Rules can get tedious at times; but where would we be without them? We'd make our own ,on the spot, I guess, if the need arose.
As for the handicap issue here, it seems to me, that if the handicap score was going to be used by the archer to take part in an out of club handicap shoot; then the handicap needs to be gained after following the same rules as all the others involved in the shoot.
We put on a handicap shoot for our own members. We get our handicaps worked out from rounds we shoot at the club or away at tournaments. I can't imagine anyone worrying about how the scores were shot so long as it was a round and the score was correct.
Geoff,
I couldn't agree more about rules, but, in this case, they are virtually non-existent. What constitutes a club target day? Now the "chap in charge of handicap administration" (who on earth is that?) has been quoted in this thread as being definite - and defining such a day as akin to a competition. But, in the absence of a written definition that is only his opinion - and, I dare say, would not be the case in a large number of clubs.
And, even if the rule is defined somewhere like that, it is pointless. I take your point about consistency, but there are only two possible outcomes to using a second round in a day to adjust handicaps:-
1) The second round is below or equal to the archers handicap level, so there is no change. In the forthcoming handicap competition no one is affected
2) The second round is above the archers handicap level, so his handicap improves. In the forthcoming handicap competition, the archer is therefore less likely to win. In fact, those who would benefit are those archers whose clubs insist on only using the first round.
IMHO, it comes down to the basic purpose of a handicap system - to give a standardised measure of an archer's performance, for the archer (or his coach) to use. If an archer chooses to shoot two rounds in one day, he should be able to use that measure - because it doesn't affect anyone else in the slightest.
To me, the more critical point is that, yet again, the rule book, while apparently clear, is based on assumptions (Club Target Day?) and a misunderstanding. The whole thing needs a thorough re-examination, and a re-writing by people who are a) current archers at all levels and b) able to write clear and exact English.