How Does The USGATheGrint 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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

A couple of closing remarks:

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Enjoy your Golf!

Author avatar
Luis
Golfer, Writer, and Grinter for life.

16 comments

  1. John

    Your handicap card is showing the posted raw score rather than ESC scores on the handicap card like it does in GHIN and other usga score app. Please fix this.

  2. Dan Hoch

    I have a TheGrint account and an official USGA GHIN.com account. Both are linked with the same GHIN #.
    1) Does that mean I SHOULD NOT post my scores to GRINT *AND* GHIN to avoid “double entry”?
    2) If I post to GRINT only and rely on the automatic link to GHIN, how frequently is that done? Will it be by midnight in my time zone (Eastern) to make the nightly GHIN handicap update?

    Thank you.

  3. Joseph Pinto

    I have registered with theGrint and recieved my WHS# from thGrint. Am I am to create a profile on GHIN with that WHS#?

    The main reason I am trying to do that is to search for player Handicaps not utilizing theGrint (with the new updates it is awesome btw)?

    • Luis

      Hi Joseph! Glad you’re enjoying the new updates. To answer your question:
      You can’t create a profile in Ghin because TheGrint and GHIN are two different handicap providers. Therefore our WHS# doesn’t work as a login to Ghin.com.

      However, you CAN use the Handicap lookup tool on the App or Website to look for players by entering their GHIN# or WHS# on there and find their handicaps and scores.

  4. Joey

    How can I post a score for a course that is not on the grint app?

  5. Nikhil Phakey

    How does this work outside of US? Can I set up similar as for the US (which is explained above) to get an official WHS index / #?

    Some of the data is sometimes incorrect on your site / app so presume the handicap is based on the accurate data stored for a course in a central (I.e. GHIN) database?

  6. Carlos Hoyos

    Hey guys
    I’m a Pro Member and for some reason deleted my GHIN / WHS number from the account. Now I can’t seem to include it again.
    Also, my Grint Index appears at 3.7 and my GHIN at 4.7 (which is why I was playing with it to get them to match).
    Please help how can I include this so there is no difference between my GHIN and my Grint handicaps.
    Thanks!

  7. jerry ratcliff

    why is my handicap not shown.

  8. Brad Soderling

    “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.”

    I’ve tried looking up friends by name and even by their GHIN# but the system does not populate any results. Is there a separate search function or specific keywords you need to include to find non-grinters handicap index within the grint search?

    • Brad Soderling

      Clarification:

      They seem to be populating on the app, but do not populate on the web browser (desktop) platform.

  9. Kevin Niehaus

    why when i post my score in the grint does the score sometimes get posted differently in the GHIN app (sometimes score in GHIN is a few strokes lower than what was entered into the GHIN)

  10. mark

    So if I want to enter a competition that requires a USGA World Handicap index the Grint isn’t compliant with that?

  11. Kevin Jarvis

    I’m playing in a tournament where they post our scores. I’d like to still track the round in the grint but not sure how to save the round as complete but not upload it (as I worry it’ll get double posted in that case)

  12. Bryan Wiltfang

    I’ve been trying to link my GHIN/WHS# in the Grint and it won’t work. I go to “my handicap” and type in my number, it pops up to verify, I hit “yes, this is me” and it doesn’t link. I also can’t use the create WHS# feature because it says I already have one. Am I doing something wrong?

  13. CHARLES FERRELL

    Hi, I just signed up for an official handicap and linked my WHS# to Grint. Will my previously posted scores count towards my handicap?

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