GENERAL QUESTIONS

The Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest local or regional association in the nation. Individuals who are members of a Member Club and who are listed on the GHIN handicap service provided by GAP are eligible to participate in GAP events. Click here to see a list of GAP Member Clubs. One may also establish or renew a GHIN handicap thru GAP to become a member. Contact the tournament department via e-mail at tournaments@gapgolf.org or by phone at 610-687-2340, ext. 14 for more information.

Yes. For most of its existence, membership was limited to private clubs. However, as the sport has progressed, with more than 75 percent of all rounds played today on daily fee courses, the Golf Association of Philadelphia has also progressed. Daily fee clubs with a membership base are among the full voting Member Clubs.

The Golf Association of Philadelphia Magazine is a high-end, glossy, color publication that covers regional golf activities, profiles courses and players and features interesting information about what’s going on with golf in the Delaware Valley. It is published four times a year.

These issues are mailed at no charge to nearly 35,000 individuals who belong to GAP Member Clubs. Individuals at Member Clubs that have not provided their lists to GAP can be added to the circulation list by advising the Golf Office of their mailing address and the club of which he or she is a member. Subscriptions may also be managed via My GAP Locker.

To apply for your amateur status, click here.

Presuming favorable review by GAP’s Membership Committee and its Executive Committee, the application will be endorsed and sent to the USGA, which is the only body with the authority to restore amateur status. The USGA will then advise you of the following step.

The USGA requires that anyone interested in obtaining a GHIN handicap must be a member of a "golf club" as a group of 25 players minimum, which operates under a set of bylaws with committees (including a handicap committee) to supervise golf activities, to provide peer review and to maintain the integrity of the USGA Handicap System. These groups can be non-Real Estate organizations as well.

Click here for a list of daily fee clubs offering GHIN handicaps through GAP.

Yes. The USGA Handicap System allows scorecard posting for handicapping purposes only, as long as your club allows you to do so.

No. By using the same GHIN number at all clubs at which you play, you ensure that your handicap record will be accurate through posting of all scores to one account.

Participating clubs receive detailed printed reports, including a complete record for each player. In addition, by selecting the Handicap Lookup feature, you can view your complete record by entering your GHIN number.

Click the Tournaments tab, then click online entry for the tournament you wish to enter.

Entry into USGA events may be found at www.usga.org or from the GAP Office.

Pennsylvania Golf Association entry blanks may be obtained at Member Clubs, at www.pagolf.org or from the GAP Office.

No. Entries are available exclusively on the GAP website. Each GAP event has an opening and closing date. Entries open at midnight of the opening day and close at 11:59 p.m. of the closing day.

When a player must withdraw from an event, he should notify the GAP Office as soon as possible. If the withdrawal occurs after business hours the day before the event, e-mail Kirby Martin, GAP Director of Competitions. Entry fees are not refunded after closing day of the event.

The Junior Boys’ Championship is open to boys from Member Clubs who are 14-18 years of age, as long as they have not started their college career, and who hold a USGA Handicap Index of 14.4 or lower. The event’s format is 18 holes of individual stroke play qualifying during the first day. Thirty-two players advance into match play in two flights (Championship and First) and compete in matches during the second and third days. All matches are 18 holes.

The Junior-Junior Boys’ Championship is open to boys from Member Clubs who are 10-13 years of age. Nine holes of qualifying lead players into flights of match play. All matches are nine holes except the Final.

Three Father & Son events are held annually — Younger (for sons age 17 and younger), Middle (for sons age 18-29) and Older (for sons age 30 and over). Each event is 18 holes of stroke play.

There are five single-day Junior events — Jock MacKenzie Memorial, Francis X. Hussey Memorial, the Deeg Sezna, the Pre-Junior Event and the Christman Cup. The Golf Association of Philadelphia also administers a U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifier.

On the home page under Recent Headlines or under the Tournaments tab by scrolling to the appropriate tournament. Results from recent events are posted on the home page of the website.

The Golf Association of Philadelphia founded the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust in 1958 to provide financial means for Member Club caddies to attend the college or university of their choice. To date, more than 3,500 caddies have received in excess of $21 million in tuition assistance.

The individual caddies, the players who benefit from the caddie’s service and the game of golf. Indirectly, the communities to which these scholars migrate after graduation benefit from their newfound enrichment.

Individual caddies at GAP Member Clubs who have provided a minimum of one year of caddie service, have financial need and have the ability to pursue a college education.

All contributions are welcome, but the major source of revenue comes from golfers at GAP Member Clubs. There are four main contribution levels; Par Club ($200), Birdie Club ($400), Eagle Club ($700) and Lifetime ($10,000 one time). However, contributions of any amount are greatly appreciated.