To get an official golf handicap you join an authorised body that issues one, then submit enough scores. In the United States that is an authorised club or a state golf association's virtual club, and you get a GHIN number. In England you can use the national iGolf subscription without joining a club. In the UAE the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) provides the official handicap. All three use the World Handicap System, whose Rules of Handicapping require scores from at least 54 holes before a first figure is issued.
We do not issue handicaps, we are not affiliated with the USGA, The R&A, England Golf or the EGF, and nothing on this page is an official handicap. The Playing Record you keep in our Candidacy is unofficial. The national systems below are the official ones.
The figures below were read from the pages listed in the sources, on 15 October 2026. Where a page gave no price, we say "see official site" and do not guess.
The short comparison
| United States | England | United Arab Emirates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | An authorised club or a state association's virtual club; numbers sit in the USGA's GHIN system | England Golf, through its iGolf subscription for golfers without a club; clubs affiliated to England Golf also issue them | The Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) |
| Do you need a club? | You need an authorised club, but this can be an online "eClub" run by a state association | No, if you subscribe to iGolf | The EGF page describes its handicap as for EGF members; see official site for how to join |
| Scores to start | At least 54 holes, mixing 9 and 18 | At least 54 holes, mixing 9 and 18 | At least 54 holes under the World Handicap System; ask the EGF how it applies them |
| Price | Varies by club or association; see official site | £47 a year on a page dated 21 March 2022; see official site for today's price | See official site |
| Where to start | Your state or regional golf association | The iGolf page of England Golf | The EGF site |
United States: GHIN through an authorised club
The Northern California Golf Association's guide (page dated March 2026) sets out the standard route:
- Join an authorised club. This can be a regular club tied to a course, an associate club, or an eClub joined online. Outside Northern California, the guide says to contact your state's allied golf association.
- Get your GHIN number and create a profile at GHIN.com. Club members receive the number from their club.
- Post at least 54 holes. You can mix 18-hole and 9-hole scores, but the courses must have a valid Course Rating and Slope Rating.
- Wait for the index to calculate. Until it does, the system shows "NH" (no handicap). The guide says the figure is calculated the day after you post enough holes, because the system updates at midnight.
You can post through the GHIN app, your association's site, GHIN.com or a kiosk at the course.
The Carolinas Golf Association's eClub page shows what a virtual club looks like in practice. It says the eClub is open to any golfer in North or South Carolina, needs no home club, home course or sponsor, has no initiation fee, and asks for at least 54 holes of scores on officially rated courses before the first index is issued. It describes an annual membership but gives no dollar amount on the page we read, so the price is "see official site". Other states run their own versions with their own prices.
England: iGolf for golfers without a club
England Golf's iGolf is a subscription for golfers who do not belong to an affiliated club. The iGolf page we read (dated 21 March 2022, with a 2026 footer) lists:
- Price: £47 a year on that page. The page is dated, so the price may have changed; see the official site for today's figure.
- What is included: a Handicap Index (the official name of the figure under the World Handicap System), use of the MyEG app, public liability insurance, offers, and access to iGolf community events.
- Who can join: you need an address in England. The page says that if you resigned from an affiliated club less than 30 days earlier you must wait before subscribing.
- Scores: at least 54 holes, in any mix of 9 and 18, on courses with a current Course Rating and Slope Rating. After that your index updates as you post, and, under the World Handicap System, it is the average of the lowest 8 score differentials among your most recent 20 scores.
- How rounds count: you pre-register each round in the app before you play, submit the score afterwards and have a playing partner verify it digitally. The partner can be a club member, an iGolf subscriber or an iPlay user. The page says solo rounds do not count. You need a smartphone.
- Waiting time: the page gives two estimates for the first index, 3 to 6 weeks in one place and 3 to 8 weeks in the FAQ.
The rest of the United Kingdom has its own national bodies. We did not read their pages, so check the union for your nation.
United Arab Emirates: the EGF
The EGF's own pages say it "administrates and provides official handicap to all EGF members" and that it adopted the World Handicap System in 2020. Its handicap login leads to the GHIN system, and the page links to a membership sign-up and renewal page that shows no prices. It says it represents over 7,500 members through 21 or 22 clubs (the page gives both figures).
A Gulf News report last updated 6 June 2024 says the EGF launched the USGA's GHIN system across the UAE, that golfers can post scores at kiosks at all UAE golf clubs, and that a GHIN app is available. The report does not mention cost.
We could not find a current EGF price or a published rule on joining without a club on the pages we could read. Ask the EGF, or the club where you play, before you assume a route.
What the handicap is for
A handicap lets players of different ability compete fairly, and many clubs, society days and visitor tee sheets ask for one. It is not a measure of how good you are on the day. In every system above it comes from your recent scores on rated courses: the Rules of Handicapping count a score only if it was played under the Rules of Golf, with at least one other person, on a course with a current Course Rating and Slope Rating. The way to improve it is to play and post honest scores.
Practical tips
- Post every acceptable round, good and bad, as the Rules of Handicapping ask. A handicap built from only your best days stops being useful.
- Use rated courses. A score from a course with no rating is not accepted.
- Know your marker. Systems that need a playing partner to verify the score are relying on the same honesty a scorecard always has. Club Book chapter 4 explains the marker's duty.
- Start early. The first index can take weeks, so do not leave it until the week before a trip.
- Keep your own notes. The Candidacy's Baseline Card and stats rounds are a separate, unofficial record that sits well alongside an official handicap.
What we do and do not do
We do not issue a handicap, we do not calculate an official figure, and we make no claim about what any national body will accept. If you want an official figure, use one of the routes above. If you want a structured plan for improving, see the 28-day golf practice plan.