Frequently Asked Questions about Membership & Handicapping

QUESTIONS

MEMBERSHIP

• I’ve never been a member of the OGA. How do I join?
• I don’t wish to rejoin my golf club this year. What do I need to do become active again?

HANDICAPPING

• How many scores does it take to establish a Handicap Index?
• When I post a score, it asks me for my “adjusted” or “ESC” score. What does this mean?
• What is the difference between a Handicap Index and a Course Handicap? How do I determine my Course Handicap?
• What are the different letters next to a Handicap Index?
• What do the different letter(s) mean next to my scores?
• What is the “R” next to my Handicap Index?
• I tried to post a score on www.ghin.com, and it says that I’m inactive. What should I do? 
• I didn’t get my latest eRevision report. Now what do I do?
• How do I get a GHIN Handicap Card?
• I joined a club and am now active. Even though I have scores in my record, it is still showing my handicap as “NH”. Why?
• I made a mistake when I posted a score. How do I get it fixed?

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ANSWERS - MEMBERSHIP

I’ve never been a member of the OGA. How do I join?
Although you can’t join the OGA directly, as “individual handicapping” is against USGA Handicap System rules, you can certainly join the OGA through one of our Member Clubs. If you click on the big Join the OGA Today graphic from our Home Page, it will take you to a screen where you can either Find a Club (this will take you to our Directory where you can search for a club) or Join Online, or even Form a Club. If you choose Join Online, this will get you to a screen that shows a map of Oregon. Below the map is an alphabetical list of OGA Member Clubs who participate in our Join Online program allowing members to join for just $49.95 with a credit card. We process these applications daily, so we can get you in the system very quickly. If you want to Form a Club the best thing to do is call Kelly at the OGA office and she’ll get the paperwork to you to start your own OGA Member Club if you have at least 10 members. Return to Top

I don’t wish to rejoin my golf club this year. What do I need to do become active again?
Click on our Course Directory tab. This site will allow you to search golf courses, golf clubs, and events for exactly where you want to become a member. For any club you join, be sure to provide to them your existing GHIN number so they can transfer your record in. A quick and easy way other than searching the directory is to join is to click on the picture of the golf club / ball that says Join the OGA Today from our Home Page (January thru September). Click through each time on Join Online red banners. You will reach a screen that shows a map of Oregon. Underneath is a list of OGA Member Clubs who participate in our Join Online program allowing members to join for $49.95 using a credit card. We process these applications daily, so we can get you activated in the system very quickly. Return to Top

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ANSWERS - HANDICAPPING

How many scores does it take to establish a Handicap Index?
A player needs a minimum of five 18-hole scores to calculate an 18-hole Handicap Index (or, ten 9- hole scores to calculate an 18-hole Handicap Index). You also need five rounds to calculate a 9-hole Handicap Index. Regardless of what type of Index you carry, once you have five rounds in your scoring record, and pass a revision (see our 2011 Revision Schedule here), you will receive your Index. 
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When I post a score, it asks me for my “adjusted” or “ESC” score. What does this mean?
For handicap purposes, you must make a downward adjustment to individual hole scores when you exceed your maximum strokes allowed. This adjustment is called “Equitable Stroke Control”. ESC keeps an exceptionally bad hole from changing a Handicap Index too much and sets a maximum ESC number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player’s Course Handicap. To see what your ESC number is, take your Handicap Index and convert it to the slope of the set of tees you are playing. For example, if I have a 14.1 Index and am playing a set of tees with a slope of 130, I will have a 16 Course Handicap. This means that the most I can post on any given hole is a 7. All types of scores must have ESC applied for handicap purposes, even tournament scores.
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What is the difference between a Handicap Index and a Course Handicap? How do I determine my Course Handicap?
A Handicap Index is a number that indicates a player’s skill and is taken to one decimal place (ex., 10.4). You might refer to your Index as your “raw” handicap. You never actually use this Index while playing; rather, you must first convert it to the slope of the specific set of tees you are playing in order to get a Course Handicap. This will create a whole number, and is what makes your Handicap Index portable from course to course. You might need fewer strokes on an easier course and more strokes on a harder course – so, it’s imperative that you take this step! Convert your Index by entering it into a Slope (Conversion) Chart at a golf course, or locating them in the back of the booklet “The USGA Handicap System Reference Guide” (contact the OGA office to get one!). Another quick and easy way to convert your Index to a Course Handicap is to go to the Handicapping Page on this site. Scroll down and on the left side you will find a “Handicap Calculator”. Put in your Index and the slope of the tees you are playing, and hit Submit. This will give you a Course Handicap. 
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What are the different letters next to a Handicap Index?
Different types of handicaps are identified by letter designations. Each “handicap type” is identified as follows:
L = Local Handicap
M = Handicap modified by the club’s Handicap Committee
N = Nine-hole Handicap Index
NL – Local nine-hole handicap
R = Handicap automatically reduced for exceptional tournament performance (see below for detailed explanation)
SL = Short Course Handicap
WD = Handicap withdrawn by the club’s Handicap Committee  
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What do the different letter(s) mean next to my scores?
The letter(s) immediately following each adjusted gross score indicate(s) specific aspects of a score within a player's scoring record:
A = Away
AI = Away Internet
C = Combined Nines
I = Internet
P = Penalty
T = Tournament
TI = Tournament Internet
CI = Combined Internet (at least one of the nines was posted via the internet)
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What is the “R” next to my Handicap Index?
The “R” indicates that a golfer’s Handicap Index has undergone a reduction due to exceptional tournament scores, posted within the last 12 months. The reduction procedure is an automatic component of Index calculations, and a crucial part of the Handicap System. It is meant to identify players who excel in competition beyond their normal Index. Two factors comprise reductions: 1) how far below your Index your best two eligible T scores are, and, 2) how many eligible T scores you have in your T score counter. As the Handicap System will always determine the player’s potential ability, this procedure follows that philosophy in keying into what the player’s best T scores have been in the last 12 months. T scores cease to be “eligible” after their one-year anniversary dates. 
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I tried to post a score on www.ghin.com, and it says that I’m inactive. What should I do?
This message means that your club has inactivated your record, which our member clubs tend to do any time from January through April of each year. You will want to contact your club to inquire about renewing for the season; or, if you have already paid your dues, contact your club anyway to inquire about the delay. If you wish to join a different club, go to our web site at www.oga.org, and click on Join the OGA Today to expedite your membership reactivation. 
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I didn’t get my latest eRevision report. Now what do I do?
Make sure you have made ghinreports@ghinconnect.com part of your “safe sender” list, as this is the address the report is coming from. Also, make sure the report is not sitting in your spam file. The system is set up to attempt to send the eRevision three times – after that, delivery is discontinued. You may also want to give us an alternate email address to try. Often email service providers will not deliver emails if two people in the same household share the same email address.
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How do I get a GHIN handicap card?
Although it’s not a requirement to carry a card in order to “prove” your handicap, many golfers like to have one handy. To get a Handicap “sticker” and the card you would affix it to, you must go to your club’s computer and print one out, or ask your Handicap Chair to do this for you. You cannot get a sticker from any other club except the one you belong to. Conversely, you could print out your next eRevision report and carry it in your wallet. Just make sure we have your correct email address so you’ll get delivery to your inbox!
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I joined a club and am now active. Even though I have scores in my record, it is still showing my handicap as “NH”. Why?
Your score file will show NH (no handicap) until it goes through a revision (update). We update Handicap Indexes every other Wednesday during our active season of March 1st through December 1st.
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I made a mistake when I posted a score. How do I get it fixed?
You must contact the Handicap Chair / Committee at the club you belong to if you need a correction or deletion taken care of. Only they have full editing powers over your scoring record.
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