2022 Yearbook

15 and within one season has become one of our largest clubs we serve. An individual joins this club directly through the USGA website and is then directed to their local Allied Golf Association in their region. The same benefits a member would receive in Iowa by joining locally are granted to these members as well. This program has not only exceeded our expectations here in Iowa but has also fared very well nationally. As you can expect, with the influx of new golfers, handicap oversight is as important as ever. I would like to thank each person who directly managed the GHIN accounts at your club and who ensured that the World Handicap System was being upheld to the highest standard. Speaking of GHIN, we have been very pleased with the quality and usability of all of the GHIN products, especially the GHIN Mobile app. The USGA has done an excellent job with improving the app each quarter. If you haven’t tried using the GPS feature, we think you will be surprised just how many courses are available. If your course isn’t listed, please let us know. Additionally, you now have the ability to play different “games” through the app with your friends. This feature includes the ability to set up and track a match for your group using net or gross scores, the ability to keep score for your group, and the ability to transfer scores to other GHIN golfers for review and posting. On the Course Rating front, I am happy to report that 26 courses were rated this season. Half of these ratings were for newmember clubs and the other half were clubs that were nearing their 10-year expiration date. Although ratings remain current for a decade, we prefer to rate them between 7-8 years to ensure they are as accurate as possible. The USGA has made it well known that they want to make the game more accessible and enjoyable to a wider diverse audience. On the handicapping and Course Rating side of things, they have made progress toward this goal by raising the maximum Handicap Index range from 36.4 (men) and 40.4 (women) to 54.0 for all players, which will allow more golfers to precisely measure and track their progress. They have also strongly recommended that the Allied Golf Association community begin to rate more tees for both genders, giving everyone the opportunity to play the set of tees that fits their desire of challenge that day. For a long time, there has been a stigma in the game in regard to which tees men and women should play. We would like that stigma to end by ensuring that if a male wants to play a shorter set of tees or a female wants to play a longer set of tees they will have that opportunity and the Course and Slope Rating will be there for them. The game is moving forward and becoming more welcoming than ever. We are thrilled to be a part of it and look to the future.