Even if your home course is closed for the winter, scores from rounds played in year-round golf areas such as Florida and California must be posted. Starting Jan. 1, 2012, the national standard will be for golf clubs in seasonal areas to accept these scores and revise Handicap Indexes year-round. Clubs will be required to update Indexes on the 1st and 15th of every month, even in the winter.

DEAN KNUTH, former senior director of the USGA Handicap Department, is a Golf Digest contributing editor

From Golf Digest February 2011, page 48