Welcome to the New Year!

With 2017 now upon us, we thought we would try to talk a little about WSGA Memberships.

WSGA Memberships run from January 1 to December 31 each year. If a member is on a club’s roster on April 1, the club will be billed WSGA Membership Dues for that member. In order to keep a club from having to pay 2017 WSGA Membership Dues for an individual who has not or may not rejoin a club for 2017, clubs must “clean up” their roster prior to April 1. While clubs can inactivate members at any time from January 1 to March 31, inactivations must not be done prior to January 1. We do advise clubs to inactivate their members by March 1 so that they have plenty of time to review their roster before the March 31 Inactivation Deadline. If you find that you cannot post any score via the Internet or you no longer are receiving your bi-monthly handicap update, then your membership has most likely been inactivated.

What can you do and not do if your membership is inactive?

When your membership is inactive you can continue to post scores through the handicap computer at any club, even those in other association areas. Those scores will be transmitted back to GHIN and will stay in your score history at GHIN and will be used to update your handicap when your WSGA Membership is reactivated. Any time that you join a club or renew your membership between our bi-monthly handicap updates (the 1st and 15th of every month throughout the entire year), your handicap will show as NH (No Handicap) at GHIN until you go through a handicap update. If that happens to you and you need to have your handicap updated prior to the bi-monthly handicap update, possibly because you are going to play in a tournament, please contact any member of the WSGA Handicapping Department and we will do a Special Update of your USGA Handicap Index for you.

When your membership is inactive you cannot post scores via the Internet or through our Mobile App, your handicap will not be updated bi-monthly and if you are playing in an event or tournament where the Committee tries to get an updated handicap for you, they will receive a message that your membership is inactive and that you have no handicap at that time.

If you want to continue to receive all of the benefits of membership with your club and the Washington State Golf Association, all you have to do is keep your membership current with your club.

Should you have any questions about all of this, please do not hesitate to contact the WSGA Handicapping Department at 1-800-643-6410.