Next Steps

Here we walk through some of the onboarding steps that happen once you become a GTGP member.

  • Get a USGA Handicap
  • Register with GAP
  • Sign up for GTGP events
  • Play Golf 
  • Important reminders about handicaps, etiquette, and pace of play

Get a USGA Handicap

We will provide new members with a USGA handicap and a GHIN number (GHIN: USGA’s Golf Handicap Information Network).

Do you have an existing GHIN number? If so please tell us and we will use this number when we add you to our club roster. If not we will obtain a GHIN number for you. Then you can go to ghin.com and post other scores.

Go to  https://www.ghin.com/login and click on Create Profile. (New: When we add you to our club you will be sent a digital invitation for this.)

Enter your GHIN Number and email address to set up your account there.

Read any information about handicaps that interests you. Some good starting points are here and here. If you have not used a handicap service before this article has some important points:

“The maximum hole score for handicap purposes during your first three rounds is limited to Par + 5. After that, your maximum hole score becomes a Net Double Bogey, equal to Double Bogey PLUS any handicap strokes you receive based on your Course Handicap™. To make it easy, we recommend posting your scores using the hole-by-hole option, which will allow this adjustment to take place automatically!

“Once you have joined a club, you just need to play and post scores from a total of 54 holes, made up of any combination of 9 or 18-hole rounds, and you will have a Handicap Index the very next day!”

You can use https://www.ghin.com/login or the USGA GHIN mobile app to post other scores.

If you do not have 54 holes of scores posted before your first GTGP event, we will give you a temporary handicap for that event. When you play in a GTGP event we post your score for you.

Get a GAP account

GTGP is an associate club of the Golf Association of Philadelphia. As a GTGP member, you will be eligible to play in GAP Member Play Days at private clubs in the area. The GAP member play days are on a first come first serve basis. Demand can be high for certain events. GAP continues to expand the MPD schedule each year. We are hoping to see GAP’s 2023 schedule in February. Other benefits include subscriptions to Golf Digest and GAP Magazine

Go to www.gapgolf.org for more info, to register your account with them, and to manage your subscriptions. (It’s optional but recommended.)

GTGP’s relationship with GAP is as an associate club, or a Type 3 club. Type 3: Members generally have no prior affiliation and do not regularly play at any specific golf course.

At this level GTGP members get access to the MPD’s but not to other GAP events such as low amateurs or various club competitions. For that you would need to be a member of a private or public golf club. Still, the MPD’s are great and many GTGP members have played in them.

We are also eligible for the GAP Architect Series. This series started in 2021 and returned in 2023 after taking the year 2022 off.

You can also access and manage your handicap at GAP. (In addition to using either ghin.com or the GHIN mobile app.)

Sign up for GTGP events and play golf

Once we have our schedule set up, you will be able to register and pay for events here.

Tee Times and Event Results are posted on the golf genius portal. For 2023 it’s https://www.golfgenius.com/ggid/gtgp23 or go there via Scoring Central in the menu above. If you see anything at golf genius about signing in, or an event accepting signups, just ignore that. We do not use golf genius’s registration system. We use our own here at this website.

The 2024 golf genius portal will be set up and open to the public by March.

For arriving at the course, it’s Park and Play. We have no registration table. We usually have our own scorecards which you can get from our Event Coordinator or Scorekeeper for the day. These will have your course handicap information for the course being played.

More on Handicapping

All members must have a USGA handicap to earn prizes in events. We provide you with an official USGA handicap (through the Golf Association of Philadelphia) as part of your membership fee.

The success of our tour relies strongly upon members having valid USGA handicaps. Every member is responsible for adhering to the USGA handicapping policies. All GTGP event scores will be posted to USGA/GHIN automatically by our scoring system, but each member is responsible for posting all other qualifying scores (whether they are tournament scores or scores from casual play). 

Other Quick Words

Members are expected to practice good golf etiquette and to respect fellow competitors, other golfers on the course, and the staff at each host course. And please alway be aware of your pace of play. That was quick, but it is important.