Your handicap index

[dbwood]

Mine is official.

[The Recreational Golfer]

  DaSportsGuy said:

Originally Posted by DaSportsGuy

I keep an official index through my club. I really have no reason to keep an official index other than for personal pride(I guess). Next season I'm probably going to be leaving my club though and becoming a daily fee, play all over the place guy because of the increase in membership cost that I did not agree with. The conditions of the course were absolutely awful last year after the course I guess got a disease? Nobody really knows and their were a ton of rumors. Yet they jack up the price this year another $1,000 and create a "must be 18 to take a cart rule". Your telling me I can drive a car that can go upwards of 100 mph but cannot control a freakin golf cart that tops out at maybe 15-20mph? I don't really mind the cart rule because I usually prefer to walk most of the time, but it's kinda frustrating when you go out with your dad and your brother and someone has to walk.

Anyway, if you do not belong to a club and keep your handicap through them, is their any other way to obtain an official USGA Handicap Index?

A "club" does not always mean the golf club itself. If a local muni has a men's club (an association of golfers who play at that course) you can join that and now you're a member of a club as far as the USGA is concerned. That's how I got my official handicap.

[GopherNut]

A USGA handicap is pretty cheap and worth the cost.  There are other benefits to joining besides having a handicap that you can bring to any course and play against anyone fairly.  You also typically get a local (state/region) magazine, bag tag, and help sponsor USGA/local/state events.  It's also a great way to track how your game is improving or going downhill over the span of many years.

[montru]

Mine is official, actually I just came back from paying my dues for the year ($21.40 US) I use it for playing in net skins games etc and when I go out to AZ for my anual tourney in September.

[Lefty-Golfer]

It is used for action. how else would you set up a fair wager on a round of you don't keep an offical number?

[IceDave]

Mine is EGA official, works in Europe.  Most often when I play using handicaps I prefer local handicap or playing handicap for the current course, tee's etc.

[bcgolf]

Mine is official.  It's a European one, EGA !

[enis750]

official RCGA (or now Golf Canada) here

it's included in my membership

although somedays i wonder if it should be 20........

[zeg]

I keep mine using Scorecard.  It's unofficial, but I don't gamble on golf and don't intend to, certainly not against people who I couldn't trust (and wouldn't trust me) to keep an accurate index without a committee watching over their shoulder.  Even though I'm a high handicap, I prefer to "compete" using gross score---I put the word in quotes because I am usually just out playing alongside a friend rather than really competing against them.  Sure, I expect to lose most of the time, but I don't mind.

I probably will start working on a USGA handicap next year or so, just so I have one in case I ever want to play a course that requires a maximum handicap index to get out.  (St. Andrews, I'm looking at you.)  Until I get my index down a bit farther, though, it's not really that important since proving I'm a 28 isn't going to do me any good...

[B-Con]

This would've been more handy if it were a poll. Mine is not official. I've used a couple different services to track it and I currently use Scorecard (the best of all of them, IMO). I never play in anything that requires an official handicap index, all my rounds are just for fun.