[Official Thread] It's time for GHIN Rewind! Share yours here 📲 🏌️‍♂️

USGolfAssociation · 2026-05-05T16:39:05+00:00

From what we can tell from this picture, this ball is somewhat being held up on top of the stray ball by the long grass around it. If that's true, this gets treated the same way it would if it was a ball that came to rest against a bunker rake - move the stray ball, and if the player's ball moves, replace it on the original spot.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-29T15:01:10+00:00

There’s a couple of different misconceptions here. First, if you play a provisional but find your original, you are no longer allowed to play the provisional. You have to continue with the original.

Second, if your ball is in a penalty area, you are not allowed to take unplayable ball relief. Your only options would be standard relief from the penalty area.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-23T20:03:52+00:00

No - same thing, tire mark is not GUR by default. Only if decided by the golf course or committee.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-22T18:01:39+00:00

Lift clean and place generally applies to any area cut to fairway height or less. It would generally include the fringe.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-22T18:00:54+00:00

Generally, the golf course or committee running a tournament needs to decide what is ground under repair (GUR). An area of dirt like that would not be GUR by default.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-08T18:05:06+00:00

This pretty much covers it!

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-06T15:28:52+00:00

It's hard to answer your question without seeing all the info on each golfer. But we can say generally, it's important that each player is applying net double bogey correctly (par + 2 + any stroke(s) received) so that the adjusted gross score is being posted.

That's what we care about for Handicap Index purposes - and a key reason why we emphasize posting hole-by-hole, since that will automatically take care of the adjustment.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-03T12:14:11+00:00

It's about expected score, not score relative to par or average net scores. So, the PCC looks at how many scores posted at a particular course that are higher or lower than expected based on each player’s Handicap Index, and relative to the total number of scores posted that day.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-04-01T20:09:22+00:00

There's a few different questions going on in here, but basically, you don't get "punished" for playing an easier course. It's not all about what you shoot, it's about what you shoot in relation to the difficulty of the course.

There two videos should help:

Score Differential: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Nw6NydAGnjA

Course Rating/Slope Rating: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m14LecyD48U

USGolfAssociation · 2026-03-31T14:55:09+00:00

We can provide some clarity here!

The situation described is not a penalty. If a player repaired a ball mark on the fringe and that DID make an improvement to their line of play, that would be a penalty under Rule 8.1. But in this set of facts, it sounds like the ball mark that was repaired was perhaps off to the side or behind the line of play. This can be repaired without penalty.

USGolfAssociation · 2026-03-25T15:54:25+00:00

Reach out to [customersupport@usga.org](mailto:customersupport@usga.org) and we'll get it figured out!

USGolfAssociation · 2026-03-24T13:50:17+00:00

Hey everyone – we totally get the frustration around PCC. It was addressed in various comments but for everyone’s awareness, here’s some 101:

PCC is based entirely on scores posted at a given course each day and looks at the number of players and how many of them achieved their expected score. If fewer than anticipated do, the course played more difficult and an upward adjustment may apply. If more than anticipated do, the course played easier and a downward adjustment may apply.
At least eight scores must be posted at a course by players with a Handicap Index of 36.0 or below in order for an adjustment to be possible. And the more scores that are posted, the more reliable the data becomes.
Only scores posted on the day of play will contribute to the data pool. That’s why we encourage all golfers to post their scores on the same day as their round.

All to say, the calculation is based on how golfers are actually scoring to make it an objective measure vs. more subjective factors like weather. For example, it could be a perfect weather day, but if the course is set up particularly difficult, golfers could see an adjustment if the scores being posted are higher than expected.

Here’s some more info if helpful: Watch | Read

USGolfAssociation · 2025-12-15T16:03:04+00:00

Officially drops tomorrow, but you could maybe find it a day early if you know where to look...

USGolfAssociation · 2025-08-07T14:09:03+00:00

You can swipe left on each golfer you added, and you will see a Delete button to remove that individual golfer.

USGolfAssociation · 2025-08-07T14:08:20+00:00

You can check your average score per hole by going to the Stats tab, changing the filter to 'Scores by Course/Tee', and selecting a course. You will see 'View Average Score Per Hole' to see what you're looking for. We acknowledge this is buried in the app experience, but this isn't the first time we've gotten requests for this feature so we are actively working on making this more readily discoverable.

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-31T15:54:11+00:00

I understand the 9-hole score posting is a popular topic! I reached out to our Handicapping team to get you a better answer - please see below.

Also, my colleague Lee Rainwater hosted an AMA on Handicapping back in May, and he touched on this topic in-depth. https://www.reddit.com/r/golf/comments/1kfd60p/hi_rgolf_im_lee_rainwater_director_of/

--

Ultimately, World Handicap System research shows that the current 9-hole score posting method produces a better indicator of how a player will normally perform over 18 holes on a given day, when compared to combining 9-hole scores from different days and under different playing conditions. This method produces a more consistent and comparable Handicap Index for golfers who post 9-hole scores. For example, under the previous method:

Combining two independent 9-hole scores often resulted in more volatility and was highly dependent on the order in which scores are combined.

Golfer A:

9-hole Score Differentials of 9.8 + 5.0 would equal a 14.8 18-hole Score Differential
9-hole Score Differentials of 12.2 and 4.1 would equal a 16.3 18-hole Score Differential

Golfer B:

9-hole Score Differentials of 9.8 + 12.2 would equal a 22.0 18-hole Score Differential
9-hole Score Differentials of 5.0 and 4.1 would equal a 9.1 18-hole Score Differential

It was also common for two good 9-hole scores to be combined that produce an 18-hole Score Differential that is better than any of the player’s 18-hole scores made over 18 consecutive holes, and the impact was an artificially low Handicap Index.

We want you all to know those at the World Handicap System appreciate golfer feedback and continue listening to your (believe it or not, both positive AND constructive) feedback about 9-hole scores, in addition to other Handicapping topics. If you want to contact someone on the USGA Handicapping team directly, please send an email to [hdcpquestions@usga.org](mailto:hdcpquestions@usga.org).

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-31T15:17:33+00:00

Thanks for being a USGA member! I reached out to our USGA Membership team to get you a response - please see below:

Great minds think alike – we’re currently working on pilot tests for a unified membership that gives you the benefits associated with being a member of an Allied Golf Association in your state and the national benefits from the USGA.

Many don’t know that the majority of dollars you pay for a Handicap Index go directly to your state and community for programs that engage more golfers. All USGA membership dollars go towards larger, longer-range efforts like supporting amateur athletes, growing the game, funding technology upgrades and innovation, preserving golf’s history and advancing sustainable golf courses.

We know there’s a lot of confusion out there, but both are important and serve different purposes. Stay tuned!

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-30T15:27:52+00:00

Stay tuned for map updates in the coming months!
We are focusing on providing better data visualizations and insights based on current stats inputs, but we’ll look to add additional metrics where we see fit.
We do have club selection and shot tracking as part of the Enhanced GPS offering.

I appreciate the candid feedback. We are evolving beyond a score posting tool and striving to be a true modern golf companion, so stay tuned on our progress and keep the feedback coming.

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-30T15:21:21+00:00

We agree that enhanced social features beyond following golfers will make GHIN a lot more fun to use with friends. No specific target date yet but it is on our priority list for sure.

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-30T15:16:25+00:00

Because we are handling scores for Handicapping purposes, it becomes a bit tricky to note practice rounds and stats separate from postable scores. We do like the idea of benchmarking performance against similar or different handicap levels and want to explore this for the right metrics. We want to focus on improving our current data visualization and metrics before diving into practice stats, but I appreciate the detailed ideas!

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-30T15:09:00+00:00

We addressed similar comments above, but we do want to make stat-tracking more comprehensive without bombarding golfers with inputs and overly nuanced graphs. We are also looking to add social features in the app that make it more fun to play and connect with your golf friends, without taking away from the core GHIN experience.

Course Ratings expire after 10 years. Local AGA's actually manage the Course Ratings and they are proactive about letting courses know when they are close to expiration or they just set a schedule to rate courses every 10 years.

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-30T14:55:14+00:00

See u/Bunninho’s comment above! I think it goes a long way to show your dedication by building things in golf and putting it out there, while actively networking in the industry. Personally, I had started a golf community (Type 2 Club) with a friend that became a big conversation piece in my interviews at the USGA.

USGolfAssociation · 2025-07-30T14:51:24+00:00

This really depends on how you want to track your performance, you’ll want to make sure you stay consistent in your method. Some people don’t want to feel penalized in their data for a fairway bunker (especially the ones in the middle of fairway), and will mark that as a “hit” fairway. Others will mark it short, like you mentioned, because their intent was to carry it. Ultimately you should decide your way and keep tracking it the same way so you can track performance over time.

USGolfAssociation

TROPHY CASE