How do you calculate strokes in this situation?

Question

I'm a 7.6 handicap and will be playing an 18 handicap. Do i give him 11 strokes or 10? Does the slope of the course have anything to do with handicaps between players? I always thought it was just for calculating the individuals handicap on the course.

Just some notes: We will both be playing the course "strait up", meaning we won't be taking our handicap strokes on any holes in the round but we'll still be playing each other per hole. I never used the handicapping system before and i'm just a little unsure how it all works when it comes to playing other people. I only really have a handicap for tournament flight play.

Answer 1

Your handicap is not 7.6.  That is your handicap index.  Using the course chart for the course you are playing find out what your handicap is (a 7.6 index is probably a 9 handicap).  So in that case you give him 9 shots (his 18 less your nine).  So on the holes with the handicap assignments 1 through 9 he gets a shot.  If he makes a five and gets a shot he cards a four.  You have to make a four to tie him or a 3 to beat him on that hole.  When you have won more holes than there are remaining holes to play the match is over.

The slope of the course determines what handicap you get from your index.  If it has a high slope then a 7.6 index might be a 9 or 10 handicap.  If it has a low slope then a 7.6 index might only be a 6 or 7 handicap.

Answer 2

As far as I know you play regular and at the end of the game you take 7.6 points off your score and he takes 18 off of his. By the way, i'm not sure how you have a .6. I thought they were whole numbers, but whatever. The slope is just to find your handicap.

Answer 3

Somewhere near the pro shop, they'll have a sheet called "course handicap converter".  It will show you what your course handicap is, as well as your opponent's.  It will round up/down based on what the converter shows.

If the differential is, say, 11 strokes...then on the hcp holes 1-11, your opponent gets a stroke on each hole.

Easy peasy.

Answer 4

Your 7.6 is a "Stroke Index". It is NOT a "course handicap". You need to convert it to the "course handicap" for the course you are playing. Then, use that to determine how many strokes to give.

At every course, there should be a chart showing what your handicap should be on that course, given your "index". This chart uses the slope rating of the course to establish the 'course handicap' you will use.

You can calculate your course handicap from your index as follows:

(Index * slope) / 113

For instance, my home course has a slope rating of 122. Your course handicaps would be:

(7.6 * 122) / 113 = 8.2, round to 8

(18 * 122) / 113 = 19.4. round to 19

Answer 5

Confusion reigns in the handicap arena. If both handicaps have been established on the same golf course, slope has already been factored into the formula. Your 7.6 is rounded up to 8 making a differential of 10. You don't play a person straight up unless you are playing a gross score reduced by the current handicap to arrive at a net score. Ordinarily handicaps are used in match play ( hole per hole competition ) . The differential indicates the number of strokes you must give your opponent .Each of the holes is rated for difficulty but factored with one nine carrying the odd numbers  while the other has the even numbers. The opponent would get 5 strokes per nine on the 5 most difficult holes of that nine. If you both score par on a handicap hole, his stroke reduced his number by 1  so you lose the hole, If he scores 5 and you score 4 and he gets a stroke, his score is reduced to a net 4 and the hole is all square. Refer to your score card and you will see a line entitled " handicap " or  " SI ". This indicates the difficulty of each hole of the nine. Some courses like ours  have altered the stroke hole if # 18 is the hardest on the back nine by shifting it to an interior even numbered hole so the stroke will have significance in a match.

Answer 6

www.ghin.com is a great resource for handicap questions.  Your index of 7.6 is not your course handicap.  You use the index of 7.6 to determine your handicap on the course you are playing and the sets of tees you will be playing.  A 7.6 index would roughly be a 9 handicap. The web site has a course handicap calculator where you can find the course and input your index.  Your friends 18,  if it is his index, would rougly translate to a 21 - 22 handicap, but if he is saying his handicap is 18, then his index is probably between 15 and 16.

This is all a moot point if you are playing straight up.  Then no strokes are involved and you should beat him handily by at least 8 to 10 shots if you both shoot your "handicaps" .

Answer 7

If you are playing stroke play, then you should give him the difference between your handicaps (adjusted for the course you will be playing).

If you are playing skins or any other format, 80% of the handicap is given on a hole by hole basis.  

For example, you might give your friend a stroke on the 6 hardest holes(preditermined on the scorecard by the course).