How to get a golf handicap without joining a club

What iGolf is

Not every golfer wants to join a club, and until July 2021 that meant no official handicap either. England Golf's answer is iGolf: the only way to get a proper Handicap Index in England without belonging to a club. It is administered directly by England Golf, the sport's national governing body and the only body authorised to issue a Handicap Index under the World Handicap System (WHS) in England, so a number earned through iGolf carries exactly the same standing as one from a club.

What it costs

Photo to followA golfer checking a golf handicap app on their phone beside the first tee

Getting your Handicap Index: step by step

1. Subscribe. Sign up at englandigolf.co.uk for £47 a year.
2. Download the MyEG app. This is where you pre-register each round, submit your scores, and later check your Handicap Index and Course Handicap before you play.
3. Pre-register, then play. Before a round, register it in the app. Afterwards, submit your score. It has to be verified, digitally, by a playing partner who also has access to the app: a club member, another iGolf subscriber or a free iPlay user.
4. Reach 54 holes. You need a minimum of 54 holes of submitted, verified scores, any mix of 9 and 18-hole rounds, to establish your first Handicap Index.
5. Get your Handicap Index. Once those scores are in, it is calculated automatically, and it updates again every time you submit a new score afterwards.

How long it takes

Most golfers reach their first Handicap Index in three to eight weeks, depending on how often they play. After that, England Golf recalculates it daily, at midnight, whenever a new score has been submitted that day.

Which courses count

Scores only count towards your Handicap Index from a course with an active Course Rating and Slope Rating registered under the WHS, which in practice covers virtually every established golf course in England. You are not tied to one course: you can build your Handicap Index by playing wherever suits you, including abroad once you already hold an Index. Course rating and slope, explained covers what those two numbers mean.

If you already had a handicap, or want it for free

A handicap does not expire under the WHS. If you left a club, or let an iGolf subscription lapse, your Handicap Index goes inactive rather than disappearing, and it stops being current until you post new scores again. You do not have to rejoin your old club to bring it back: subscribing to iGolf and submitting fresh scores does the job.

There is currently no free route to an official Handicap Index in England. iGolf, at £47 a year, is the only way to get one without club membership. A casual scoring app can give you a personal number to track your own game, but it will not be a recognised WHS Handicap Index that a club, or a handicap-only competition, will accept.

Entering competitions

Holding an iGolf Handicap Index does not open every door. iGolf subscribers can enter iGolf's own Open Events, and individual clubs can choose to let independent golfers into their own open competitions. County and national amateur events run by England Golf are currently reserved for club members, so check with a club before entering anything beyond an iGolf Open Event or a competition it has clearly opened up.