It seems most everyone I talk to who knows I work for the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association shares that they play golf and really enjoy the sport.

“Great,” I say. “It’s a terrific game, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. I love it. Can’t play enough.”

I’ve been hooked on this intoxicating game since I was a kid. I first stepped on a course at age 8 and haven’t stopped. For many adults, golf is the social game that can be played for exercise, relaxation, friendly competition, quality time with the family, and even for business purposes. Unlike so many games of my youth, this is the rare sporting activity that I hope to play the rest of my life.

So, trying to learn more about my new friend’s interest in golf, I ask: “So what’s your handicap?”

“Oh, I don’t have a handicap. I don’t take it THAT seriously.”

I sense some back-pedaling now on the part of my friend.

“I’m not good enough to have a handicap.”

Hmmm. I hate to say it, but real golfers, no matter how good or how bad they may be, maintain a real handicap through the United States Golf Association. It’s also an excellent method to get “good enough.”

A golfer without a legitimate USGA handicap is like Emeril Lagasse doing his cooking show with an Easy Bake Oven. Getting a USGA Handicap legitimizes your connection to golfers all over the world.

There are several good reasons for getting and maintaining a handicap. Many tournaments, even of a social or fund-raising nature, require a handicap. A legitimate handicap, calculated by approved USGA handicapping rules by an authorized golf association will also allow you to compete on a fair footing. In some cases, it will help you enjoy the game by ensuring you get to play from an appropriate set of tees. Many courses now have recommendations as to which set of tees to play based on your handicap.

If you’re lucky enough to travel to Scotland or Ireland to play golf, try getting on one of their better courses without a USGA handicap. These courses love American tourists, but they absolutely hate Americans who can potentially clog up the course because they can’t legitimize their golf ability as evidenced by a USGA handicap. They will insist on seeing a USGA GHIN handicap card.

The United States Golf Association created a program called the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN) to make getting, maintaining and updating a golf handicap extremely easy.

Nearly 10,000 courses in the U.S. are a part of the GHIN network. In St. Louis area, more than 120 clubs, courses and fraternal organizations participate in the system. To get started, contact a course near you and ask to participate in their handicap program. For an annual fee of less than a round of golf, you can play a round, post your score on the club computer (or even on your own home or office PC), and the scores will be updated throughout the summer.

So if you want to call yourself a golfer, please take just a few moments to ask your neighborhood club professional how to get a handicap, or contact the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association at 314-576-3700 or visit their website at METGA.ORG.

Establishing a handicap is one key component to improving quickly and thereby enjoying the game to the fullest.

Four critically important components to improving:

1. Get professional instruction. If Tiger Woods has a professional golf teacher help him with his game, why wouldn’t every single golfer feel the need to get help too? Really now. If the greatest players in the game need help, we absolutely would benefit from a teacher who has a trained eye to spot mistakes and make corrections. There are numerous really talented PGA professionals in town. Call the Gateway PGA if you need some assistance in finding someone near you. Once they help you find a swing that you can repeat with a high degree of regularity, you are on your way to steady improvement.
2. Find equipment that fits. Golf technology is so good now that anybody playing with equipment that is older than six or seven years is at a distinct disadvantage. Determine what your budget allows, test out as many products as time allows before buying and please consider a good club fitting. Master club-fitters such as John Kelly (Midwest GolfLab) can analyze your strengths and weaknesses and recommend equipment that will allow you to maximize your skills.
3. Practice as much as you play. Playing golf is fun. Playing well is even more fun. Practice allows you to increase your “fun quotient.” And practice with a purpose! On your next trip to the range, don’t try to always swing hard and reach the fences. Golf is a game of aiming. Practice facilities have targets at varying distances for a reason. Practice with all or most of the clubs in your bag and try to shoot at those targets. Wedge shots – full, three-quarter and half-swing shots – are very important. Spend as much time or more working on chipping and putting as any other aspect of your practice session.
4. And finally, get a USGA Handicap. How can you plot your progress as a golfer? The GHIN Handicap System allows you to post scores on GHIN’s national database. By getting a handicap index, you can plot your improvement as well as honestly enjoy a game against any other golfer, regardless of their skill level.

For an annual fee of approximately $25-$30, you can get a true handicap. So the next time someone asks, “Do you play golf?” you can say “Yep and I’ve got the handicap to prove it.”

Bill Burton is Senior Director of Marketing/Handicapping Services for the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association (MAGA), located in St. Louis. For more information on MAGA tournaments and services, visit METGA.ORG.