[David Miller]

I'm heading over to Scotland in late August and need to get a handicap card but currently do not belong to a club.  I'm assuming TOC and other courses over there want a USGA card and not a printout of my Yahoo handicap.

Does anyone know an easy way to get a card this summer (i.e., without joining a private club)?

Thanks a lot.

[Dan Herrmann]

There are a number of public clubs that provide the GHIN service.   I even think Golf Galaxy has a club that has GHIN.

I don't think Yahoo will do it for TOC.

[Brian_Sleeman]

I don't think Yahoo will do it for TOC.

What if you name-drop Huckaby?

[Matt_Cohn]

David,

Go to your State Golf Association's website and get a list of all of their member and affiliate clubs and join one of those. Or if you don't feel like comparison shopping, just go to your local course and join for around $75.

Be careful with the Golf Galaxy one - Golfsmith has a similar program but it's not GHIN compliant and it gave me a number of headaches until I joined an NCGA club.

[ed_getka]

David,
   Check out myscorecard.com. I signed up with them for my NZ/Australia trip, but didn't end  up needing it. It does allow you to get a USGA handicap, by joining one of the member clubs of the site. I was able to do it  all in a day, and I don't even have computer skills.
   Plus it didn't even cost me anything for the first 90 days I believe, which is all you will need anyway.
    Good luck and have a great trip.

[David Miller]

Thanks for the recommendations.

Matt: it looks like Golf Galaxy option is the most economical ($25), and the website says it can be used for USGA events.  Would that suffice or might I run into problems similar to yours?

[David Miller]

Ed: I spoke too soon.  MyScorecard.com would be the most economical option.  Are you pretty sure that it is legit?  I'd hate to get over there and get shafted by an invalid handicap card.

[Matt_Cohn]

David,

That sounds like the same company that did Golfsmith's system. It's calculated according to the proper formula, but if anybody tries to verify it, especially from overseas, things could get weird - again, because it's not part of the GHIN system. I wouldn't risk it.

GHIN is the key word in all of this. Whatever you use, Make - Sure - It's - GHIN!!!

[Ulrich Mayring]

What I think the Scots will look for is the USGA logo - if that is present, they will probably believe it's authentic. Unless they have a computer system that can identify the card, then GHIN sounds good.

Ulrich

[Tom Dunne]

David, while it's definitely good to get a card, just thought I'd mention that I've traveled overseas several times without one and have been "carded" exactly once. That was at TOC. However, I was in the GHIN system, so they were able to verify my long record of futility via the Internet. Still probably best to get one, as YMMV.

[JohnV]

Since your profile says you live in North Carolina, ignore all the people who keep talking about GHIN.  The Carolinas Golf Association uses a different vendor.

Many people who live in states that use GHIN, equate it with a USGA Handicap Index.  It isn't, GHIN is just a handicap provider that is licensed to provide USGA Handicap Indexes and just happens to be owned by the USGA.  There are many other licensed providers and about 1/3 of associations use other ones than GHIN.

That being said, go to this link: http://www.carolinasgolf.org/clubs/cgamemberclubs.htm

Find a public course that is near you and find out what they charge to get a handicap.  Sign up and you are set.  Then you have to post enough scores before the final revision before you leave to have a valid USGA Handicap Index.

[Pete Lavallee]

Is anybody else slightly disturbed by this? You have World Class golf course overseas, ready to open their doors to any and all visitors and all they ask is that the golfer possess a valid handicap. In order for any US handicap to have any meaning there must be peer review, the system is worthless without it; the USGA states this all the time. How can you have peer review if you establish your handicap on the internet?

David, do the right thing and join somewhere locally. It can't cost more than $100 per year and you will be safe in the knowledge that you are now a "good golfing citizen". It might encourage you to particpate in local competitions, which I'm sure you will find most enjoyable. If cost is an issue I'm sure the BBGE can help out.  

[David Miller]

I really appreciate all the advice.  To play it safe and be a "good golfing citizen,"   I'm just going to join the cheapest muni on the list of CGA member clubs.

[John_Conley]

David, since the club is 'sponsoring' (maybe not the correct word) your handicap, don't be surprised if you run into provisions like "you must play at least half your rounds at the club".

A club's handicap chairperson is responsible for oversight.  If they take that role real serious they may want to control where you play to some degree.

I have a handicap through the National Golf Network.  In order to use them I believe you have to have a "club" established.  You may wish to create handicaps for you and your buddies via this method.  I think it falls into the "clubs without real estate" category.

Good luck.  What the people at St. Andrews are trying to avoid are bad golfers holding up play.  I don't think that will be a problem.

[Pete Lavallee]

What the people at St. Andrews are trying to avoid are bad golfers holding up play.  

Exactly, just how will you know that a golfer possesses the correct ettiquette to play TOC if no one ever witnesses his play in person? That is why it is important to belong somewhere where other golfers can judge your level of acceptability. It's this go to the driving range, get a web based handicap that leads to the poor ettiquette so prevalent today.

[Evan Fleisher]

Since your profile says you live in North Carolina, ignore all the people who keep talking about GHIN.  The Carolinas Golf Association uses a different vendor.

Many people who live in states that use GHIN, equate it with a USGA Handicap Index.  It isn't, GHIN is just a handicap provider that is licensed to provide USGA Handicap Indexes and just happens to be owned by the USGA.  There are many other licensed providers and about 1/3 of associations use other ones than GHIN.

That being said, go to this link: http://www.carolinasgolf.org/clubs/cgamemberclubs.htm

Find a public course that is near you and find out what they charge to get a handicap.  Sign up and you are set.  Then you have to post enough scores before the final revision before you leave to have a valid USGA Handicap Index.

John has got it right...should be a very simple thing.  Since moving to Cleveland (and NOT belonging to a private club anymore) I went to a local golf course that has the GHIN service and signed up for $15...no muss, no fuss, no play requirements.

[David Miller]

Bingo--Renaissance Park Golf Course for $25/year.  Thanks to all.  

[Daryl David]

I know many of the courses say that they may require you to produce the card, but most of the time they don't. However, you don't want to be caught that one time without the card to show them.  

Case in point:

One year at Dornoch, my wife and I were asked to produce our handicaps and had left the copies at the hotel.  After a moment of panic, I ran to the car and got my laptop, logged on wireless and pulled up GHIN.  After passing the laptop to the starter and confirming we were not hacks, we were allowed to procede to the tee.  Disaster avoided.

[Sean Leary]

Make sure you post at least your last 20 scores so it will give you a real handicap.

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