Has the handicap limit for men always been 28 ? I have been told that prior to 1980 the maximum was 18.?

Question

Has the handicap limit for men always been 28 ? I have been told that prior to 1980 the maximum was 18.?

Answer 1

Until the handicap rules were standardized about 30 years ago, clubs (or counties) made up their own rules. Generally the handicap limit was 24 for normal match play games but for medal competitions no one could claim more than 18 strokes. A player with a handicap of, say 21, could enter the competition but he would have to play off 18. It was really broken field running. The R & A was only interested in the lower end of the spectrum and did not want to interfere with local club traditions. It was finally asked to do so because there was so much banditry going on in 'Open Day' competitions. It has been partially successful but it is difficult to really control a determined cheat.

Answer 2

The current maximum USGA handicap Index for men is 36.4. For women, it is 40.4.

The actual handicap applied at a specific course will depend on the slope rating of the course. For a slope rating higher than 113, the course handicap will be higher than 36.4.