What is a Club

A "golf club" is an organization of at least ten individual members* that operates under bylaws with Committees (especially a Handicap Committee) to supervise golf activities, provide peer review, and maintain the integrity of the USGA Handicap System. A golf club must be authorized by the USGA to utilize the USGA Handicap System. A club can obtain authorization directly from the USGA or in conjunction with its membership in an authorized golf association that is already authorized by the USGA and that has jurisdiction in the geographic area that includes the principal location of the golf club.

A golf club is one of three (3) Types:

Type 1  The members of a Type 1 club are located at a single specific golf course with a valid USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating where a majority of the club's events are played and where the club's scoring records are accessible and demonstrate a frequency of play (see Decision 2/6.5) or

Type 2 The members of a Type 2 club are affiliated or known to one another via a business, fraternal, or social organization. The majority of the club members had an affiliation prior to organizing the club and have no affiliation to any one golf course or demonstrate frequency of play at a single specific golf course. The residence or business address of each member of the golf club must generally be within approximately 75 miles of the principal location of the golf club. ; or

Type 3 The members of a Type 3 club had no prior affiliation, and a majority of the recruiting and sign up of the membership is done by solicitation to the public (e.g., newspaper, Internet) and where the members do not exhibit any regularity of play at any specific golf course. The residence or business address of each member of the golf club must generally be within approximately 50 miles of the principal location of the golf club.

WHS Club Compliance Checklist USGA Handicap Committee Guide GOLF PR New Club Form