You must have a handicap index, however, if you want to play in officially sanctioned tournaments. Many players keep track of handicaps unofficially; that is, on their own. Knowing your handicap (official or otherwise) is important in making sure that any matches are played fairly.
You must know your handicap (official or otherwise) in order to compete with much better (or much worse) playing partners. And if you're playing for money, you'll certainly need to know handicaps.
Keeping your handicap also serves as an incentive to keep improving. It helps you by setting targets - you're a 15 handicap, say, but you want to be in single digits. Watching as your handicap starts dropping is the greatest incentive to keep practicing and working.
And having an official USGA Handicap Index can stop fights. How many times are teams in a four-man scramble accused of having a sandbagger? Or individuals playing a betting game accused of sandbagging? An official handicap ensures that everyone plays fair, which helps ensure that everyone gets to enjoy the game.
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