Golf handicap?

Question

iv been playing for about 2 months and ishot a 140 in my first tourney. when i was at the range today some old guy asked me for my handicap. what it is? explain what and how it works?

Answer 1

The true golf handicap for USGA purposes is based on the best 10 of the last 20 scores factored by the difficulty of the course( slope) and the course rating. Theoretically, any golfer can compete with any other based on handicap. Several competitions are " Net Tournaments" where the gross scores are reduced by the player's  handicap to determine winners.

Answer 2

there is a complicated formula to compute your exact handicap.  But basically, it is the average number of shots over par you shoot per round.  Example:

Score 90 on par 72 = handicap 18.

The formula takes into consideration the course slope and rating to compute exact numbers.  Handicaps do not exceed 36 so even with your 140 your handicap couldn't be a 68.

Answer 3

the handicap is mostly the diference between u and the course. Mostly the handicaps go from 0 to 36 (thats in my country maybe in ur change)...but the professionals ar all 0..some guys are less than 0 but are not proffessionals...

well the thing is like this: for example in a couse were u should do 72 if u do 72 shots ur handicap will be 0...but if u do 82 ur handicap will be 10..thats because u make 10 shots more thatn u should make... oe if u make 90 i will handicap 17.....but the handicap is give to u bye the average u have monthly in all the courses u play...

when u have ur handicap and u start to play with other persons theres other fact...each hole in all the courses have an advantage depending if is easy or harder.... the harder hole will be advantage 1 and the easyier will be advantage 18..

then if u are handicap 10 and u r playing with other persons u wil have points in the holes that their advantges are between 1 and 10, and so...but if u for example is handicap 20 u will have points in holes advantages 1 to 18 (all holes) and other extra point in the holes advantages 1 and 2...so the have 2 points in advantage 1 and 2 and one point in the rest of the holes....

thats how handicap use in golf¡¡¡¡

Answer 4

A handicap is NOT a scoring average, it's a scoring potential. If you click on the link below, there is a way to have your handicap calculated for you. You will need to have at least 5, 18 hole rounds.

Definition: "Handicap" refers to a numerical representation of a golfer's playing ability. The lower a golfer's handicap, the better the golfer is. A 2 handicapper is better than a 10 handicapper who is better than a 20 handicapper.

Handicaps are meant to represent a golfer's potential rather than simply be an average of a golfer's scores. For example, someone who averages 20-over-par likely won't have a handicap of 20; his handicap will likely be several strokes lower than 20 because of the way handicaps are calculated.

An official handicap - one that is established through the auspices of a USGA affiliated club - is called a "handicap index." To establish a handicap index, a golfer needs a minimum of his five most recent scores, plus the course rating and slope rating of the courses played.

Once a handicap index is established, it is then used to determine a course handicap.

Answer 5

Handicap is the average score of your rounds either nine holes or eighteen holes.

If you score 140, 100, 128, 119,and etc., the machine(handicap) will add up your score and then round it up to the average.

the average of the numbers up there would be,:::121.75

So, the machine would say, your handicap is almost 49

I got 49 by (121-72)

If you want the handicap system for yourself, you can go to any golf shop or proshop then ask for the membership.

they will give you GHIN number.

After that, you will need to have atleast 20 scores in the machine.

Hope it helped

Answer 6

Your Handicap is a factor that you will use inorder for you to compete fairly against a wide range of skill levels.

It is much more then a Average...it takes into account the courses you played while posting your scores, it takes into account that you may have "blown-up" on one hole and yet shot a great round the other 17 holes.....

If you are playing a 8 handicap and I am a seven handicap and we are compepting...I would have to give you one extra shot on the hardest hole on the course.  If I shoot a par round, and you shoot one over and that one over happened on the hardest hole...we tied.........

Answer 7

If you enjoy golf and are already hooked after 2 months, keeping track of your handicap will help you improve.

As earlier answers indicate, a true handicap is not simple math, but it basically takes your 10best game average score over 20 rounds against someone Else's best ten game average score.

I'm an average golfer and cheap.  I have found a free handicapper that gives me a close to official handicap.  You have to register for this free handicapper, but it is free.   http://www.golfhound.com/handicap.phtml

It also gives you a definition of handicap.

You may have to go to the handicap tab.

Answer 8

It's a way for people of differing skill levels to compete, if they desire.  A person with a high handicap (say 18) could "shoot" a 112 on an 18-hole course and his nominal "score" would be 94.  He could be playing against a better player (say with a handicap of only 5) who shoots a 100 on the same day, resulting in a score of 95, which means the better player "loses" on that particular day.