GOLF INFORMATION ARTICLES

Golf Handicaps

It comes as no surprise that amateur golfers don’t exercise the same level of skills. Now, however, they can play on a more level playing field thanks to the golf handicap system.

The 411 on the handicap system

Before anything else, it would be helpful to understand what the handicap system is. And no, it isn’t to favor physically handicapped players. A handicap represents, in numbers, a golfer’s playing ability. Lower handicaps represent better playing abilities. The rationale behind the creation of a handicap system is to create a more equal playing field for golfers that have varied playing levels. It goes without saying, moreover, that the handicap system is not implemented in professional golf.

How it works

It’s important to note that the handicap system is a numerical representative of a golfer’s potential and not his average score. Remember that the winner of a Golf Game is usually the player who completes a course with the least amount of strokes. Through the handicap system, players are allowed to deduct a specific number of strokes from the actual number that a player made to complete the hole. This net score can therefore be stated as:

Net Score = Gross Strokes – Deducted Strokes (on certain holes)

Golfers with a handicap of zero are called “scratch golfers”. “Bogey golfers” have a handicap of 20. It is also possible to have a handicap less than zero and is referred to as “plus handicaps”. A plus handicap is added, instead of subtracted, to the score.

Determining your handicap

A player’s handicap is actually not a fixed number, but changes over time depending on his golfing performance. This is because a person’s handicap is dependent on a player’s ability from his history of rounds. Therefore, a handicap may increase or decrease over an amount of time depending on the golfer’s improvement.

Calculating one’s handicap can be quite complicated. Fortunately, there are several handicap calculators available to golfers online. These are the variables necessary to determine one’s handicap under the United States Golf Association (USGA) Handicap System:

A player’s score from recent rounds

Course rating – Officially rated Golf Courses are graded between 67 – 77 and this measure represents the “good score” made on average by a scratch golfer

Slope rating – with a grade ranging between 105 and 155, this number represents a golf course’s difficulty for a bogey golfer.

These variables comprise of the components that are used to calculate the “handicap differential” which is then used in calculating a player’s handicap.

An official handicap is called a handicap index, and is reflective of the 10 best handicap differentials of a golfer’s 20 previous rounds. A course handicap is then based on the handicap index. If a course has a handicap of 15, it means that a golfer can deduct 15 strokes from his score all throughout.

If you constantly find yourself losing to every weekend game with your golfing buddies, perhaps it’s high time you use the handicap system for your own .

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