The Lothians Handicap Match Play is open to players from all the clubs and societies affiliated to the Lothians Golf Association.

Clubs have complete freedom to choose who represents them with the only requirement being that the player has a national handicap between 10 and 28 at the time of entry. In the past Clubs have chosen their B Champion, the person of the right handicap who has progressed the furthest in the summer singles, the winner of a particular handicap event, or just someone who has expressed an interest in playing, drawn from a hat if necessary.

A draw is made in February, with the first names out of the hat enjoying home advantage through until the semi-finals, which, along with the final, are played at a neutral venue.

The history of the event and a list of winners can be seen by clicking the ' History of Handicap Matchplay' heading at the bottom of the list at the left hand side of this page.

More detailed information about the trophy and the winners, including the runners-up, venues and scores, was included in a hand-out that was enclosed with a centenary brochure handed out at the 2021 event. This can be seen if you click here.

All other information relating to the 2026 event can be seen under the Lothians Handicap Match Play 2026 heading on the 'Lothians Future Competitions' column at the bottom of the Home page of this website. This is where all updates will be recorded.

2026

This will be the first time that the Handicap Match Play finals will be played at Newbattle although they have hosted the Championship, Championship Qualifying, Team Tournament and Seniors Tournament in the past. As was the case last year this will be a festival of golf with the final stages of the Handicap Match Play, the Champion of Champions, the Junior Champion of Champions and Medal Winners event and the Seniors Scratch Match Play all being played at the same time. The Association is indebted to Newbattle and their members for hosting these finals. This mature parkland course has a reputation for the quality of it's greens and fairways and the welcoming atmosphere in its clubhouse.