Legit handicap??

[TN94z]

Where is the best place to get a legit handicap online that can be used in tournaments? I use oobgolf.com to track my scores currently. I am using this year to get myself ready for tournament play next year and I want to have a well established handicap that is USGA approved. I know I have seen threads on here about this topic but for some reason search is not yielding the results.

[allin]

If you don't have a home course? You can get USGA handicaps through online clubs now. Retailers like Golf Galaxy also do this. Try googling USGA for your home state to find out the options in your area.

[Comeback City]

http://www.usga.org/playing/handicaps/handicaps.html

http://www.ghin.com

[PiKapp23]

I have used golf.com for several years now for my USGA handicap.

[Eeryck]

There is some benefit to establishing a handicap at a course where you play often and know the folks there.

For instance in Wisconsin, you can get a USGA handicap through the Wisconsin State Golf Association (WSGA) and it cost $30 per year. I chose my home course as the course where the Pro I take lessons with is head Pro. This gives me the benefit that he can attest to rounds submitted that I play there if my handicap were questioned.

It is possible the same is true for other services but that is outside of my experience.

Regards,
-E

[TN94z]

Well, my home course is about to close and they stopped doing handicaps last year. I don't know when I will join another club so I was looking for something online.

[TN94z]

I was looking at my OOBgolf.com account today (first time I really looked at it since last year) and I noticed that my handicap was a 3.4 when I stopped entering rounds last year. Is there handicap pretty true or is it off in some way? If it is pretty true then I know I can reach my goal of a 2-5 handicap this year!!

[RemyM]

You must be playing golf somewhere. Every golf course here has some sort of club that you can join and get an official handicap through.

[TN94z]

You must be playing golf somewhere. Every golf course here has some sort of club that you can join and get an official handicap through.

Yes I am and no they don't. They stopped doing it last year with the talk of the course closing. It is scheduled to close at the end of this month. That is why I haven't been tracking it at my home course.

[andy]

I use http://www.myscorecard.com

It's about $10 / year and it's official USGA

so far so good..

[PiKapp23]

Something to watch out for - sites claiming to have an official USGA handicap using ISaAC Scoring Systems. The USGA is suing ISaAC over this:

http://golf-patents.com/2009/04/21/d...ndicapcom.aspx

I mention this because I have been using www.golf.com for several years and a couple years ago they switched over to this ISaAC system. I didn't think much about it because they said it was still an official handicap (and it was accepted as such in the one tournament I entered). This is from the actual complaint (the entire thing can be found that the link I posted above):

ISaAC purports to offer golfers "USGA Handicaps" on multiple Internet websites, including but not limited to www.rangeace.com, www.linksace.com, and www.ushandicap.com.

[JCDot33]

My handicap is kept through my home course and they use www.GHIN.com I use this service to post my scores only, for all of my stats I use oobgolf.com I find the user interface to be much more stream lined for entering hold by hole scoring ...

[microcrayfish]

Do all these sites just let you put your own score in via your computer at home? If so that's rubbish, you shouldn't be able to have an official handicap for tournament use if you don't have someone else sign your scorecard to ensure your score is legit. I know it's not fair for people playing by themselves but it's the only way to make sure people hand in the right scores.

If the people at the course put it in for you and it's still signed off by someone then that's fine.

[TN94z]

Wouldn't it be very obvious for someone to keep the wrong scores and then enter a tournament with the wrong handicap? There handicap wouldn't match what they shoot, right? I understand what you are saying and agree to a certain point.

[RemyM]

Yes I am and no they don't. They stopped doing it last year with the talk of the course closing. It is scheduled to close at the end of this month. That is why I haven't been tracking it at my home course.

So are you going to quit playing when they close? You'll be playing at some other course who probably offers a real handicap service.

[RemyM]

Just because someone offers a service to calculate your handicap and uses the USGA formula doesn't make it a USGA handicap index. Most internet handicap services will not meet USGA criteria to be a licenced golf club, a requirement for issuing handicaps.

http://www.usga.org/playing/handicap..._handicap.html

[tjy355]

Do all these sites just let you put your own score in via your computer at home? If so that's rubbish, you shouldn't be able to have an official handicap for tournament use if you don't have someone else sign your scorecard to ensure your score is legit. I know it's not fair for people playing by themselves but it's the only way to make sure people hand in the right scores.

That's the way it is done here in the USA. The player is responsible for posting all of his non-tournament rounds either at the course or online if the local system permits it.

[TN94z]

So are you going to quit playing when they close? You'll be playing at some other course who probably offers a real handicap service.

The key words are "if it closes." They have been saying they were closing every since the end of last year. Now when they set a closing date, the date gets pushed out to give more negotiation time. It might close next week...it might close next year. Who knows? But I do know that if they continue to stay open, they still won't have the handicap system. Also, when the course closes I am not going to join another club until next year.

I guess I can just go to some club and pay them to do it for me even though I am not a member there. I was just asking if there is a legit place online because that would much more convenient for me this year.