[casinobonusese]

I did a search and couldn't find a related topic so if there is one i don't know about, please point me in the right direction...

I was curious as to when you guys think its okay to play in tournaments (club, local, amateur, etc...)

I've been in the 90's all summer and broke 90 a couple a times. I am ultra competitive and would love to play in local tournaments in the area. But my biggest concern in holding up a group. I play pretty fast and ride 99% of the time but as my scores indicate I definitely need to improve.

What scoring range should I be in before I venture out to playing tournaments?

[sleepergun]

You can play anytime. That is one of the main reasons for establishing a handicap.
That puts you on a somewhat level playing field with other golfers.
Sure, you will get put into a lower level "flight" so you are competing with golfers close to your ability, but there is nothing wrong with that.
I say...establish your handicap, and get out there as soon as you do.

[casinobonusese]

You can play anytime. That is one of the main reasons for establishing a handicap.
That puts you on a somewhat level playing field with other golfers.
Sure, you will get put into a lower level "flight" so you are competing with golfers close to your ability, but there is nothing wrong with that.
I say...establish your handicap, and get out there as soon as you do.

I've played about 40 rounds this summer and still have all of my scorecards... can I submit them and get handicapped or is there a time limit on reporting the score?

[sleepergun]

I'm sorry to say, I don't know the answer to that question.
You could call a golf course and ask them.

[casinobonusese]

okey dokey... thanks

[AblemTee]

I don't know what sort of opportunities you have where you live. Around here, almost every public course has a Men's Club that anyone can join (they sometimes give preference to district residents). I've been in such a club for 21 years. We conduct 15 tournaments each year, plus 5 bracketed match play events which run all season long. We have a max membership of 250. It's the best way I know of to get into tournament play. It might be worth checking into and see what is available in your area.

[nakeseireo]

I've played about 40 rounds this summer and still have all of my scorecards... can I submit them and get handicapped or is there a time limit on reporting the score?

Virtually all handicap systems have an online entry system where you can enter your scores to the online database. If you go with one of those services then you should be able to back-date your scores to reflect when you played them this summer.

oobgolf is popular on here for handicapping. I use USHandicap.com (stracka), which gives official USGA handicaps. I know a lot of the state amateur organizations offer Handicap tracking through whatever club you call home.

Lots of options as far as obtaining a handicap number goes... do some shopping around and find the best deal for you! As far as entering tournaments go, don't hesitate! Usually there are plenty of golfers at your level who will be entered, and good tournies will group similar handicaps together.

Bottom line, if you want an official USGA cap, you'll probably have to pay some sort of yearly fee.

[defenderfors]

Get into some tournaments as soon as you can, you'll love it. Don't worry about holding others up - if you think you play fast, you probably do, and there will be much slower than you out there.

[DoctorQuquriramba]

Play, play, play. That way when you improve, the nerves wont set you back hard.

[kKFB1BxX]

Get an official handicap and start playing in tournaments. I've been playing in them for a couple years now and love them. I still get nervous and don't always play so hot but I still enjoy playing different courses and challenging myself. I've met so many new people too. You can join a handicap system through your local course or probably through the internet. If you joined through our course, we would probably just enter your last 20 scores and your handicap would be based on the best 10 of those last 20.