For those of you living in the northern states in the U.S.A., the season for posting scores is either over or soon to draw to a close. It’s time to bundle up and head out to the links for just plain fun, practice, and exercise. Most of you will not resume posting scores until March or April of 2010.
However, those of you who migrate south and play golf in states that are “in-season” must post those scores. You may post them on your local GHIN computer, if that is available to you. You may also post them via the Internet. If neither of these methods are options for you, keep a record of your rounds that includes the date, slope, rating, ESC score, and name of golf course. Post those rounds when your home state is back “in season.”
A number of northern golf associations are now revising handicaps throughout the winter months for those members who post scores from areas that are “in season,” so you may still have the opportunity to track your handicap even though you’re far from home.
The reason you are not allowed to post in the northern regions is that the playing characteristics of golf courses change during the winter. While it’s fun to watch your ball skate across a frozen water hazard, or bound for miles over hard fairways, courses are not rated for such conditions, and your handicap cannot be measured accurately.
You can see when your state is in- or out-of-season, and also find out the handicap revision schedule, by visiting the following link:
http://www.usga.org/handicapping/education/revision_schedule/Handicap-Revision-Schedule/
Below is a chart telling you when each state is “in season” for posting:
Active Season for the United States and Puerto Rico
States that are active year round:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Southern Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, southern Utah
States that are active seasonally:
Alaska: May 1–Sept. 30
Colorado: March 15–October 31
Connecticut: April 1–November 10
Delaware: April 1–October 31
Idaho: March 1–November 14
Illinois: April 2–October 28 (Chicago) or March 9–October 25 (southern)
Indiana: February 18–November 10
Iowa: April 1–October 27
Kansas: March 1 or 15–October 31
Kentucky: March 4–October 20
Maine: April 14–October 27
Maryland: March 15– November 15
Massachusetts: April 1–November 10
Michigan: March 29–November 8
Missouri: March 4–November 15
Montana: April 1–October 31
Nebraska: March 18–November 10
New Hampshire: April 1–November 10
New Jersey: April 1–October 27
New York: April 1–October 27 (NYC); April 10–November 1 (NYS); April 22–October 20 (Rochester District)
Nevada (northern section): March 3–December 1
North Dakota: March 25–October 13
Ohio: March 18 or 25 or April 1–October 31
Oregon: March 1–November 30
Pennsylvania: April 1–October 27 or 31
Rhode Island: April 1–November 10
South Dakota: April 3–October 27
Utah (northern section): March 15–October 31
Vermont: April 15–October 27
Virginia: March 1–November 15
Washington: March 1–November 15
West Virginia: March 11–October 27
Wisconsin: April 1–October 31
Wyoming: April 1–October 27
