Jump to content
Check out the Spin Axis Podcast! ×
Note: This thread is 5869 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Posted
I know you typically need to join a club that offers a handicap service in order to get a recognized handicap. I'd like to get mine official so that I have the option of playing in tournaments. Does anyone know of a free and quick online golf club where you can just post scores and get a recognized handicap? I did some googling, but wanted a real person's take on it.

[ Equipment ]
R11 9° (Lowered to 8.5°) UST Proforce VTS 7x tipped 1" | 906F2 15° and 18° | 585H 21° | Mizuno MP-67 +1 length TT DG X100 | Vokey 52° Oil Can, Cleveland CG10 2-dot 56° and 60° | TM Rossa Corza Ghost 35.5" | Srixon Z Star XV | Size 14 Footjoy Green Joys | Tour Striker Pro 5, 7, 56 | Swingwing


Posted
I think the golf galaxy website and golf.com both can give you an official usga handicap. You just pay a monthly or yearly fee
Driver: i15, 3 wood: G10, Hybrid: Nickent 4dx, Irons: Ping s57, Wedges: Mizuno MPT 52, 56, 60, Putter: XG #9 

Posted
There are plenty of sites that will do a free handicap but they won't be official. Heck, if you know how to do basic math you can keep it yourself. If you want an offcial index so you can get the card with the info on it, and a GHIN number, then you will have to pay for it.

I will judge my rounds much more by the quality of my best shots than the acceptability of my worse ones.


Posted
There are plenty of sites that will do a free handicap but they won't be official. Heck, if you know how to do basic math you can keep it yourself. If you want an offcial index so you can get the card with the info on it, and a GHIN number, then you will have to pay for it.

That was basically my question. I've computed my handicap by recording rounds online and getting whatever the calculator spits out at me. But do you really have to pay for it? I found this site:

http://www.myonlinegolfclub.com as an example. I'm not really sure what it means, though. Do you have to take the certificate with you to tournaments, or can they just look it up by your GHIN number? I'm guessing it depends.

[ Equipment ]
R11 9° (Lowered to 8.5°) UST Proforce VTS 7x tipped 1" | 906F2 15° and 18° | 585H 21° | Mizuno MP-67 +1 length TT DG X100 | Vokey 52° Oil Can, Cleveland CG10 2-dot 56° and 60° | TM Rossa Corza Ghost 35.5" | Srixon Z Star XV | Size 14 Footjoy Green Joys | Tour Striker Pro 5, 7, 56 | Swingwing


Posted
See if your state has a golf association. Here in Michigan we have GAM.org. You get an official handicap with membership. It's all done on line. You choose a home course but it really doesn't matter where you play.

Kevin

-------
In the Bag
Driver: G15 9.0*3 & 5 Wood: BurnerHybrid: Pro Gold 20*; 23*Irons: MP-58 (5-PW)Wedges: Vokey Spin Milled 52*8; 56*14Putter: Newport 2.0 33"Balls: NXT


Posted
See if your state has a golf association. Here in Michigan we have GAM.org. You get an official handicap with membership. It's all done on line. You choose a home course but it really doesn't matter where you play.

Yep, its what I use. And being a member gets lots of perks (2 for 1, discounts, Golf magazine, USGA membership, etc.) At $25 a year it pays for itself very quickly with all of the savings.

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." Woody Allen
My regular pasture.


Posted
See if your state has a golf association. Here in Michigan we have GAM.org. You get an official handicap with membership. It's all done on line. You choose a home course but it really doesn't matter where you play.

I found TGA, Texas Golf Association. It looks like there are a few courses on there, one of which I have actually played. So do you usually have to pay both the association and the particular club?

[ Equipment ]
R11 9° (Lowered to 8.5°) UST Proforce VTS 7x tipped 1" | 906F2 15° and 18° | 585H 21° | Mizuno MP-67 +1 length TT DG X100 | Vokey 52° Oil Can, Cleveland CG10 2-dot 56° and 60° | TM Rossa Corza Ghost 35.5" | Srixon Z Star XV | Size 14 Footjoy Green Joys | Tour Striker Pro 5, 7, 56 | Swingwing


  • Moderator
Posted
I found TGA, Texas Golf Association. It looks like there are a few courses on there, one of which I have actually played. So do you usually have to pay both the association and the particular club?

I do the same thing in TN. It was a 25.00 fee for the year and basically they just assign you to a club and encourage you to participate in events there. You don't have to pay anything to the club.

Bryan A
"Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same"

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted
I found TGA, Texas Golf Association. It looks like there are a few courses on there, one of which I have actually played. So do you usually have to pay both the association and the particular club?

No, just the association. Here in MI, the GAM asks you to pick a home club but it can be any participating course in the state, you don't have to be a member or have even golfed there. The TGA looks identical to the GAM.

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." Woody Allen
My regular pasture.


Posted
There is a website that has USGA recognized golf clubs you can join with approval by the commissioner (for free). You then post scores to obtain a USGA official handicap index.

The website name is dotted out here.
However, if I google search "how to obtain a USGA handicap golf social network"
it is the first one on my search.

HiBore XLS Tour 9.5*
Adams Fast10 15* 3W
A2OS 3H-7iron 60* LW
8iron Precept Tour Premium cb
9iron and 45* PW 50* GW 56* SW m565 and 455 VfoilPutter Anser Belly Putter Ball in order of preference TPblack e5 V2  AD333


Posted
There is a website that has USGA recognized golf clubs you can join with approval by the commissioner (for free). You then post scores to obtain a USGA official handicap index.

I think I found it ( secret

). Does it start with an S and rhyme with "cracka"?

[ Equipment ]
R11 9° (Lowered to 8.5°) UST Proforce VTS 7x tipped 1" | 906F2 15° and 18° | 585H 21° | Mizuno MP-67 +1 length TT DG X100 | Vokey 52° Oil Can, Cleveland CG10 2-dot 56° and 60° | TM Rossa Corza Ghost 35.5" | Srixon Z Star XV | Size 14 Footjoy Green Joys | Tour Striker Pro 5, 7, 56 | Swingwing


Posted
affirmative.

HiBore XLS Tour 9.5*
Adams Fast10 15* 3W
A2OS 3H-7iron 60* LW
8iron Precept Tour Premium cb
9iron and 45* PW 50* GW 56* SW m565 and 455 VfoilPutter Anser Belly Putter Ball in order of preference TPblack e5 V2  AD333


  • 8 months later...
Posted
There is also the ability to join (or create) an "eClubhouse" - for those who don't have a "home course".

Here's a link to the Kansas based one . So now I can freely not renew my membership at my current home course, but still retain my GHIN and play in KGA events! Awesome!!!

driver: FT-i tlcg 9.5˚ (Matrix Ozik XCONN Stiff)
4 wood: G10 (ProLaunch Red FW stiff)
3 -PW: :Titleist: 695 mb (Rifle flighted 6.0)
wedges:, 52˚, 56˚, 60˚
putter: Studio Select Newport 1.5


Posted
I thought the USGA had a requirement against virtual membership due to accountability and verification concerns. Several years ago I had to join a local men's club to establish an official handicap. Guess I'll have to check into it again.

Taylormade M2 driver @ 9.5*+2

TM M6 D-type 3wood 16*, 
TM M2 Rescue 3H@19* and 4H@22* ,
TM RocketBladez irons 5-9,PW,AW, SW(23*,26.5*,30.5*,35*,40*,45*,50*,55*),
TM Hi-Toe 60* wedge,
Ping Karsten 1959 Craz-E, or a Scotty
Bushnell Tour V3 rangefinder


Posted
i think treebound is right. I used to have an official USGA handicap through an online "virtual" club several years ago. But then that club said the USGA changed the rules, making eligibility much more stringent, as the USGA clarified that a "club" with the rights to issue handicaps had to be from a "defined geographic area", and members also "must have a reasonable and regular opportunity to play golf with each other". The online club tried to organize matches and tournaments with other members to fill those requirements, but none of my playing partners were members of the same online club, so i was screwed.

However, i found the online fee wasn't that different than the fee to get a legit USGA handicap at any other course. So moral of the story, is that it may be a whole lot easier (and not much more expensive) to just establish (i.e. buy) a handicap at a course. Most public courses offer the ability to purchase a USGA handicap -- in Georgia it's usually $40-$50/year at most courses i've seen.

Driver: Cleveland Classic 270, 10.5*
Fairway Woods: Adams Speedline LP (3 & 5)
Hybrids: Wilson Staff Fybrids 21*, 24*, UST V2 stiff
Irons: Callaway X-20 Tour, 5-PW, Rifle Project-X (flighted) 6.0
Wedges: Cleveland CG15 DSG 52* & 58* +/- 56* Niblick

Putter: Yes! Amy


Posted
Golf Galaxy site charges you an annual fee, and has a "playing season" about 9 months long. You also are supposed to play a few rounds w/ your area GG players, where you all attest each other's scores. Each area GG "club" is supposed to have a handful of official events each year.

Focus, connect and follow through!

  • Completed KBS Education Seminar (online, 2015)
  • GolfWorks Clubmaking AcademyFitting, Assembly & Repair School (2012)

Driver:  :touredge: EXS 10.5°, weights neutral   ||  FWs:  :callaway: Rogue 4W + 7W
Hybrid:  :callaway: Big Bertha B16 OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  :callaway: Mavrik MAX 5i-PW
Wedges:  :callaway: MD3: 48°, 54°... MD4: 58° ||  Putter:  image.png.0d90925b4c768ce7c125b16f98313e0d.png Inertial NM SL-583F, 34"  
Ball:  :srixon: QStar Tour - Divide  ||  Bag: :sunmountain: Three 5 stand bag

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Note: This thread is 5869 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    Carl's Place
    PlayBetter
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FitForGolf
    FlightScope Mevo

    Coupon Codes (save 10-20%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack/FitForGolf, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope. 15% off TourStriker (no code).
  • Popular Now

  • Posts

    • I mean, if you like GZ, and would drink it more often during a round than water, then keep drinking that. If you walk 18 holes, on a hot summer day, and drink 2 20-oz waters or 4 20-oz GZ. You will benefit more from the 4 20-oz GZ because it's like 99.99% water, lol. Yea, if flavored water makes you drink more water, then that works better.  I would just monitor the salt intake relative to your own health. I am sure some people might have to be careful. GZ is 280 mg salt. So, 4 of those is over 1000 mg. It is over 4 hours. That is like half the daily recommended intake of salt. You are probably losing some of your salt reserves playing golf. Long winded way of saying, it depends on the person.   
    • My first few years playing golf, I'd take a 32 oz Gatorade (probably pre-zero;  almost certainly Gatorade Tiger when that was a thing) with me in my bag, but I'd otherwise take water (in about the volumes I take now).  From your post, it seems like going back to something like that might be a better idea for me -- primarily water (maybe with some fruit or mint leaves thrown in for flavor) and one bottle of sports drink, rather than a diluted sports drink across all I'm drinking?
    • Yesterday evening, I watched The Gentlemen, a Guy Ritchie film from 2019 that I evidently missed on first pass.  It's a par, but it's a par on one of those long par-4s where the par feels like a birdie. It's in a similar vein to some other movies like Lock Stock, Snatch, or Layer Cake (which was Vaughn, not Ritchie).  If you liked those, I think you'll like this.   A friend suggested it a few months ago, and I started it one night and couldn't finish because I was having trouble following.  In retrospect, that was an artifact of trying to watch the movie too late in the day.  I started the movie at the beginning earlier yesterday and got to enjoy the full thing very much, but unlike some other movies, I encourage anyone to watch this when they're awake enough to catch which characters are which.  In my case, watching with subtitles helped me understand what some characters were saying. 
    • Sweat contains about 800 to 1500 mg per liter. For me, about 45 minutes of moderately intense workout had me lose about 3-lbs of water weight. That is about 1-liter. Now, a thing you need consider how much salt you are getting from food. Humans have been perfectly fine eating food with extra salt added. Typically, people would get 500 to 1000 mg of salt just from eating whole foods. Most people eat processed foods, which have more salt. So, we probably are not salt deprived. We are constantly digesting food we eat and taking in that salt. Unless you are fasting, and working out, you probably are slowly getting salt back into your body.  I will say electrolyte powder is probably beneficial for people for intense training or long endurance activities in the perspective of improving fluid retention (helps in recovery) and preventing cramping. I would say, just drinking water is way more important in general. For something like running marathons, absolutely beneficial. For golf, this is a marginal benefit.  In terms of ideal electrolyte ratios, you want to be in the 2:1 to 4:1 sodium to potassium ratio. Though, I have also seen ratios closer to 20:1. This mechanism is vital for nerve impulses, cell volume control, and kidney functions. Potassium is essential for muscle contractions. Magnesium is good for muscles function as well.  Ultima Replenisher: 55mg salt, 250mg potassium, 100mg magnesium.  *Probably good for people who don't eat a lot of whole foods, or foods with a lot salt. Probably one in the same, lol.  LiquidIV: 500mg salt, 370mg potassium, no magnesium.  LMNT: 1000mg salt, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium. Skratch: 400mg salt, 50mg potassium, 50mg magnesium.  Transparent Labs: 500mg salt, 250mg potassium, 50mg magnesium. If I had to choose one, I would probably go with Skratch. My diet isn't 100% whole foods, so I get plenty of salt.  Note, if you have kidney issues, I would be wary of adding excessive salt. Salt can be very hard on the kidneys, and you might be negating the benefits of drinking that water. 
    • I ran the nutrients for Ultima Replenisher  by my friend who is nutritionist. She said it was a decent breakdown. So I bought the berry and lemonade packs at Target. Will give a try on the course today.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.