How does one get a Handicap

[Youngun5]

its becoming increasingly common for me to need one to be able to participate in events i want.

i don't play one place alot b/c mostly we just play 9 holes a day for practice or tournaments.

whats gonna be the easiest/cheapest way for me to do this and be officially certified and stuff.

thanks

[Augster]

Join the men's club at your local course.

A lot of courses offer handicap services without having to join a men's club. Go in and ask about it to whoever is behind the counter. I'm sure they get asked it a lot.

Plus there are also online golf clubs. They may have one in your state. Here's one in Minneapolis:

http://www.twincitiesgolf.com/usga_handicap_card.htm

You could join that, I think, for $33 a year. I think you can join, maybe, because they now allow online score posting. I know through a club you just post on the computer there, and that's how it used to be primarily even for the internet-based clubs. Now with internet posting, I don't really know if they allow from "out-state" to join. I don't see why not.

You could always email them.

Do a google for golf clubs in your state and see if any are internet-based if that's your thing.

But if you want to win club championships and get your name on the plaque, you'll actually have to join the men's club and play a few events. Most likely, those guys will become your new friends and playing partners because A. They are like-minded enough like yourself that you all joined the same club, B. They like golf enough to get a handicap and join a club, and C. You all really have one goal, to win events.

Whether it's match-play, stroke-play, full handi, or scratch, there will always be events going on at your local club. Most clubs have members that have a group with preferred tee times on the weekends. As long as you are a member, you are usually welcomed in.

Join the Men's club at your local course. A LOT of courses around here give "junior" rates for the men's club to players in high school and college. I know our yearly dues are $110, but the junior rate is only $60.

I think you are thinking about getting a handicap to try to play your state Am, your state junior Am, Publinks etc. etc. If that is the case, you will NEED to have joined a club in your state. Having a USGA handicap isn't good enough. If you want to play in the state-sanctioned events, you'll need to have joined a club in your state.

I'm in Minnesota. In order for me to enter the Minnesota State Amatuer, I need to have an MGA (Minnesota Golf Association) handicap. Also, what club you join matters also. If you join a club at a private course, you are not eligible for your state "Publinks" championship. Also the USGA Publinks.

Since you don't have a regular course right now, I am guessing you kind of bounce around between public courses, so you should have no problem being eligible for Publinks tournaments if that's your calling.

I hope that long-winded response helps you. Join your local men's club today!

[Silver]

A slightly less confusing answer that I pulled out of Augster's post: Check into your state golf association to see if they have a sanctioned "public" handicapping system.

For example, in British Columbia (that's a province (something similar to a "state") in Canada, which is a country - for the uninformed ), the BCGA is the nationally sanctioned provincial golf association. The BCGA has a public online handicapping system that costs something like $35 to join and you post all your scores online and get the 'cap that way - ideal for people like you and I who do not play at any given course with any type of regularity.

Good luck!

[Loop]

Originally Posted by Silver

The BCGA has a public online handicapping system that costs something like $35 to join and you post all your scores online and get the 'cap that way - ideal for people like you and I who do not play at any given course with any type of regularity.

Aye. But I don't think the handicap would apply to a 9-hole course, even if you play it twice...

[SiberianDVM]

I joined the Georgia State Golf Association specifically to get a handicap. So now, when someone asks (which has happened exactly once), I can proudly state I'm a 21.1.

What a nerd, huh?

[DouginGA]

My handicap is my driver however on the last few holes yesterday I drove better than ever- one was all of threehundred and straight, and a few others just as good.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just go to your local club. Around here they charge $25-35 for the year. If you have no preference on clubs and there are several close by, check to see if they allow you access to the computer or enter the scores for you or have online web based entry. I would recommend either finding one that allows you to enter your own scores or has online entry over the web. This way you can verify the info is entered, entered correctly, and in a timely fasion so as not to delay the accurate handicap reflection.

And at least in PA, they allow for 9 hole entry, you just need to make sure the course has a slope for each 9.

[ezra76]

I joined this online one, Golfserve. It was $29.95 for the year and comes with a subscription to Golf magazine. They recently changed the rules though and you have to play 3 rounds with another member as well as an event at sometime during the season. They have a list of members so I emailed a few guys and found one guy who plays where I do who is interested. If you have a friend to join with you it would make it easier. I think you can enter 9 hole scores too, they have that option to click on (9 or 18) when you enter a round. They have just about every course in my area listed and if it isn't you can put the info in for it. They update the handicaps every 2-3 weeks and you can enter all kinds of hole by hole stats. I keep track of putts and gir. They just updated it and I went from a 13.2 to a 17.8 in the last month and a half. I stink Here's the link if you want to check it out.

http://www.golf.com/gdc/homepages/home_v2.asp

[Glenn70]

I don't believe it is official, but Yahoo has a handicap tracker I've used just for reference http://golf.sports.yahoo.com/tracker

If you need an official handicap, this wont work. But if you just want to know what your handicap is, its great. You just need to join Yahoo, which is free.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by Glenn70

I don't believe it is official, but Yahoo has a handicap tracker I've used just for reference http://golf.sports.yahoo.com/tracker

If you need an official handicap, this wont work. But if you just want to know what your handicap is, its great. You just need to join Yahoo, which is free.

It's not official but it is useful to keep track of stats and fun. When I brought my info over to Golfserve at the beginning of the year my "real" handicap was almost 5 points lower than what Yahoo stated. They don't have the calculations correct. I think they just avg. all your scores but a true handicap puts more empahsis on your lower rounds and capability of going that low again.

[GoFlyers]

This is an official handicap/index.
http://www.golf.com/gdc/homepages/handicaptracker.asp

[Youngun5]

thanks for the info guys,

went and talked to the head pro at my home course and turns out i'll be able to sign up there for free b/c i'm a junior, cool stuff. can't wait to get this thing started!