i have often wondered how you get a golf handicap. how is it calculated?? i love watching golf but dont understand it when people say my golfing handicap is such and such.
Quite simply, handicap is how many strokes you should get to shoot par….
So, if say your handicap is 5 and par is 72, that means on average you are shooting around 77. It is more complicated than that, taking into account courses slope/rating, etc. But you just submit all your scores and after you have about 6 scores they calculate your handicap from average of scores.
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A handicap is calculated with a specific arithmetic formula that says, approximately, how much worse than par a player should be able to play. The United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, specify slightly different ways to perform this calculation for players in North America and in the rest of the world, respectively. The details of these calculations are presented below.
A golfer’s net score is determined from his or her gross score (the number of strokes actually taken) by subtracting his or her handicap from the gross score. The net scores of all the competing golfers are compared and (generally) the lowest score wins.
A player’s handicap is intended to show a player’s potential, not their average score, as is the common belief. A player will play to their handicap less than 25% of the time. 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 or her 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 or her recent history of rounds. Therefore, a handicap is not fixed but is regularly adjusted to increases or decreases in a player’s scoring.
A golfer whose handicap is zero is called a “scratch golfer.” A golfer whose handicap is 20 is called a “bogey 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 plays off scratch, but has no actual handicap.
In the United States, handicaps are calculated using several variables: The player’s scores from his or her most recent rounds, and the course rating and slope from those rounds. A “handicap differential” is calculated from the scores, using the course slope and rating, and the player’s handicap differentials are used to calculate the player’s handicap.
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Golf Handicap Calculation - Step 1
A minimum of five scores and a maximum of 20 is required to get started. For each score, the USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating for the courses played are also required. Using those figures, calculate the handicap differential for each round entered using this formula:
(Score - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating
For example, let’s say the score is 85, the course rating 72.2, the slope 131.
The formula would be (85 - 72.2) x 113 / 131.
This differential is calculated for each round entered.
Golf Handicap Calculation - Step 2
Figure out how many differentials are being used. Not every differential that results from Step 1 will be used in the next step. If only five rounds are entered, only the lowest differential will be used. If 20 rounds are entered, only the 10 lowest differentials are used.
Golf Handicap Calculation - Step 3
Get an average of the differentials used by adding them together and dividing by the number used (i.e., if five differentials are used, add them up and divide by five).
Multiply the result by .96 (96-percent). Drop all the digits after the tenths (do not round off) and the result is handicap index.
Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is the system put in place by the USGA to eliminate the effect of “distaster holes.” You know, that one hole per round where you put three balls in the water and then 5-putt. It’s also a way to combat those pernicious sandbaggers who intentionally blow up on a hole in order to raise their handicaps.
Equitable Stroke Control puts a limit on the number of strokes you can write down on the scorecard for any one hole, based on your course handicap. For example, on that one disaster hole you might have taken 14 strokes (get to the practice range, buddy!) to get the ball in the cup. But based on your course handicap, ESC might require you to post only a “7″ on the scorecard you turn in.
Taking the “14″ might throw your handicap index out of whack.
And remember, the handicap index is not meant to reflect your average score, it’s meant to reflect your best potential.
To determine the Equitable Stroke Control limits for your round, you must first know your course handicap. Once you’ve determined your course handicap, you can check the chart down below (which should also be available at golf courses) to determine the ESC limits.
Of course, if you have not yet established a handicap index, then you can’t determine a course handicap. And without a course handicap, you can’t determine ESC. But in order to established a handicap index, you must turn in adjusted gross scores, which requires knowing a course handicap. What gives?
Don’t worry, the USGA knows what to do. If you do not yet have a handicap index, then use the maximum allowable handicaps to determine course handicap and ESC. For men, that means using 36.4 as a handicap index, and for women, 40.4.