What Is a Golf Handicap and How Do You Determine Yours?

You don’t have to golf very many times before you will hear somebody talk about a golf handicap. You may have even heard the term in movies or on TV. Golf is one of the few sports where players of vastly different abilities and proficiency can play together and all involved can still have a great time. This article will explain what a golf handicap is and how it is measured.

What is a golf handicap?

A golf handicap index is basically a number that indicates how many strokes above or below par somebody can play based on past rounds of golf they have played. It is a score given to amateur players that is indicative of their abilities based on which tees they play off of and the scores they got from those tees.asianbookie handicap This allows beginners and not so seasoned players to not only play with but also compete with better, more experienced players. The lower the golf handicap a player has the better that player’s ability is respective to players with higher handicaps.

How to determine a golf handicap

A golf handicap is determined by a formula that takes into account several factors such as scores achieved in past rounds and how difficult the courses those rounds were played on. You must have played and accurately scored at least 5 rounds, and no more than your last 20 golf round scores can be used to determine a golf handicap. In each round the course you played on should have a course rating and a slope rating. The formula is as follows: handicap differential = (your round score – course rating) x 113 / (slope rating). Again, the course and slope rating are provided by each golf course assuming they have one. With 5 or 6 rounds played and accurately scored, the lowest differential is used as your handicap. With 11 or 12 rounds played the average of the lowest 4 differentials are used. With 20 rounds played the average of the lowest 10 differentials are used. The average of your handicap differentials make up what is called your handicap index.

Different handicaps for different courses

Once you have a handicap index, this number is then used to determine a course handicap, which differs from course to course. As stated each course has a course rating and a slope rating. A course handicap is a formula which goes as follows: course handicap = handicap index x slope rating / 113. Round this number to its nearest whole number and you have the course handicap. This number (course handicap) is to be deducted from the gross score (total score you shot in a round) to get your net score. Players compare their net scores and generally the lowest net score wins the round. It is important to note that the course rating and slope rating will differ depending on which tee boxes you play from.

Conclusion

Determining a handicap can seem like a daunting and confusing matter. With a bit of time and experience it really becomes second nature. However, if you don’t ever intend on participating in competitions or tournaments then it is suggested that you ignore handicapping all together. If you are out there just to have fun and maybe see improvements little by little in your game then you don’t ever need to worry about it. If you want to compete with your buddies and others that you golf with, particularly if they are better than you, then you will find that a golf handicap will serve you well.