What is P.L.G.A.?

The Public Links Golf Association of Southern California was established in 1931 when several golfers got together and formed the PLGA. These golfers played primarily at public golf courses and wanted to separate themselves from the "private country club" type of golf. They established this association for the benefit of the public golfer who did not have the financial resources to belong to a private country club.

Today PLGA is 170 clubs strong with over 25,000 members. We have a fully staffed office to help with any information that is needed from the simplest to the most complex golfing decision.

The purpose, as in the past, of the association is to provide for our members a friendly atmosphere and an array of tournaments and services for the beginning to the most experienced golfer.

What’s the difference between PLGA and SCGA?

Over sixty-five years ago, a few public golfers had the foresight to see that there were many differences between the "Public Golfer" and the "Private Country Club Golfer". They established this association to preserve the public golfer's interest and provide competition for golfers with a wide variety of abilities and interests.

Our PLGA members have a vote in our Association. Each of our Club Presidents ecomes a member of the Board of Directors with full voting privileges. This keeps our members involved in the Association.

Having two associations in Southern California is healthy for all golfers and clubs. PLGA being one of only two men’s associations authorized to issue USGA approved indexes, with SCGA being the other.

What is a PLGA INDEX CARD?

Every PLGA member will receive a plastic Membership Card. This card reflects the member's name, club and membership number on the front. The back of the card is designed to hold the current month's sticker which shows the last 20 scores and current handicap index. It is designed to fit in the member's wallet, and last at least a couple of years.

How long does it take to process my MEMBER NUMBER?

Once the application has been filled out by the golfer and authorized by the club representative there are several ways the form can be processed. If the information is sent to the PLGA for processing there is generally a three day turn around to have the score file established. Once the application has been processed the golfer will be able to post scores at golf course facilities with their six digit PLGA member number. The golfer will not see their score file on the website or be able to post scores online until the following revision period (the first of the next month).

When will I get my PLGA INDEX CARD and MEMBER NUMBER?

When you sign up with the golf club and once your membership has been processed by PLGA, they will send out your Index card around the 1st of each month to your club’s Handicap Director. New members’ handicap cards can be picked up in the pro shop next to the computer or at the check-in table on the day of our tournaments.

How can I find out my HANDICAP INDEX?

Each month the Handicap Director receives the current monthly index stickers. These stickers hold your index for the last six months and your last twenty scores. The stickers are made to be placed on the back of your PLGA index card, and to be used for any tournament for which proof of index is required.

You can also go to www.PLGA.org. Click the Handicap icon; enter your PLGA six digit index number or you can enter your last name and press enter; scroll down to the bottom of the screen to your name and click. That will give your current month’s index, recently post scores and player history. Current indexes for the entire club can be found in the Lakewood Men’s Golf Club index book located next to the computer in the pro shop and in the Men’s clubroom.

What are HANDICAPS?

The USGA Handicap System enables golfers of all skill levels to compete on an equitable basis.

What’s the difference between my HANDICAP INDEX and COURSE HANDICAP?

A HANDICAP INDEX is a measurement of a player's potential ability on a course of standard play. It is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place and is used for conversion to a Course Handicap. A HANDICAP INDEX is not an average of a golfer's scores, but rather an estimate of what the golfer might shoot on his or her best days. The HANDICAP INDEX is a number that is compared to course rating in order to determine your COURSE HANDICAP. The COURSE HANDICAP is then used to figure strokes.

What is the "R" next to my index?

The golfer is being reduced due to exceptional tournament scores. The reduction is an automatic part of the index calculation. Tournament scores stay in a stored tournament file for a year from the date they were posted. Each month the computer looks at what the golfers calculated Handicap Index is. If there are at least 2 tournament differentials in the file which are 3.0 points below the calculated index then the golfer’s index may become reduced. It also takes into account the total number of tournament games the golfer has posted over the last 12 months. Basically the golfer has shown they can play to a certain level but the current index is not reflecting that potential so the system reduces the golfer automatically to what the playing potential is.

The next question – how long will it last?

Again, it depends upon what the calculated index is based on the scores the golfer has posted, what the two low tournament differentials are and how many tournament scores the golfer has posted over the last 12 months. As a reminder this is not a penalty, it is part of the normal computation method of arriving at a player's Handicap Index. If you feel this reduction is not warranted you can speak to your Handicap Director about removing or modifying the reduction.

When registering online to post I received the following message: “The member number you have entered does not exist in the system”. What did I do wrong?

When filling out the information to register for online score posting please keep these items in mind. Select the club name and code listed in your membership card, DO NOT put a dash with the member number, enter your last name as it appears on the membership card, and at the end be sure to click the Continue button with the mouse rather than hit the enter key on the keyboard. Once you have registered you will then need to login to post scores. Type in your member number and password; this should bring you to a screen which looks like your index look up but on the top right in red you should see “Post a Score”. Click on “Post a Score” and follow the prompts.

I made a mistake when I posted my score or I have an incorrect score in my file? What do I do?

You will need to contact your Handicap Director in order to have the score corrected or removed. PLGA does not perform any file maintenance requests directly from individual members.

I posted my scores online recently and they are all gone!!! The PLGA updates Handicap Indexes once a month, generally around the 24th of each month. Once the scores have been pulled for processing the golfer will not see them again until the first of the following month when the new Handicap Indexes are available. At that point the scores will officially become a part of the player’s scoring record. Online scores are pulled from viewing on the website only; they are still retained at the golf course and will be available for viewing online on the first of the next month.

I have posted all of my rounds. When will I receive an index?

A Handicap Index will be calculated for a golfer at the next revision period once the player has posted a minimum of five scores.

What is a revision period?

The PLGA updates Handicap Indexes on a monthly basis. The score files are generally taken down around the 24th of the month. The Handicap Index is valid from the first of the month until the last day of the month.

I reinstated my membership and all my scores are gone. What’s up with that?

Once a player has been reinstated the score file will not appear at the golf course facilities or on the PLGA website until the next revision period. However, the golfer will be able to post scores at the golf course once reinstated.

As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact your Handicap Chairman!