Memberships with the Golfer Social Club last for 12 months from the date of sign-up.

As part of our Handicap and Premium+ Membership categories you will receive an Australian Golf ID number (previously called GOLF Link numbers) and official World Handicapping System handicap.

If you’ve previously held a Golf ID (or Golflink number) we will be able to reactivate this upon sign up. If you haven’t held one before, we’ll issue you one.

It's a common misconception that Golf ID’s and/or Golflink numbers expire. This isnt the case so its always best (and due process) to let us know if youve previously held one.

Australian Golf ID numbers do not expire — they are a unique identifier that stays with you for your lifetime as a golfer in Australia.

Key points

• Under the new Golf Australia Connect system (launched early October 2025), your old Golf Link number became your Golf ID — and it remains unchanged forever, even if you change clubs.
• A Golf ID is essentially permanent: once issued, it stays with you for life and doesn’t have a set expiry date.
• If you stop being a member of a club or let your handicap lapse, your Golf ID still exists — it just might become inactive in terms of handicap tracking until you join a club again and reactivate your account.

So unlike some membership numbers that might expire after a period of inactivity, an Australian Golf ID does not expire — it stays yours permanently.

A GA Handicap is the Golf Australia Handicap that is assigned to a golfer. This handicap is then referenced against The Slope Rating of a set of tees on a golf course to calculate the Daily Handicap that a golfer plays from in a competition.

Golf Australia uses the World Handicap System (WHS) to calculate your official GA Handicap. This global system ensures your handicap is fair, consistent, and recognised at every affiliated course in Australia and overseas.

When you enter your scores, whether in a competition or a social round with a marker, the WHS adjusts them for course difficulty and automatically updates your handicap. Your handicap travels with you, whether you’re playing at your local club or teeing up internationally.

This system gives every golfer, from beginner to low-marker, a fair shot in competitions. It responds quickly to improvements in your game, and because it’s a global system, your GA Handicap is trusted everywhere you play.

Golf Australia uses a few key steps to determine your handicap:

1. You play a round & submit your score
   Every valid 9- or 18-hole score goes into your scoring record.
2. Your Score Differential is created
   This adjusts your score based on the difficulty of the course you played.
   Score Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) × 113 ÷ Slope Rating
3. Your best 8 rounds count
   Out of your most recent 20 rounds, the lowest 8 Score Differentials are averaged.
   This ensures your handicap reflects your true playing ability.
4. Caps protect your number
   The system includes controls to stop handicaps blowing out during a rough patch:
• Soft Cap: slows increases after your handicap rises 3 strokes above your best 12-month form
• Hard Cap: limits total upward movement to 5 strokes
5. Your handicap updates daily
   Once processed, your scores update your GA Handicap overnight so it always reflects your current level.

NOTE: When a player is gaining a handicap a sliding scale of score differentials is used (see table below). As a result of this your handicap will likely fluctuate quite a bit as you’re submitting your first 20 round.

·    Your name & signature
·    The score for each hole
·    The date of the game
·    The marker's signature
·    The marker’s Golf Link Number
·    The name of the course
·    The tees you played from
·    The Scratch Rating or DSR

Under Golf Australia (GA) / World Handicap System (WHS) initial handicap cards and conforming social round requirements, a marker is the person who attests (verifies) your score. GA is clear about who can and cannot act as a marker.

Who can act as a marker

A marker must be an acceptable golfing companion, meaning they can be:

• A member of an affiliated golf club (any club, not just yours)
• A golfer who holds a GA Handicap or a recognised overseas handicap
• A golfer who is capable of understanding the Rules of Golf
• Someone who played with you for the round (or at least observed your play)

They do not need to:

• Be a member of the Golfer Social Club (but we encourage it)
• Have the same handicap level as you
• Play in the same competition (for social rounds)

Who cannot act as a marker

• Yourself (self-marking is not allowed)
• Someone who did not play with or observe you
• A non-golfer with no understanding of the Rules of Golf
• Someone who only joins for part of the round and cannot reasonably attest to the score
• A person who refuses or is unable to sign or attest the score

Marker responsibilities

The marker must:

• Keep or verify your hole-by-hole gross scores
• Confirm the round was played:
• Over at least 9 holes
• Under the Rules of Golf
• In acceptable playing conditions

Sign the scorecard (physical or electronic attestation)

If you previously held a handicap and/or GolfLink number prior to 1 January 2010 and have not been a member of a golf club for some time, it is likely your handicap lapsed. In this case, you will need to submit a total of 54 holes to obtain a new handicap. These can be played in any combination of 9- or 18-hole rounds (they do not need to be three full 18-hole rounds).

From 2 January 2010, handicap records no longer lapsed. Instead, they became inactive when a player was not a club member. Once the player joins a new club, the handicap is simply reactivated.

In summary:

If you held a handicap before 2010 and were not a member of any club: you will need to submit 54 holes to receive a new handicap.

If you gained a handicap after January 2010: your handicap is likely inactive and can be reactivated upon joining a club.

You can retrieve your old Golf ID (formerly known as a GolfLink number) by contacting your previous club or Golf Australia.

In late 2025 Golf Australia transitioned from the Golflink handicapping system to the DotGolf system. 

Under the Golflink system:

• The old 10-digit GOLFLink number was split into club ID (first 5 digits) and member number (last 5 digits).
• When you joined a new club, the system issued a new number, even though your playing history and handicap carried over.

However, under the current Golf Australia Connect / Golf ID system (post-2025):

• Your Golf ID is now permanent and unique to you, not tied to a club.
• You keep the same Golf ID when moving between clubs.
• All your handicap history, scores, and records remain linked to that Golf ID.
• You can now select which Club will be your home club (and thus manage your handicap), however this selection doesnt change your Golflink number. 

So essentially, the old statement about “getting a new GOLFLink number at a new club” no longer applies — your Golf ID now follows you for life, across all clubs.

Yes. The handicapping rules require that you inform a new club if you have ever held an official handicap at another club.

When you join a new club and you wish it to be your Home Club where you maintain your handicap, you are required to submit your most recent GOLF Link number.

Many people are surprised with how low their initial GA Handicap is. There are a few reasons for this:

• The system is calibrated for the handicap to sit at the low end of what a golfer is capable of - it is intended that a player only plays to or beats their handicap when they play well.
• Many golfers without an official handicap believe the handicap represents the scoring average but this is not the case. Statistically, an Australian golfer plays better than their handicap only once in every eight rounds.
• Initial handicap calculations are made from the adjusted hole scores from the best of the three submitted rounds with reference to the Scratch Rating of the course and multiplied by .93.
• The GA Handicap is referenced to the Slope Rating of a Course to generate the Daily Handicap that a golfer plays from in a competition. The formula is GA H/cap x Slope Rating / 113. Hence, on a course with a slope rating of 130, a player with a GA Handicap of 15.8 will play from a Daily Handicap of 18.

Yes! When you register for an event, you will have the option to specify your preferred playing partner. We encourage you to sign up together to ensure you are paired.