To cancel your USGA membership, log in to the Manage Membership portal and choose “Cancel/Do Not Renew Membership,” or send a cancellation request by email to GCSupport@usga.org.1USGA. Membership Terms and Conditions If you act within 14 days of your activation date, you qualify for a full refund of your dues. After that, fees are nonrefundable, but your benefits stay active through the end of the paid term.
What to Have Ready
You’ll need your GHIN number (Handicap ID) and the email address on your account to log in and verify yourself. If you can’t find your GHIN, the USGA’s Handicap ID Look Up tool at handicapidlookup.usga.org will send a verification code to the email on your scoring record.2United States Golf Association. Handicap ID Look Up The code expires in 24 hours, so use it the same day.
Canceling Online
The portal is the fastest route. Log in at the Manage Membership page and select “Cancel/Do Not Renew Membership.”3USGA. GC Frequently Asked Questions A short confirmation sequence follows, and you should see an on-screen or emailed confirmation when it’s done. Save it.
If you’re still inside the 14-day refund window, the same page has a “Request Refund” option.3USGA. GC Frequently Asked Questions
Canceling by Email
If the portal gives you trouble, or you want a written record, email GCSupport@usga.org.1USGA. Membership Terms and Conditions Include your full name, GHIN number, and the email tied to your account so support can find you. Ask for written confirmation that the cancellation has been processed.
The USGA’s membership line, (800) 223-0041, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET and can help with questions.4USGA. FAQs The official terms list only the portal and email as cancellation methods, so don’t rely on a phone call alone. Follow up through one of the two official channels.
How to Avoid an Auto-Renewal Charge
USGA memberships auto-renew by default, with the card on file charged on or near your anniversary billing date.1USGA. Membership Terms and Conditions To stop next year’s charge, you have to cancel at least five business days before your scheduled processing date. The USGA sends a renewal notice with that date; watch for it.
This is where people get caught. Cancel four business days out instead of five and the charge goes through, locking you into another nonrefundable year. A calendar reminder a couple of weeks ahead of the renewal date gives you room to act.
Current annual fees are $36 for a standard USGA membership, $45 for 1894 Club, and $60 for Champion Club.5USGA. Join the USGA – Become a Member Today
The 14-Day Refund Window
Cancel within 14 days of your activation date and the USGA will refund your full dues.1USGA. Membership Terms and Conditions Request it through the portal’s “Request Refund” option.3USGA. GC Frequently Asked Questions
Once that window closes, dues are nonrefundable. The terms don’t allow prorated refunds, partial credits, or exceptions based on how much of the year remains. This applies to a new membership and to one that just auto-renewed. For a renewal, the activation date is the date the renewal payment processes, so the 14-day clock resets each year.
Even after a nonrefundable cancellation, your benefits run through the end of the paid term.1USGA. Membership Terms and Conditions Your account moves to “do not renew” status. You keep your Handicap Index, score posting, and other benefits until the term expires; the membership simply won’t charge again.
What Happens to Your Handicap and Scores
Your scoring history isn’t deleted when the membership ends. The GHIN system keeps your record, so if you rejoin later or sign up through a different club, it should still be there. During any gap in active membership, though, you can’t post new scores or maintain a current Handicap Index.
Your GHIN number is permanent. If you later join a different golf club or allied golf association that uses GHIN, you keep the same Handicap ID across clubs and states. When you sign up somewhere new, give them your existing GHIN rather than letting them create a new one. Duplicate records cause problems later.
Transferring Through a Club Instead of Canceling
If you want to keep handicap services but drop the direct USGA membership, you can maintain your Handicap Index through a local golf club or a state or regional golf association. Annual fees through these groups typically run from about $30 to $80, depending on the region and what’s included.
Join the new club or association first and give them your existing GHIN number. Your scoring history carries over. Then cancel your direct USGA membership so you aren’t paying twice. Order matters: transfer first, cancel second, with no gap in coverage.