How Does The USGA<>TheGrint Handicap Integration Works?

In 2020, the USGA announced the launch of the World Handicap System with the goal of providing golfers with a unified handicapping system for the first time, through a Handicap Index that’s valid everywhere you play. Today, we'll show you how the Handicap Integration works with TheGrint.

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First, and most importantly, all Handicap ID’s are issued and maintained by the USGA in their servers which means that your Handicap ID (which we call WHS#) is now part of a centralized database.

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Whenever a Grinter uploads a score in TheGrint app, we send that score to the USGA servers and they include it in your records. In a similar way, when a Grinter with a valid Handicap ID gets a score uploaded on a different site like GHIN.com the USGA will include it in the Handicap Index calculation, and your Handicap Index in TheGrint will also update.

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However, we do encourage you upload your score via TheGrint. That's because when you do it via another provider, we only receive partial information and your stats will not update.

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It’s very important to know that your Handicap gets recalculated only once per day at midnight. This means that when you upload a score to TheGrint, your Handicap will remain the same until the USGA runs its handicap revision. You can read more about it here: Handicap Manual link.

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If you already had a valid Handicap ID (like a GHIN#)  before joining TheGrint, you can link the number for free like this: from TheGrint app > Menu > My Handicap > enter the # in the white box.

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A couple of closing remarks:

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1- Our Handicaps are USGA compliant, which means they should be accepted for any event. However, some State Associations will require you to be a member of their association in order to let you compete in their tournaments.

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2- Currently, the USGA doesn’t have an independent and open Handicap Lookup site. However, our Handicap Lookup will find and retrieve the information of any player with a valid Handicap ID, even if the player is not registered with TheGrint. Similarly, if you look up a Grinter with a valid Handicap ID in, let’s say, the GHIN.com handicap lookup tool, you’ll find it as well.

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3 - While our Handicap ID’s are as valid as a GHIN# or any other valid Handicap ID, that doesn’t mean you can log in to GHIN.com. Because that is a different service. In that same manner, someone with a GHIN.com account cannot log in to TheGrint.

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4- The USGA and each State Association have their own Schedules. If you post a score at a golf course that is not in its active season, then your score will not count towards your Handicap calculation. Here is the list of all State Association schedules

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Hopefully, this post will help you understand the dynamics of how the USGA<>TheGrint integration works.

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Enjoy your Golf!

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