About Us - The Perch League

The Perch League is founded in 2020, during the Covid outbreak where in lockdown you were allowed to meet with four friends and enjoy certain outdoor activities. In this case it was golf and wanting to inject some competition into the round along with fun and humour.

The concept was simple and exists throughout the world under varied rules. From the outset this initial Perch Group of four decided to create a standard set of rules that could be easily understood and replicated. The Perch League is based at G.C. Domaine Imperial, but registered matches can be played on any course anywhere.

The base concept is a fourball, each playing off 50% of their handicap and then rounded down. The lowest then plays off scratch (no shots) with the rest awarded the difference. It is affectively a match-play format with strokes awarded on Stroke Index, where the aim is to first step onto the Perch, in order to win a point.

Teeing off the 1st , each player is looking to win the hole outright, allowing them to step on the Perch. Should a player succeed, then on the next hole they are playing against the other 3 players. To win a point they must win the next hole. To remain on the Perch they must tie the best score. If another player wins the hole out-right, they knock the Percher off and step on to the Perch and gain the opportunity to win a point on the next hole. If on the Perch they are beaten by 2 other players on a tied score, then the Perch becomes vacant. All points go to the league table for the individual and team trophies. Contradictory to most expectations, points are very hard to come by and many matches yield zero. Each player must complete 12 matches in a season

This Perch Group has also introduced the Sledging Rule. The inspiration comes from Cricket where Sledging is the practice of deliberately insulting or verbally intimidating an opposing player. The purpose is to try to weaken the opponent's concentration, thereby causing them to underperform or be more prone to error. It must always be good humoured and not personal and should never be applied when a player has addressed the ball, only before or after.

The Perch League has a fully published set of rules and regulations, that must be adhered to. Along with the individual and team competition there are 6 awards that each player can be nominated for throughout the season. The winners are announced at the End of Year Awards Ceremony and Dinner.