BENEFITS FOR CLUBS
Championships — GAP conducts more than 200 events for players of all ages and skill levels. within its territory. Its tournament schedule runs from April to October. In addition to administering local competitions, GAP also administers 19 qualifying events for USGA championships. GAP members are eligible to compete in all events spanning GAP’s territory including GAP Central, GAP/DSGA and GAP/AGA.
Course Ratings — GAP rates every Member course on a seven-year rotation, evaluating the overall difficulty of the golf course for both a scratch golfer and a bogey golfer, with the Course Rating established for the scratch golfer and the Bogey Rating established for the bogey player. Ratings are included in the member dues: a $2,500 value. Ratings compiled by these teams are reviewed by the Course Rating Review Committee to make sure that criteria are being consistently applied. This allows any player with a valid Handicap Index to fairly compete against any other player with a Handicap Index. Ratings are available for each course under Slope & Course Ratings.
BMW GAP Team Matches — Only available to full Member Clubs, the BMW GAP Team Matches are held on three Sundays in April with more than 6,000 players representing 400 teams from 173 Member Clubs. Interclub Matches, as they were originally called, served as the basis for the founding of the Association, and today, just like then, serve as a source of club pride.
GAP/USGA Handicaps — The Golf Association of Philadelphia has provided handicaps to its Member Clubs through the GHIN System (Golf Handicap and Information Network) since 1964, a nationwide handicap service provided by the USGA. A player can go to any participating club to check a handicap and post his score. Players may also obtain Handicap Index information from GAP’s website. Clubs and members can gain access through their handicap computer to the National Course Rating and Slope database retrieval system.
ThePost — Get your GAP/GHIN Handicap in a click by signing up for GAP’s ThePost service. All Members can take advantage of this benefit by logging into your My GAP Locker; clicking on the subscriptions tab and then checking “yes” for ThePost emails. ThePost are delivered on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
Subscriptions — All members are eligible to receive complimentary subscriptions to GAP Magazine, the official publication of GAP; Golf Digest, the world-class magazine responsible for providing access to all things golf and Global Golf Post, the world’s first designed digital weekly golf news publication. Subscriptions can be managed by contacting the Golf Office or by managing the subscriptions tab located in My GAP Locker.
Handicap Computation and Score Posting — Individuals can maintain their handicap on-line from anywhere in the world through My GAP Locker or the USGA’s GHIN Mobile App. Get access to GPS course yardages, course layouts, statistics and next-day revisions after posting a score. A Member Club must sign up for its members to be able use this service.
Meetings and Seminars — The Association offers various seminars, including the Club Rules Seminar, for a continuing education on the Rules of Golf; the College Golf Seminar, for Junior golfers interested in playing golf at the collegiate level and the Pro-President, Golf & Green, for establishing inter-club staff fellowship.
National Representation — The GAP provides seminars and communications to its Member Clubs from national organizations such as the USGA, National Golf Foundation, Golf Course Superintendents Association and the National Club Association.
Preserves, Protects the Game — The GAP serves as the local voice of the USGA as it focuses its efforts on the preservation of the values of the only game that is still played the same way it was more than a century ago. One way in which the GAP safeguards the game’s integrity is by monitoring rules on amateur status and by processing Amateur Reinstatement Applications of those who wish to regain their amateur status. The Association exists to help its members enjoy the greatest game of all. Each participant in a GAP event, each club member who has a GHIN handicap and each Member Club helps provide the support that sustains the Association.
Golf Genius — Introduced as a Member benefit in 2017, GAP provides Golf Genius Tournament Software to its member clubs. It is a Web-based, event management system that aims to enhance the golfer experience by helping professionals better manage competitions such as leagues, charitable outings, member-guests and tournaments. It serves as the scoring and event management platform for all GAP events.