1) What is the purpose of the Handicap System™?
"The purpose of the USGA Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis. The System provides a fair Course Handicap for each player, regardless of ability, and adjusts a player's Handicap Index up or down as the player's game changes. At the same time, the System disregards high scores that bear little relation to the player's potential ability and promotes continuity by making a Handicap Index continuous from one playing season or year to the next. A Handicap Index is useful for all forms of play, and is issued only to individuals who are members of a golf club."
(USGA Handicap System, pg.1)

2) Should I post scores when I play in the winter?
All scores played in a region that is observing an active season are to be posted for handicap purposes unless the score is an unacceptable score under USGA Handicap System guidelines.

3) When is a score unacceptable?
The following scores are not be be accepted for handicap purposes: when fewer than seven holes are played, when played on a golf course in an area that is observing an inactive season, when a majority of the holes are not played according to the USGA Rules of Golf, when the golf course does not have a valid USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating, when the number or type of clubs is limited as a condition of competition, when the player carries or uses non-conforming clubs or uses non-conforming golf balls, and when artificial devices are used during the execution of a stroke.

4) Should I post a score if I skip a hole?
Yes. For holes not played or not played under the Rules of Golf, the player records net par for the hole(s). The player will add any handicap strokes s/he is entitled to on that hole to par to record a score.

5) Should I post a score if I do not finish a hole?
Yes. A player will record his/her most likely score for any hole not completed or that is conceded. To determine a player's most likely score, the player counts the strokes already taken and then adds, in the best estimation of the player, how many more strokes it would have taken to complete the hole.

6) If I am a member at more than one club how do I get the same GHIN number at each one?
Please contact the Association (Terry Teasdale) to have your scoring records merged. After completed, when a score is posted at one club it will automatically be routed to the other(s).

7) How can I get my new USGA Handicap Index® sent to me?
If your club subscribes to the GHIN Service, you can have your email address entered into your playing record and have it sent to you upon each revision. Please contact your club of the Association (Terry Teasdale) to enroll in the eRevision Service.

8) How do I post a score on the Internet?
Scores are acceptable to be posted over the Internet only if the club with whom you are a member has adopted the policy to allow scores to be posted over the Internet. To do so, please visit ghin.com and click on Post Online, and enter your GHIN number.

9) Where can I find the Course Rating and Slope for a course I played?
It is possible to find it on the USGA website, the WPGA website, or from the club where the round was played.

10) What do the various letters on my handicap card mean?
An "R" means that the handicap has been reduced under Section 10-3 of the USGA Handiap System due to exceptional tournament performance. An "L" means that this is a Local Handicap: it is above the USGA limits of 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women. An "M" indicates that the handicap has been modified by the club's handicap committee. An "N" means that it is a nine-hold handicap.

11) How do I do if my club is authorized to use the USGA Handicap System™?
Please check either the USGA website or the WPGA website. In order to use the USGA Handicap System™ a club must be licensed by the USGA.

12) How does a club get licensed to use the USGA Handicap System™?
Member Clubs of the WPGA can go through the licensing process through the Association (click here). Non-member clubs must contact the USGA to undergo the Club Licensing process. To obtain a license, a member of the club or the club's staff must attend a Handicap Seminar conducted either by the USGA or the WPGA and pass a quiz showing proficiency in the USGA Handicap System™? The USGA Handicap Seminar can be accessed online.

13) How often does a club need to be rated?
All golf clubs must be rated at least every ten years or when construction affects the USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating. The WPGA re-rated each of its Member Clubs on a six-year revolving schedule.