This is the first season that I have been taking golf seriously and I figured it is time that I establish a handicap. I have saved some of my scorecards. Now how do I get started? Which site should I use? and is there a fee?

Thanks!

You need to join a "club"-which can be a real "club" located at golf course or affiliated or one of the "virtual" types in order to obtain an USGA handicap. You'll then need to post your rounds (presuming they've been played in a manner according to the USGA rules on handicaps) and you'll receive a USGA handicap index-which can then be adjusted to a course handicap on the courses/tees you are playing.

One of the local clubs you play at should have an established system with the state Golf Association. Pay for a membership for the year and they will get you signed up. From there it is just a process of learning the website where you post scores and making sure you try to post at least 1 every week. I play out of Michigan and I know it takes about 15-20 scores before you can start to get an accurate handicap. If you need any help, just give me a shout.

Burky

I used The Golf Channels for 2 years. It's not worth the money. You are better off joining a local club at your home course, or course you play often. It's best if they have an online posting system.

http://www.usga.org/handicapping/get_handi...ing-A-Handicap/

Go with a USGA. It is a must for playing most tournaments and league's.

I'm a few months ahead of you- the first thing you need to do is determine what service is the "accepted" one in your area- if you are going to play in tournaments, I've seen some that only accept certain services, like GHIN. Not sure if that is "legal" but it at least seems to be the case.

Next, join that service through a local or Internet based club.

Next- and this is THE most important part, read the USGA web site on everything handicap. There are little intricasies in how this works (like Equitable Stroke Control- ESC) that many golfers don't know or care to understand. There are several threads here on GolfWRX going on right now about this type of stuff- and it comes down to people just signing up and entering scores on the computer- then there are hard feelings later when someone sandbags or doesn't enter the proper information, or worse, uses their handicap incorrectly in competition.

There's a ton of information on the USGA web site

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-Sy...andicap-Manual/

regarding handicaps- it really isn't that difficult to understand once you read through it a couple of times. There is also a lot of good info on the About:Golf web site...

http://golf.about.com

They explain handicaps in layman's terms.

Good luck!

I echo the advice of the others, if you want to have a handicap so that you can compete in tournaments, the best way is to join a local club. By that, I don't mean you have to join a country club or anything, most municipal and many daily fee courses have an affiliated men's club that holds tournaments at the course. Usually costs anywhere from $60 -100 per year to join. Approximately $25-35 of that fee will go to the state golf association for maintaining your handicap. This handicap will be USGA legitimate and 100% portable. You can play in the Men's club events and gain tournament experience, meet new friends, etc. Or not, if you don't want to, but you can still post all of your scores (usually online) and have a legit handicap.

If you just want to calculate your handicap for kicks, then it is easy to do yourself or use one of the many online sites that do this. I wouldn't pay any money for that service however. Most do not offer a sanctioned and recognized handicap.

There are some online services that claim to offer legit handicaps, but I would first check with my state golf association first to make sure they are accepted if your desire is to compete.

Good luck!

I don't plan on competing in any tournaments anytime soon. I was more interested just for kicks. I really do not want to pay for this. I see that Dick Sporting Goods offers it for free. Anyone try theirs?

Check out the website Myscorecard.com

Membership is $10/year, and you can pick from any of a number of virtual clubs in your area that will allow you to establish an official USGA sanctioned handicap.

I've been using the site for a little over 2 months now and love it. IMO, it has great customization options for entering scorecards and a pretty good statistical explanation and breakdown of your game (assuming you track/enter that info) so you know what areas of your game need the most attention and how you shape up against others of a similar handicap.

I also found a good group of players in my area that get together for a tournament once a month, so it's also a great way to expand the golf network.

They let you try the website for 3 weeks for free too, so get an account and try it. If you don't like it after 3 weeks, you're not out anything but a little spare time.

A few I am aware of (never used them so I can't comment):

http://www.greenskeeper.org/handicaptracke...ackersample.cfm

http://www.golf.com//golf/generic/0,31317,1901625,00.html