Handicap Questions

[Wheelieb]

So the Handicap displayed for me is not an official one. All it is, is the makeup of the rounds from 18Birdies. That is about as official as saying I am a police officer. Either way, it leads me to my questions. First being, I am really thinking about joining the VGA here in Virginia and playing a few tournaments, but it asks if I have a Handicap. Officially no. Anyone have any idea if I need one to join? Secondly, am I right in seeing you need to pay the usga to get an official handicap? Any help would be great and any other questions you may have you can take over this thread. I'm here to learn as well.

[cnosil]

8 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

So the Handicap displayed for me is not an official one. All it is, is the makeup of the rounds from 18Birdies. That is about as official as saying I am a police officer. Either way, it leads me to my questions. First being, I am really thinking about joining the VGA here in Virginia and playing a few tournaments, but it asks if I have a Handicap. Officially no. Anyone have any idea if I need one to join? Secondly, am I right in seeing you need to pay the usga to get an official handicap? Any help would be great and any other questions you may have you can take over this thread. I'm here to learn as well.

FAQ question number one provides a link to the VGA manual which explains the handicapping system: https://vgagolf.org/faq/     Per the referenced document the VGA uses their own and does not use a USGA handicap.   When you signup for the tournaments you can ask how they establish initial handicap for the event since you haven’t played the minimum 3 events.  

[DaveP043]

45 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

Secondly, am I right in seeing you need to pay the usga to get an official handicap?

You don't pay the USGA directly.  You can generally sign up for an official USGA handicap through your local golf course, just ask.  I see you're in Virginia, you can sign up for a "virtual" golf club through the Virginia State Golf Association.  There some good information here:

https://vsga.org/membership/membership-options/frequently-asked-questions/#1546271378272-36286a8f-9c62

You can sign up online with a local public course, you can find a list of available clubs/courses here:

https://vsga.org/membership/find-a-club/

[Wheelieb]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

FAQ question number one provides a link to the VGA manual which explains the handicapping system: https://vgagolf.org/faq/     Per the referenced document the VGA uses their own and does not use a USGA handicap.   When you signup for the tournaments you can ask how they establish initial handicap for the event since you haven’t played the minimum 3 events.  

Have you played in the VGA events?

[Wheelieb]

57 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

You don't pay the USGA directly.  You can generally sign up for an official USGA handicap through your local golf course, just ask.  I see you're in Virginia, you can sign up for a "virtual" golf club through the Virginia State Golf Association.  There some good information here:

https://vsga.org/membership/membership-options/frequently-asked-questions/#1546271378272-36286a8f-9c62

You can sign up online with a local public course, you can find a list of available clubs/courses here:

https://vsga.org/membership/find-a-club/

Great info here, thank you for this

[cnosil]

21 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

Have you played in the VGA events?

No, not a veteran.