Handicap Scores

Question:
Can I count my svore for handicap purposes if I don't putt out on every hole?

Answer:
The USGA accepts the recording of gimmes in friendly play when recording scores for handicap purposes. If a player's putt is conceded or she has a gimme, the player must count the stroke or strokes and record the score she most likely would have made if she had played out the hole. The "most likely score" may not exceed the player's Equitable Stroke Control limit, defined in Section 4-3. This "most likely score" should be preceded by an "X." (See Decision 4-1/1 of the Handicap System Manual.) Competition is different. Rule 3-2 states: "If a competitor fails to hole out at any hole and does not correct [her] mistake before [she] makes a stroke on the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before [she] leaves the putting green, [she] is disqualified."