It’s April 15. That means the final four Allied Golf Associations have opened their season for active posting. Saturday is the first time that golfers associated with any of the 58 Allied Golf Associations and United States Golf Association can post a score and have it count toward their Handicap Index for 2023.
While golfers in Arizona, Florida and Texas are able to post counting scores year round, those in northern states and colder areas aren’t able to post scores in winter and early spring. However, Saturday is Golf’s Opening Round, the USGA’s initiative to be a celebration for golfers across the country to head to their local course and tee it up.
“We really want to generate some more excitement for the start of the season,” said Terry Benjamin, the USGA’s manager of handicap education and management. “We want to help people who are new to golf be comfortable on the golf course and and encourage others to get back out there and play.”
Across the USGA’s social media, the organization has shared ways golfers can get ready for their opening round, from course care tips, to a Rules of Golf primer and debunking handicap index myths.
Benjamin said numbers have gone up nearly 20 percent since COVID started of golfers keeping an official USGA handicap. In 2020, there were nearly 2.6 million people with a official handicap. This year, that number is more than 3 million and continues to climb.
“We’ve seen increases across the board with number of golfers and number of rounds played,” Benjamin said.
He said even nine-hole rounds have increased drastically.
How to keep a handicap
It takes three 18-hole scores or six nine-hole scores for golfers to be posted to have an official handicap. Additionally, golfers don’t have to play 20 rounds a year to keep an official handicap. The USGA encourages golfers to sign up with their local Allied Golf Association to get an official handicap for numerous reasons.
If golfers keep track of their scores and get a handicap, it can help them pick which tees to play from and help with pace of play and overall enjoyment of the game.
Even the USGA is allowing its employees to play Tuesday afternoon to get a round in and post a score.
Starting Saturday, the USGA is running a social media sweepstakes until Sunday, April 23 with a chance to win two Friday tickets to the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. Players need to have a Handicap Index (or sign up at USGA.org/getahandicap), play a round between April 15-23 and reply to the USGA’s contest-announcing post with a picture of their scorecard.
As the number of players with official USGA handicaps has increased, which state saw the most rounds logged?
When the USGA, R&A and several other international governing bodies of golf introduced the World Handicap System in 2020, a major goal for the initiative was inclusivity. The minds behind all the math wanted more people around the world to have handicaps while ensuring those handicaps and entered scores were more valid.
Fast forward to 2023 — thanks in part to a major uptick in golf participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and it’s clear the World Handicap System has hit a bullseye in regards to increasing inclusivity.
The number of golfers with an active handicap in the U.S. has surged nearly 17 percent in recent years from 2,596,357 in 2020 to 3,026,528 in 2022, the USGA has reported. It was the first time the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN) has surpassed 3 million participants, as nearly 420,000 players established handicaps for the first time in 2022.
The USGA has accomplished these gains in several ways, said Steven Edmondson, the ruling body’s managing director of handicapping and course rating. He said the upticks are largely a reflection of the ease in obtaining a handicap, the relative simplicity of maintaining a handicap online, the speed with which a handicap is available and the increased inclusion of nine-hole rounds as many player’s work-from-home arrangements allow them to get out for a quick game.
And most importantly for all those new golfers since the pandemic took off in 2020, the USGA has stressed that any golfer is eligible to have a handicap. Handicaps used to max at 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women, but those caps have been raised to 54 for both men and women in a move to increase inclusivity for all golfers.
“One of the biggest myths … is that I’ve got to be a good player to have a handicap,” Edmondson said. New and frequently intimidated players might say they only need a handicap if they’re playing competitions, “and it’s just not true. Those are the things we’re trying to message about and overcome.”
In fact, the average handicaps for men and women have risen in recent years as more new players join the GHIN system. The overall average handicap for male players is 14.0, while the average for players who joined the system in 2022 was 15.6. For women, the average handicap is 27.9, while the average for players who joined in 2022 was 31.7. This higher average reflects that less-experienced players — many who picked up the sport since COVID — have joined the ranks of those who possess an official handicap. For the USGA, this is a good thing and a key reflection that its inclusivity goals are being achieved.
“We’re seeing that handicap indexes for new golfers are slightly higher, which is the right thing,” Edmondson said. “The handicap system is meant to equalize any of us regardless of our ability level. So we’re starting to see that uptick, which is very encouraging.”
After eight years of research into handicaps, the USGA in 2020 joined with the R&A and several other bodies to create one handicap system that simplified international play and standardized handicaps across the globe. Part of this was removing roadblocks for players who want a handicap but aren’t members of private clubs.
The USGA works with various golf associations to provide the opportunity to obtain a GHIN handicap. Golfers who are not members of a club can purchase a handicap through various state golf associations or other organizations for prices typically ranging from $40 to $50, Edmondson said, depending on the player’s location and various membership benefits offered as part of a handicap sales package. Players can then easily enter their scores via an app, allowing them access anywhere. That’s in contrast to years past, when players needed to join a club — a roadblock for many public-access players.
“We’re just trying to make it easy,” Edmondson said.
Players also used to need five 18-hole scores to establish a handicap, which could take months for many casual players. Now the system requires just 54 holes of any combination of nine-hole or 18-hole rounds. Handicap indexes are also calculated daily now instead of the old bi-weekly system.
“You’re seeing the number of golfers that are joining now, they’re establishing a handicap index within two or three days on average,” Edmondson said. “Because it is easy.”
Upcoming changes to how nine-hole scores are calculated also will be important, Edmondson said. In the past, players who frequently play nine-hole rounds had to play two of them, then their scores would be combined to create an 18-hole equivalent. Starting in 2024, the handicap system will use an algorithm to create an 18-hole equivalent for each nine-hole round, making each round count on its own. That’s a bonus for players trying to figure out how they did on any given day, Edmondson said.
The focus on nine-hole rounds is especially important as those loops have grown in frequency, particularly since the pandemic started and new players have had time to get out for just a few hours. For male players who registered for a handicap for the first time in 2022, 21.7 percent of their rounds were nine-hole loops, versus 13.9 percent for more experienced male players who already had established handicaps. That focus on nine-hole rounds is even more important for new women players. In 2022, 45.7 percent of the rounds played by women new to the handicap system were nine-hole loops, versus 28 percent for women who had established handicaps prior to 2022.
The focus on women is especially important as their ranks among the handicap system continue to swell. The total number of U.S. women to have official handicaps grew nearly 17 percent from 2020 to 2022, going from 517,554 to 603,304. Women continue to represent about 20 percent of all U.S. handicaps. Edmondson said he thinks there’s room for continued improvement on that front, but overall the USGA is excited to see their numbers grow in the handicap system.
“I think it’s all in our messaging in some of the programming that we’re trying to do,” Edmondson said. “ … I think we have to now start to uncover how to make sure that we continue an an uptick with women in the game.”
Another change to expect in 2024 will be the inclusion of more par-3 courses in the rating system. Edmondson said the current course rating system uses a benchmark of 4,800 minimum yards for inclusion in the handicapping system, and some executive course adjustments can get down to 3,000 yards. He said the USGA has a target of 1,500 yards for courses to be included in the system starting in 2024, potentially allowing the inclusion of handicaps at many more of the 600-plus par-3 courses in the U.S. while welcoming even more golfers who tend to play non-traditional layouts. Research is ongoing on how to adjust for the shorter courses.
“It works and we’re excited about this,” Edmondson said. “… I think that’s going to be a trend as we continue to look into the future, and we just want to be ready for them.”
If all this sounds like regulatory and statistical droning, just know that at its core the handicap system is important because it allows players to track their progress and compete against friends on a more-level playing game, which is one of the great things about golf.
“The rules of handicapping have been around for over 100 years, and it’s always had the same purpose,” Edmondson said. “And that is truly to provide greater enjoyment for the game of golf.”
All the tracking also allows for some fun stats from 2022, courtesy of the USGA:
75,560,694 rounds were posted for handicap purposes.
11,913,158 nine-hole rounds were posted in the handicapping system in 2022, up from 11,534,865 in 2021.
In all, nine-hole rounds made up 15 percent of total rounds entered into the handicapping system in 2022.
The most handicapping rounds played by a man in 2022 was 541 total, up from 528 in 2021.
A woman logged in 414 handicapping rounds in 2022, up from a high of 325 in 2021.
Florida had the most handicapping scores logged in 2022 with 10,022,137. The Sunshine State was followed by California at 9,027,345; Texas at 3,633,425; Arizona at 3,464,905; and North Carolina with 3,134,603.
Those with handicaps play more rounds, spend more on golf, and consider themselves to be passionate about the game.
(Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series explaining the mission of the United States Golf Association, all in advance of the U.S. Women’s Open, the U.S. Open, the U.S. Adaptive Open and the U.S. Amateur. The USGA, which governs the game of golf in Mexico and the United States, serves a number of functions. What exactly is the USGA? Why is the organization important? This series delves into these questions and others. This initial article looks at handicapping, which the USGA provides, and how it helps to unify players.)
Ever since the World Handicap System was established on Jan. 1, 2020, the USGA has been on a mission to make obtaining a handicap easy and accessible.
“Four months ago, it wasn’t that easy,” said Steve Edmonson, the USGA’s managing director of handicapping and course rating.
That may have something to do with the fact that the number of golfers with handicaps – 2.86 million in 2021 – has been static for the better part of the last two decades. But the USGA has instituted several popular features to the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN), a service offered by the USGA to allied golf associations worldwide. By addressing the wants of its users, the GHIN app continues to push boundaries and the USGA is bullish that the percent of card-carrying handicap golfers will increase 50 percent — to 75 percent of golfers — said Gareth Londt, the USGA’s managing director of product, data and technology.
New system makes it easier
Beginning in February, any golfer in the U.S. can sign up for a Handicap Index by visiting USGA.org/getahandicap. Previously, you had to find your state and regional golf association. In Ohio alone, there are five state and regional associations to consider. The USGA will now direct users to the appropriate AGA.
Moreover, new golfers are issued a handicap faster, needing only to post scores for 54 holes in either nine- or 18-hole increments. Previously, the USGA didn’t issue a handicap; it was issued instead by a golf club. It was a fragmented structure. Now the USGA has a national pulpit to promote handicaps that beforehand it lacked.
“There’s no excuse,” Londt said. “Everyone has an internet browser, everyone has a mobile phone, and everyone is connected through the world wide web. Three clicks and you can have a handicap. There’s no longer the need to get off your sofa and get in a car and drive to a green-grass facility. You can do it while you are watching the U.S. Open.”
In a 12-week period and without heavy promotion, 30,000 golfers already have registered for a handicap.
Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer look over a scorecard during a practice round in 1974. Photo by Associated Press
The USGA’s GHIN product has some competitors but of the 58 Allied Golf Associations, only two don’t use GHIN products. The USGA licenses the handicap indexes to the AGAs for a nominal fee (free to juniors) and those AGAs are allowed to mark up costs based on their perceived market value in their own community.
The USGA also set a high watermark of no more than $80 across the US (in some states it costs less). The money generated from handicapping is intended to fuel local programs that engage golfers.
The history of handicaps
The USGA’s adoption of the handicap system dates to Oct. 11, 1911, the year of the first Indianapolis 500, back when Cy Young wasn’t an award but a pitcher who had just notched his 511th and final victory. The handicap system has become one of golf’s great distinctions, whereby participants of different skill – whether male or female, young or old, and even from separate tees – can compete fairly and equitably. In no other sport is it feasible for players of all skill level to play on equal footing.
In golf, a handicap is a measure of a player’s potential. For some, it is proof of progress, for others of incompetence and the deterioration of skill. It is a golfer’s photo I.D., allowing admittance to local, regional and national competition.
The system has continued to evolve ever since and received its latest reboot in 2020. Golfers no longer have to wait two weeks for their updated index. Now it is updated on a daily basis or faster than one can lose a sleeve of balls. Last year, it added hole-by-hole scoring via mobile devices while you play, which reveals how many drives hit the fairway, how many putts per round and other stats that can be tracked.
More recently, a distance-measuring device and green-reading materials that were banned at the elite level through a new Model Local Rule, but comply with the game of golf and can be beneficial to the recreational game are gaining in usage. (A free piece and an extended version for golfers who want to upgrade are available.)
Young fans watch the action on the 7th hole during the round of 16 at the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (Jason Miczek/USGA)
In early June, the USGA will be adding an Apple watch function that will allow golfers to see front-middle-back yardages to the green and allow golfers to input their hole-by-hole scores and record stats. It will be especially appreciated at clubs that don’t allow phones on the course. What do golfers want most? Surveys conducted with their customers indicate it’s data. While there are numerous products that do this, the USGA is anxious to provide these features in one app.
The USGA has poured $100 million in handicapping over the last 5 years – inclusive of WHS and GHIN –with the lion’s share directed to the GHIN/innovation/technology side. The handicap index is a key cog in the USGA’s effort to unify the game.
Handicaps equal engagement
A survey conducted by Jon Last of Sports & Leisure Research Group, which provides custom research and market analysis, found that those with handicaps significantly out-index those without across key demographics, engagement with golf and related behaviors. For instance, those with handicaps play more rounds, spend more on golf, follow the game more closely and consider themselves to be “passionate” about golf.
As a result, the USGA is motivated to grow the number of golfers with handicaps. But there are still too many golfers who don’t have a handicap because they believe they don’t compete in tournaments, they aren’t good enough or don’t play enough.
Part of the plan is to demystify why a handicap is needed in the first place, and that begins with changing the nomenclature that a handicap is only needed by elite golfers to play in competitions.
“There’s a perception that you have to be a good player or competing in competitions,” said Edmondson. “That’s just not true.”
The USGA knows that the average handicap for a male is 14.1 and 27.7 for a female. Ninety percent of golfers with handicaps are male. It is pouring resources into attracting a new audience, particularly with women – the move to 54.0 as the max handicap embraces high-handicap females – juniors and public golfers.
Bailey Davis react to her tee shot on the 16th hole during the quarterfinals at the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Edmondson said he sees an opportunity to look at off-course play and promote the importance of handicaps beyond competitive means. In the not-too-distant future, the USGA will debut a “Play Games” feature, which will integrate match play, Stableford scoring and other USGA-approved formats.
“It’s all interconnected to get more people to use the app and grow the community,” Edmondson said. “You need a handicap to be part of the community.”
