The Short Answer
Getting a handicap is one of the best parts of joining Future Golf - it's how you start tracking your ability and your progress.
To get your first handicap, you need to submit a total of 54 holes of golf. You can do this in the Future Golf App, either by scoring your round live as you play or by entering your scores afterwards.
Getting Your Golf ID
When you sign up, and you haven't held a handicap before, we'll issue you a Golf ID from Golf Australia straight away.
Your Golf ID is where all of your scores are recorded from that point on, and it's what your official Golf Australia handicap is generated from.
You may see your Golf ID listed as "Invalid" on the Golf Australia website before you've submitted any rounds. This is normal - your ID is valid, there simply aren't any scorecards attached to it yet.
Playing Your First Rounds
Golf Australia needs 54 holes in total before it can calculate your first handicap. These can be made up of any combination of 18 and 9 hole rounds.
What To Keep Track Of
- Your strokes on each hole - the actual number of shots it took you to get the ball in the hole.
- Which tees you played from - white, blue, black or red. You'll select these when you submit.
- Who your marker was - the person you played the round with. They'll need to sign off on your scores when you submit.
Your Daily Handicap For These Rounds
Until you have an official handicap, every golfer plays off the same daily handicap - 54 for 18 holes, and 27 for 9 holes. The app applies this for you automatically.
Submitting Your Rounds
Everything is handled in the Future Golf App - there's no paper scorecard to send us. Download it for iOS or Android, then log in.
1. Choose Handicap Round
Head to the Score section of the app and make sure Handicap Round is selected. From there you have two options:
- Play Now - track your scores hole by hole while you're out on the course.
- Submit Scorecard - enter your scores after you've finished playing.
2. Enter Your Round Details
Confirm the date you played, search for the course, choose whether it was 18 or 9 holes, and select the tees you played from. Then enter your hole by hole scores.
3. Certify The Round
Select your marker and enter their Golf ID, then capture both signatures on screen - theirs and yours. Confirm the submission is accurate, and you're done.
4. Submission Complete
You'll see a summary of your round, and your scores are sent through to Golf Australia for processing. You can review any round you've submitted under My Rounds.
Remember, you'll need 54 holes in total before Golf Australia has enough to work out your handicap. Just repeat the process above until you get there.
What Happens Next
Your rounds are entered into Golf Australia's system (Golf Connect). Golf Australia then uses their own algorithm to calculate your first handicap - to be clear, Future Golf does not work this out.
The calculation takes into account the courses you played, the tees you played from, your scores, and the variance between those scores.
Your first handicap will often come out lower than you'd expect. That's normal, and it will settle as you submit more rounds.
For more on how handicap rounds work, have a look at this article.
Still Need Help?
Got a question about getting your handicap? Our support team is happy to help.