Get official! Here are 5 ways to establish and maintain a USGA Handicap® in Colorado
When you run across Jennifer Kupcho or Hale Irwin on a Colorado golf course, you can challenge them to a competition. All you need, besides some nerve, is an official Handicap Index®. Then download the GHIN® mobile app, and voila, they know exactly how many strokes to give you.
Although, professionals, they don’t have indexes anymore. It’s really a tool for us amateurs so that we can have a fair game against anyone, anywhere. Here are five ways to get started on that.
- Go big! Golf memberships at private clubs in the area come with CGA membership, which includes an official Handicap Index®. It’s a seller’s market right now, which means initiation fees vary and some clubs come with waiting lists or require an invitation to join. At other clubs, your best bet is endorsement from a current member. Oh, and patience.
- Go public! For as little as $100 a year, maybe up to $300, you can join a 9- or 18-hole club at the nearest municipal golf course and have monthly or weekly contests throughout the season while establishing an official Handicap Index®. See our article in the CGA Monthly for ideas on joining up.
- Go alternatively! There are traveling clubs around the state, including ROMEO in Fort Collins (Retired Old Men Equal Opportunity), Front Range Golf Club and LPGA Amateurs.
- Skip the middleman! Visit coloradogolf.org or CLICK HERE and opt for a CGA regional eClub membership at $59.95. This type of membership allows you to belong to a region rather than a golf course, and benefits include receiving early access to Member Play Day opportunities.
- Go maverick! You and nine of your friends can start your own, USGA Certified Club, for just an annual $75 club fee plus $35 per active member. You’ll need to know enough about handicapping to pass a basic assessment, and establish a Handicap Committee for your club, and you’re good to go.
Obviously these five options range widely in cost and commitment. But there’s one more thing you should know: If you’re going to challenge Jennifer Kupcho or Hale Irwin, BEG them for a few extra strokes!