Should I Sign Up For The Golf Channel Amateur Tour?

[thenewguy]

Hey guys, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Matt. I'm 17 and I have casually played golf all my life, and just started playing seriously this summer. I've been shooting some pretty low scores after I played a few rounds of golf and got my new clubs. I have no idea what my Handicap is anymore, and I don't have the scorecards to tell. Anyway, my hole average is about +2/3 per hole with a couple pars on the par 5s. Do you think I should sign up to play in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour? I hear it's catered towards every skill level, so it might help me improve a bit. I'd like to hear some opinions, Matt

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

Hey guys, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Matt. I'm 17 and I have casually played golf all my life, and just started playing seriously this summer. I've been shooting some pretty low scores after I played a few rounds of golf and got my new clubs. I have no idea what my Handicap is anymore, and I don't have the scorecards to tell. Anyway, my hole average is about +2/3 per hole with a couple pars on the par 5s. Do you think I should sign up to play in the Golf Channel Amateur Tour? I hear it's catered towards every skill level, so it might help me improve a bit. I'd like to hear some opinions, Matt

You need to officially establish a handicap index first. But once you do, I don't see why you shouldn't play a few GCAT events if you are interested in competing. They are usually played on some very nice courses, and are flighted by handicap.

[thenewguy]

You need to officially establish a handicap index first. But once you do, I don't see why you shouldn't play a few GCAT events if you are interested in competing. They are usually played on some very nice courses, and are flighted by handicap.

How do I go about that? I never knew, my dad had always done it for me. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[kpaulhus]

U can sign up on ushandicap.com to get a handicap index. It's only like $30 a year.

[Golfingdad]

You need to officially establish a handicap index first. But once you do, I don't see why you shouldn't play a few GCAT events if you are interested in competing. They are usually played on some very nice courses, and are flighted by handicap.

Not true ... OP the GCAT will let you start without an official USGA handicap index and your local tour director will help you figure out which flight you belong in until you've got your tour handicap. http://gcamtour.com/handicap-faq/

[David in FL]

Not true ... OP the GCAT will let you start without an official USGA handicap index and your local tour director will help you figure out which flight you belong in until you've got your tour handicap. http://gcamtour.com/handicap-faq/

^^^^ This. ^^^^ And yes, if you're interested in playing competitive golf, the GCAT is a great option, and a lot of fun!

[Golfingdad]

^^^^ This. ^^^^ And yes, if you're interested in playing competitive golf, the GCAT is a great option, and a lot of fun!

Yes, I forgot to add that part. ;) GCAT is great for first getting into competition. Ive done a handful of tournaments in the last few years and had a blast as well as learned a lot about competing. :)

[Shindig]

[quote name="David in FL" url="/t/82573/should-i-sign-up-for-the-golf-channel-amateur-tour#post_1153696"] ^^^^ This. ^^^^ And yes, if you're interested in playing competitive golf, the GCAT is a great option, and a lot of fun!

Yes, I forgot to add that part. ;) GCAT is great for first getting into competition. Ive done a handful of tournaments in the last few years and had a blast as well as learned a lot about competing. :)[/quote] How does it compare to general club-level competition? My club has regular tournaments, and I enjoy those. But endorsements for GCAT from you and David make me think that maybe I should give that a go at some point.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

Not true ... OP the GCAT will let you start without an official USGA handicap index and your local tour director will help you figure out which flight you belong in until you've got your tour handicap. http://gcamtour.com/handicap-faq/

Thanks for that info. I thought for sure you needed a handicap to enter. Not needing an official handicap makes it even easier to get started. Very nice.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

Thanks for that info. I thought for sure you needed a handicap to enter. Not needing an official handicap makes it even easier to get started. Very nice.

[Patch]

Give it a shot, and have fun. I know some guys who play in that tour (?) and they enjoy playing on some of the different courses that are on the schedule. They also have the ability to travel to compete in out of town competitions. The only down side they sometimes talk about is about some of the "creative" scoring some of the players use. Creative as in cheating. That, and "ringers" that sometimes show up in the wrong handicap flight.

I recently joined a men's league. I was looking at their score board and saw some of the scores some of the players were posting. When I compared them to mine, I knew I would never finish last, so I signed up. Perhaps you can do the same comparison, and see how you match up.

I am not sure but, you might be able to contact this tour, and they maybe able to provide you with a temporary handicap until you play in enough rounds in their tour.