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What's New in HandicapMaster 8.1

Changes to HandicapMaster in Version 8.1 (2011 Edition)

Software Upgrade

An upgrade of the software has been completed, to bring HandicapMaster up to date with the latest Microsoft development technologies. Screens in HandicapMaster 8.1 have been given a ‘cleaner’ and ‘fresher’ look, with new facilities relating to reporting, graphing, etc.
New look to HandicapMaster
Please Note: HandicapMaster 8.1 has been tested on versions of Windows that are currently supported by Microsoft. For example, these include Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista, Windows 7 and a number of windows server products.
HandicapMaster 8.1 may not install or operate on unsupported versions of Windows or have reduced functionality. We recommend users of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT and Windows 2000 which are no longer supported by Microsoft consider upgrading to a Microsoft supported version of Windows as support by HandicapMaster Limited for HandicapMaster 8.1 on Microsoft unsupported versions of Windows will be limited to general advice only.
For existing HandicapMaster 7.3 users (especially those requiring CONGU handicapping) you may, where your current computer environment is unsuitable for HandicapMaster 8 continue to use HandicapMaster 7.3 for the 2011 season as it includes the recent CONGU Handicapping changes. Note HandicapMaster 7.3 does not contain any of the other new features in HandicapMaster 8.1.
Advanced Notice: For the 2012 season support for HandicapMaster 7.3 will be withdrawn.

Reports

You may now search for text in reports displayed in HandicapMaster, using a new Search facility. Also, you may now select and copy blocks of text from any report (using a new 'Select Text' facility).
New Reports Toolbar buttons
You may now choose to save reports to disk in a number of new file formats, including Excel format (97-2003 and 2007-10 formats), Word (2007-10 format) and more. You may choose which of the file formats you would like to be the default (by selecting REPORTS menu, LAYOUT AND OPTIONS, then GENERAL tab).
Please Note: that the RTF format is different from that in previous versions of HandicapMaster.
We understand from the report module supplier that the RTF format is visually much closer to the original report but is not as easily editable as in previous versions of HandicapMaster.
A new report 'Handicap List (Selected Range of Handicaps)' is added. You may use this report to create a cut-down Handicap List, only listing those players holding a current handicap within a chosen range.
CONGU Handicap Record Report; The '2SL' three letter identifier is now explained as 'Two Stroke Limit (clause 4.5(c))'. Note ONLY displayed for golf clubs in Ireland as the GUI and ILGU are the only National Unions who have implemented this handicapping system discretion.
Best-of Series; You may now choose the option to 'Show 'Best' Scores for Players' with series where the number of best scores to count is up to 20, increased from a previous limit of 9. Where series have 10 or more best scores to count, the report will be created using a page layout in Landscape orientation.
When 'active page' reports (e.g. Hole by hole scores) are saved as HTML format then the active links are automatically converted to hyperlinks.
Where HandicapMaster is configured to callback an external system (such as for competition fee payment), Logs are now saved centrally and a report of these may be viewed through a new competitions 'Callback Log' report within HandicapMaster.

Letters

With letters, you may now embed different fonts (E.g. bold, Underline, etc) within the body of the letter, creating a more customised layout.
New Letters Toolbar buttons
You can now also ...
  • Choose the font used for the Salutation line, and
  • Choose the font used for the member's address and date information at the top of letters.

Handicap Record Graphs

Handicap Record graphs are now displayed as two-dimensional graphs (three dimensional graphs are removed). You may now...
  • Print the displayed graph using a new 'Print' button on the toolbar,
  • Save the displayed graph to a file in one of three image files formats (Jpeg, Png and Bmp),
  • Choose the timeframe for when scores were returned to be plotted as either Current Year or Last 12, 24 or 36 months.
  • Choose to have points plotted on the chart in proportion to the date when the scores were returned (along the X-axis).
New Graphs

E-mail

You may now configure a signature or footer text so it is automatically added to e-mails. In the Premier and Network editions this signature is different for each User.
When e-mailing Handicap Certificates, and Handicap Adjustment letters you may now decide if you wish to receive a copy of each e-mail. Note that this may result in you receiving many e-mails.
A new 'Send e-mail' item is added to the 'All Members', 'Away Members', 'Visitors' and 'Past Members' lists when using the right click pop-up menu facility.

CONGU Handicapping

The following changes are effective from January 2011:
  • There is no longer a limit to the number of 9 hole qualifying competition scores that a player may return in a single season.
  • Category 1 Handicap Players may return Supplementary Scores.
  • Supplementary Scores may be returned by any player, irrespective of the number of qualifying scores returned the previous season.
  • The scores for those players with 'Inactive' Handicaps are excluded from the Competition Scratch Score calculation (Not applicable for Scotland and Ireland).
  • Mixed Stableford and Par competitions; Change of method for equalising men's and ladies handicaps.
You may now import away scores from an external file, using player's national ID's. This is available where your national union is operating a Central Database of Handicaps). For golf clubs in England, this option may also be used to pre-register visitors into the HandicapMaster database based on a list of visitor CDH numbers.

EGA Handicapping

You may now record Annual Review adjustments (down to 0.5 minimum adjustment) in the EGA editions of HandicapMaster.

Publish to Internet

Central Database of Handicaps

When receiving an incoming 'Away' score, you may now print the score displayed on the screen, for your records (CONGU Editions).
When publishing to UK or Ireland Central Database of Handicaps (CDH), if an Away score is accepted that creates two similar scores in the players' handicap record, HandicapMaster now displays the players' record with these scores highlighted and offers the option to remove any duplicated scores (CONGU Editions).

Master Scoreboard

When you publish competition results to Master Scoreboard, Two's results (as shown on the HandicapMaster results sheets) will now also be displayed on the Master Scoreboard web pages.
The option to limit handicap records on Master Scoreboard to competition results only has been removed (due to the problems it was causing some customers).

Subscriptions Option

A new report 'Payment Transaction Summary' has been added that lists one entry per line containing the date, name of member, transaction name and status and gross total of each payment transaction.
You may now record Partial Payment against an individual subscription or invoice, including where there is only a single payment due.
Partial payments may be recorded for subscriptions and invoices using the Payments wizard.
New facility to allow selection of those members who wish to receive subscriptions, invoices and receipts by e-mail. See ACCOUNTING Menu CONFIGURE -> MEMBERS WHO RECEIVE CORRESPONDENCE BY E-MAIL.
A 'Reprint Subscriptions' option has been added to allow a range of subscriptions to be reprinted. See ACCOUNTING menu SUBSCRIPTIONS -> REPRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS.

Competitions

New Competition Formats

You may now process competitions played to the following formats through HandicapMaster:
  • 2 player Scramble (off 1/4 combined handicap),
  • 3 players - Best 1 score (first 6 holes), best 2 scores (next 6 holes) and best 3 scores (last 6 holes) counting.
  • 3 player Waltz - Best 1,2,3,1,2,3,... scores counting

CONGU Handicapping; Inactive Handicaps

You may now choose to disallow players from entering competitions if they hold an 'Inactive' Handicap, through a new option in competition templates.
Alternatively, you may now also choose to allow those players holding inactive handicaps to enter competitions, but not be eligible to win any prizes. When selected, players with inactive handicaps will be listed separately on the competition results report. This option is available for singles competitions only.

Booking a future Competition

You may now configure booking into a future competition where a Two-Tee start is in operation for that competition.

Order of Merit

You may now elect to exclude from the report players who have zero Order of Merit points.
When basing OOM points on where players finish in competitions, the 'Descending points for each place' option now takes account of any players in the competition with a 'No Score Entered' score.

Knock Out Draws

The Knock Out Draw sheet may be saved in a number of new formats including Excel format (97-2003 and 2007-10 formats).
When making a new draw, or changing an existing draw, you may now reorder the list of entrants using new 'Up' and 'Down' buttons.
For singles draws, you may now import players from a stroke-play qualifying round directly into the draw. In addition, you may now create the draw based on the 'General Numerical Draw', as recommended by the R & A when a qualifying round has been held.
When changing an existing draw, the default behaviour of the wizard is now to order players in their originally selected order (not to randomise the draw).

Start Sheets

A new window is added for selecting players to add to the Sheet, to help when using a large membership list.
When printing labels from a Start Sheet, the format of the competition (e.g. 'Singles - Stableford') is now printed on the label, irrespective of the type of label being used.
It is now possible to import players names who have booked into a competition using BRS Golf online booking system onto a Start Sheet (Premier and Network editions).

Other

Entering Competition Scores; When you enter competition scores for an 'open' competition, you will now see the respective home club of each visitor in the list of players ready for score entry.
Singles Competition Results; Where there is a tie for position outside of the overall winners range the members who tie will be listed alphabetically rather than at random.
Opening a New competition; Where a venue is selected for which the scorecard details are not known for a specific tee colour then the scorecard for that tee colour will be displayed rather than defaulting to the first tee colour for the course.
Knock-out Competitions; The right-click option to change a player in a draw now recognises when the competition is open to Visitors. In this situation, you may now change the player to a Visitor, if required.
Closed Competitions Report; This report now includes the total count of the entrants for each competition.

Player Entry

Support for the Gemplus GCR700 terminal is withdrawn (this unit has not been manufactured for a number of years and has not been compatible with the last two releases of Microsoft Windows (Vista and Seven)).
When printing scorecards/labels at Sign In, you may now choose to include the player's Membership number on the scorecard/label (Premier and Network editions).

Other

You may now add players with same names to the HandicapMaster database (provided each have a different 'home Club').
A 'Switch Database' facility has been added to the FILE menu, where there are multiple databases, to make it easier to change between databases.
HandicapMaster now uses 'Segoe UI' font as the default font, on those computers where this font is installed (typically when Windows Vista or Windows 7 installed). The option to choose the font is removed.
HandicapMaster will now warn if the CAPS LOCK key is turned on when entering a login password.
The CONGU 'Lapse Handicaps after Annual Review' and EGA 'Deactivate Handicaps after Annual Review' windows benefit from the addition of 'Select All' and 'Clear All' buttons to aid selecting players.
The CONGU Annual Review adjustment window now allows you to cancel an adjustment for a member and to continue to select other members.
The main 'Options' window has been restructured for improved clarity.
It is now possible to restore the Network edition database from automatic backups by holding down the CTRL and R keys as HandicapMaster is started.
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