Another good tip is to either download or list with a scorecard monitoring site. You can then update your scores after every round as well as adding other statistics from your game if you so wish. This way you'll have a constantly monitored handicap. I do this and it works very well ensuring I'm playing to a fair handicap when golfing with friends. However, it wouldn't be accepted in competition and a club handicap would still have to suffice. It really depends on how many official competitions you enter. I'm only a weekday member and most competitions are played at weekends when I never have the time, so my official handicap is 3 shots higher than my own monitored handicap. This is OK for 'golf bandits' but this is not why the handicap system was introduced. Fair competition is much more enjoyable. When I see people finish with net 54 or similar, it's paramount to cheating but this should be another thread discussion.

Cheers.
Lee.