Golf handicap tournaments are a popular way to raise money for worthy causes, promote products and express appreciation to associates or employees. In a handicap event, you can compete against players of all ability levels with a realistic chance of winning. Some tournaments adhere strictly to United States Golf Association rules. Many local and charity events are less formal and use the rules as a set of flexible guidelines.
USGA Handicap Index
If you plan to play in a handicap tournament, get a USGA-recognized handicap index. This is mandatory for events that adhere strictly to USGA rules. To establish and maintain your handicap index, you must be a member of a USGA-licensed club with at least 10 members. Base your handicap index on at least five rounds of golf and check with your club or golf course staff to make sure you follow USGA procedures. The index won't state a specific number of strokes you may deduct from your score. Rather, you use your handicap index along with the rating of whatever course you play to determine your stroke handicap for that course.
Procedure
If you are organizing a golf handicap event, have participating golfers submit their handicap indexes ahead of time. If the event is more or less informal, work with the golf course staff to determine unofficial handicaps for golfers who don't have official handicap indexes. The most common method for doing this is to have the golfer play six or more holes. Use the resulting score to compute a handicap using a recognized system like Peoria, Callaway or Wilson.
Organization
Determine how many participants you will have. The capacity for most golf courses is 144, or 36 groups of four players each. Once you have a roster and have determined everyone's handicap, assign players with similar handicaps to each group. This encourages the participants and will add to the enjoyment of the event.
Official Tournaments
If the golf handicap tournament is run according to formal USGA rules, you must submit your handicap index before the tournament. Once play begins, you may not change your handicap. Any attempt to do so means automatic forfeiture under USGA rules.
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