I don't really have a course I would consider my " HOME " course. I really want to get an official index so I can compete in some local tournaments etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I just went to a local public course and paid the $35 annual fee to establish a handicap. If I play there, I can enter my score on their computer. When I play elsewhere, I enter it online. I wouldnt call it my "home" course, because I'm not a member and I tend to play many different courses. I do play there a bit though because it is a decent track and it is about 10 minutes from my front door.

Is the $35 a USGA fee or are you paying that to that particular course?

You can join Ginn.com for a handicap. In order to get an index you must indicate a golf course so that the slope can be calulated. You can post a score directly to the site, and select the course played for that score.

You need to join a golf club to get one. They do not issue them directly to individual golfers.

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

I'm sure by me posting this link it will add to the sites ultimate demise.

It's an "official usga handicap" for those of us who do not currently belong to a golf club with a physical address. And it's free.

I realize that there are several thousand members on Golfwrx.com and that this handicap site will now be inundated with new members and that it may overload there system but, we'll see.

http://www.stracka.com/handicap.asp

Check into your States Golf Association. Thats the best bet?

JWF

Stracka is a cool website but, their handicap wasn't usable in any of the state tournaments here.

Just to be clear, the "golf club" you need to join doesn't have to be a private golf club. As just one example, it can be a men's club associated with a local muni.

The reason they want you to be a member of a local "club" is so there is a local handicap committee presumably watching over you.

I think it would depend on what type of club you join "within" the site. Type 3 clubs are generally "not" accepted for tournament play but "type 2" are. That's just my experience and I belong to both. But I guess it's really up to the local handicap governing body hosting the tournament.

To further clarify, I paid $15 at my local muni, which is a member of the Carolinas Golf Association, and I have a USGA handicap. I'm not a member of any club or group at any course.

The computer handicap program there includes nearby courses, and if I play a course that isn't listed, I enter the slope and rating along with my score.

Yes, I didn't mean to imply that one had to join a men's or woman's club at a muni to get a handicap there, just that this is often done and usually rather inexpensive.

Out of curiousity though Bermuda, isn't your muni listed as your "home course" on your USGA handicap? It's my understanding that some local organization, whether the muni itself or a club associated with that muni (or some other in-the-flesh human-based group), must be identified and have a handicap committee to make the handicap USGA-compliant.

Yes, you're right, and the muni is listed as a "golf club" under the heading "club name."

check out SCGA.org it has a list of clubs you can join in Southern California. I got my membership through Roger Dunn and it came with a coupon for $10 off any purchase. http://www.worldwidegolfshops.com/page/rd/prod/002205-SC

it's easy and worth checking out.

There are a bunch like this.

Golfsmith USGA Handicap
The Golf Channel Game Tracker

Just to name a couple of online 'Golf Clubs'.

-Nick