob Sharp
Bonus Ball Co-ordinator – Alan West
Rabbits Committee Members – Ed Moss, Len Campey, Bob Senior
Playing Handicap
To play in both Club and Rabbit competitions an official World Handicap System Index is necessary.
New for 2023
To play in HHDRGA (Huddersfield and Halifax District Rabbits Golf Association) competitions you will need a WHI of 14.0 and above, and show electronically or on hard copy, that you have twenty qualifying rounds prior to playing your match.
To gain a club handicap, you will need to submit 3 scorecards which have been signed by a Club member, with a current active WHS Index. To play a round where you can mark a scorecard, other members you know might be able to help or you can contact any of the Rabbit Officials. They will be willing to arrange for rounds to be played with you. Once you have a playing handicap you will then be able to play in competitions.
Club Competitions
Every Saturday throughout the summer months (April to October) the Club organises competitions which are open to all male playing members. There are also mid-week medals. Competitions are also organised during the winter months. Details of all competitions are on the Club’s website and for advice on how to enter, ask in the Professional`s Shop.
Rabbit Competitions
The Internal Competitions Co-ordinator runs various internal competitions to enable Section members to experience competitive golf.
Beaumont Bentley
Illingworth Shield *
Harrison Trophy *Buck Rabbits Midweek Shield Winner
Buck Rabbits Trophy
*Associate members qualify for these trophiesWhere entries permit, competitions will run in the three formats of Strokeplay, Stableford and Match play. The competitions are free to all members who have paid their annual subscription to the Rabbit Section before entering the competition. All Rabbits competitions are played from the Yellow Tees.
We also organise an annual “friendly” match against the Ladies Section – the Rabbit Captain’s Ladies Match around September (and sometimes the Tigers).
Keep an eye on the Rabbits notice board for Rabbit’s section competitions. It’s at the bottom of the stairs in the locker room and add your name to the lists if you are interested in playing. If you have a handicap, you are good enough to enter!
WERO Trophy – West End, Outlane, Ryburn. Annual event played at
alternate courses rotated on an annual basis. 6-man team.
OWL Trophy – Outlane, Woodsome, Longley Park. Annual event played at
alternate courses rotated on an annual basis. 6-man team.
Rabbit Friendlies
We currently play 6 friendlies a year against a selection of other local clubs including: Bradley Park, Bradley Hall, Dewsbury, Elland, Huddersfield, Longley Park, Marsden, Meltham, Crow Nest Park, Saddleworth and
Woodsome Hall.
The Rabbit Friendlies are mid-week, with 8 players, starting around 4.30pm, and played over 16 to 18 holes (depending on the weather and remaining daylight). They are played in a friendly spirit and often involve
combining as a four-man team (two from the home club and two from the visiting club). The evening finishes with a meal and social.
The Rabbit Friendlies allow members to meet and mix with like-minded golfers of similar abilities from both our own and other clubs. It also provides members the opportunity to play other local courses. A charge of
£10 is made at both the home and away games to cover the cost of entertaining the visitors at our home games. These friendlies are excellent value and a great way to experience other local courses. The venues
alternate from one year to the next- home one year, away the next.
How can I play?
Teams are not picked on ability. These are friendlies. If you have a handicap, you are good enough. A draw will determine who is selected if there are more volunteers than places allocated.
Keep an eye on the Rabbits notice board and add your name to the lists. Dress code for the meal is golf attire.
Rabbit and Club Captain’s joint Away Day
Every year, normally in August, the Rabbit Captain and Club Captain invite fellow members to join them for a day`s golf at another course of their choice. It usually involves a round of golf with coffee and bacon sandwich
on arrival, light lunch and evening meal. There are prizes. Watch out for details on the Rabbits notice board and on BRS.
Rabbits League
For the more serious golfer who relishes playing in keenly contested matches, there is an opportunity to represent the Club in the local district league organised by the HHDRGA. These matches are played on a home
and away basis. There is promotion and relegation at the end of the season. We currently play in Division 1 and are keen to retain this status. Players for the League team are selected by the Rabbits Competition
Co-ordinator.
How can I be selected for the Team?
The team is made up of two pairs. In each pair there is a “low man” (WHI 15 -19.9) and a “high man” (WHI 20.0 – 54.0). If you wish to be selected contact the Rabbit League Co-ordinator, Stuart Chaplin. Although the team
is selected on current form every member can play. Check the Club diary for fixtures.
Other Regional Rabbit Competitions.
For the more serious competitive golfers there are other competitions organised by HHDRGA and YRGA in which you can represent the Club.
There are a variety of formats from individual match play to fourballs and foursomes. They are played on a knock- out basis culminating in a final played at the end of the season.
Mellor Trophy– foursomes match play (HHDRGA)
Fowler Trophy – foursomes match play (YRGA)
RT Morley – individual matchplay (HHDRGA)
League Knockout – team knock out (HHDRGA)
Thornton Trophy – individual stroke play (YRGA)
Finals Day Four Ball Trophy (HHDRGA)
How can I enter these competitions?
These competitions run throughout the season. Keep an eye on the Rabbits notice board and add your name to the notices posted in February each year.
You can also keep up to date by looking at the HHDRGA & YRGA websites.
Rabbits Open
Our main fund-raising event is the Rabbits Open which takes place this year on Sunday 10 th July 2022. It is open to all golfers with handicaps between 0 and 54. It is a two-man team competition played on a better ball basis. Entry costs £25 per pair.
It is an ideal opportunity to invite your friends to play the course at a reduced rate. There are generous prizes (paid for by the Rabbit Captain) a raffle and nearest the pins and straightest drive prizes etc. We encourage all Rabbits to support the day and help raise funds for our Club. Entry forms are in the Clubhouse.
Rabbit Projects
Money raised ultimately belongs to the Club and is therefore used for the benefit of the Club as a whole. It’s an objective of the Rabbit’s Section to contribute a minimum of £1000 annually to the Club and to make ad-hoc donations for the benefit of the Club and its members as agreed by the Rabbits Committee. For example, the Section have purchased new nets for the practice area and the shed for the tea hut for the benefit of all members of Outlane Golf Club.
Bonus Ball
To raise money for the Section, we run a weekly Lottery Bonus Ball competition. The cost is £1 per week per number entered into the draw. The winner of the weekly prize is based on the Lucky Number Members ‘own’ the same number for as long as they maintain their weekly payments. Numbers are retired if payment fall 16 weeks overdue. Any prize money paid out will have overdue weeks deducted from it.
Members can have more than one number in the draw at any one time.
A final word
Particularly if you are new to golf, joining the Rabbits Section is the ideal way to start your golfing life at Outlane Golf Club and to get to know some of your fellow members.
A member of the Rabbits Committee will invite all new members to join them for an optional friendly round if you’d like to know more about the rules of golf, local course knowledge or general golf etiquette.
You may not always remain a Rabbit (we all have aspirations to be better golfers!!!) but everyone is assured of a warm welcome while you are with us.
If you wish to join the Rabbits please pay your £5 subscription and complete a membership slip (copies will be found under the Rabbits notice board), and hand it to the Rabbits Treasurer or any member of the
committee. Please feel free to join us for a pint in the bar where you will be guaranteed a warm welcome.