Explained: How the golf handicap system works

Have you ever wondered what a handicap is in relation to golf?

A handicap is a measure of a golfer's ability.

It is used to calculate a net score from the number of strokes actually played, thus allowing players of different skill levels to play against each other on somewhat equal terms.

The higher the handicap of a player, the poorer the player is relative to those with lower handicaps. Handicaps are administered by golf clubs or national golf associations.

Exact rules relating to handicaps can vary from country to country.

A handicap is calculated that approximates how many strokes above or below par a player should be able to play. 

The two governing bodies specify slightly different ways to perform this calculation for players.

A golfer's net score is determined by subtracting the player's handicap from the gross score (the number of strokes actually taken). The net scores of all the competing golfers are compared and (generally) the person with the lowest score wins.

A player's handicap is intended to show a player's potential, not his average score, as is the common belief.

The frequency by which a player will play to their handicap is a function of that golfer's handicap, as low handicappers are statistically more consistent than higher handicappers.

The USGA refers to this as the "average best" method.

So in a large, handicapped competition, the golfer who shoots the best with respect to his abilities and the normal variations of the score should win.

While there are many variations in detail, handicap systems are generally based on calculating an individual player's playing ability from his recent history of rounds.

Fair

Therefore, a handicap is not fixed but is regularly adjusted to increases or decreases in a player's scoring.

This makes golf the one of a few sports where players of different abilities can compete on a fair playing field.

In the United States, handicaps are calculated using several variables: The player's scores, and the course difficulty from those rounds.

A golfer whose handicap is zero is called a "scratch golfer." 

It is possible to have a handicap below 0; these are referred to as 'plus' handicaps, and at the end of the round, a 'plus' handicap golfer must add his handicap to his score. A professional golfer effectively plays off scratch, but has no actual handicap.

In the United States each officially rated golf course is described by two numbers, the course rating and the slope rating.

The course rating of a particular course is a number generally between 67 and 77 that is used to measure the average "good score" by a scratch golfer on that course.

The slope rating of a particular course is a number between 55 and 155 that describes the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer (defined above) compared to a scratch golfer.

These two numbers are used to calculate a player's handicap differential, which is used to adjust a player's score in relation to par according to the slope and rating of the course.

A handicap index is then calculated using the average of the best 10 rounds of the player's past 20 total rounds.

No worries

Although only five rounds are necessary to get an index.

The handicap index is used with the course's slope rating to determine the golfer's course handicap according to the following formula: Course Handicap = Handicap index * Slope Rating / 113.

The course rating is not used to determine a course handicap. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number. Don’t worry there are tables or computers that do this for you. Your Handicap will vary depending on what course you play and what tees you go from, the longer the course typically the higher the handicap you will receive.

The course handicap is the number of strokes to be deducted from the golfer's gross score to determine the net score.

The slope rating is the USGA mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty for a bogey golfer compared to the course rating. Slope rating is computed from the difference between the bogey rating and the course rating. The lowest slope rating is 55 and the highest is 155. The average slope rating is 113.

Handicapping in the United Kingdom has a similar system with a "scratch score" system to rate courses and be fair to golfers of varying ability, and to make allowances that courses may play "easier" or "harder" than par, overall, to the amateur field.

For this reason, a "standard scratch score" (SSS) is used as a baseline for how the course plays in practice (e.g. an SSS lower than par indicates a course which golfers find slightly easier, and vice versa).

But the big difference in systems is that scores from tournaments are generally the only ones considered for handicap in the U.K., whereas the U.S. system uses all scores, in fact you get in trouble if you don’t enter all of your scores!

Although they can be done manually, computer software now must be used to calculate. In Bermuda the Bermuda Golf Association, runs the GHIN handicap system. It is not necessary to be a member of a club, and you can actually join the “BGA” and get a handicap!

If you want to find out what your handicap is, contact the BGA Scott Roy [email protected]

So there is no excuse if you play golf you should have a handicap. n

Paul Adams is the professional at Tucker’s Point Golf Course.