Why did the USGA create the Club Licensing Program?
The purpose of the Club Licensing Program is to ensure that all golf clubs in the United States comply with the USGA Handicap System™. Each golf club must meet the requirements of the Club Compliance Checklist before any are authorized to issue a USGA Handicap Index®. If a club is not complying with some aspect of the USGA Handicap System, then it will not be authorized to issue a USGA Handicap Index to its members.