Handicapping

The Golf Handicap & Information Network® (GHIN, pronounced "gin") is a service offered by the USGA to golf associations worldwide. GHIN is one of the largest handicap management tools in the world, serving more than 3 million golfers and 15,000 golf clubs.

When you join a VSGA member golf club, you will get an official GHIN # (typically 6-8 digits). This is your unique system identifier for use when you enter or lookup scores.

In order to establish a Handicap Index, a total of 54 holes must be played and posted to your scoring record. These scores can be made up of any combination of 9- or 18-hole rounds. Once you have posted a total of three 18-hole Score Differentials, a Handicap Index will be issued to you the very next day. 

A Handicap Index is updated the day after a score is posted, at midnight local time. As a result, players are expected to post their scores the day they play.

Once you have 20 scores in your scoring record, your Handicap Index is calculated by averaging your 8 best Score Differentials™ out of your most recent 20, which means 12 of your last 20 scores are not used in the calculation. If your Handicap Index remains unchanged after posting score(s), it is most likely because the same 8 scores are still being used in your 8 best of 20 calculation.

If you have at least three but fewer than 20 scores in your scoring record, a fewer number of scores are used to calculate your Handicap Index.

Once a score is posted to a golfer's scoring record, it can only be edited or removed by their home club or the VSGA. Please contact either your golf shop or our office for assistance in correcting the error.

If scores made following an injury demonstrate that you can no longer play to your current Handicap Index, the Handicap Committee can make an adjustment to better reflect your ability. Once an adjustment has been made, the Committee will monitor your scoring record as new scores are posted.

If it becomes evident that the injury has caused a permanent change in ability, the Handicap Committee can disregard the scores made prior to the injury so that your Handicap Index is based on scores posted after the injury.

A Handicap Index that has been modified will be displayed with an “M.” In addition, where a Handicap Committee applied adjustment increases a player's Handicap Index, the Committee should consider resetting the player's Low Handicap Index™ to the same value as the adjusted Handicap Index.