Handicap?

[caddyshackgolf]

Well I have been golfing for a few years now and no one has ever explained to me what a handicap is. What exactly is a handicap and how does it work. Also how do you get one and figure it out. I know thats quite a few qestions but I was wondering if someone could explain it to me.

Thanks,
Will

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I THINK it's the average over par you shoot. If you played a par 35 and got a 45, your handicap would be 10... I think.. But I'm with you, no one has ever explained it to me. I see some Par 5 signs with "Hndcp 17" on it. I don't know what the hell that's about...

 

[Kilted Arab]

Well I have been golfing for a few years now and no one has ever explained to me what a handicap is. What exactly is a handicap and how does it work. Also how do you get one and figure it out. I know thats quite a few qestions but I was wondering if someone could explain it to me.

Thanks,
Will

In simple terms...it is a figure which, when deducted from your gross score, will take that figure down to par for the course. i.e. if, on a par 72 course, you always shoot 100, your handicap will be 28.

There's more to it than that, but think of that as the basic idea.

The reason for handicaps is to create a level playing field. i.e. a 28 handicap can play a 4 handicap and still beat him if he performs better against his handicap than the 4.

 

[Kilted Arab]

I THINK it's the average over par you shoot. If you played a par 35 and got a 45, your handicap would be 10... I think.. But I'm with you, no one has ever explained it to me. I see some Par 5 signs with "Hndcp 17" on it. I don't know what the hell that's about...

I'm guessing that's the stroke index. Each hole on a course will be ranked in order of difficulty, eg Hole 1 may be 7 on the Stroke Index.

The idea of that is, for example, a 16 handicap is playing against an 8 handicap. In Matchplay the 16 handicap gets 8 strokes - and he will receive them on the 8 hardest holes on the course - i.e. holes with the Stroke Index 1 - 8.

 

[Avenged]

best 5 scores averaged out of like your last 10 rounds.

 

[mediaguru]

Here it is the best 10 out of your last 20 rounds, factoring in course rating and slope.

 

[caddyshackgolf]

Thanks guys for explaining that to me.

 

[goatster]

i would have to add that your handicap usualy is not 100%.our league uses a 75%handicap im not sure what the usga figure is.but theres also takes into account the course rating or slope not sure which.so at 1 course you may have a 10 handicap and at an easier course you might have an 9 handicap.

there are programs you can buy that will figure it out and there is also some web sites that you can enter your scores and info and they will give you a handicap probably simailar to a usga or maybe even a usga.

 

[P_102]

Handicap is done using a formula that involves your score, course rating, and slope. It will usually equal approx. 70-80% of your score minus par for the course. You can find all you need; formulas, hcp rules, etc. on the USGA website and set up a simple spreadsheet if you want to do it yourself. When just starting, you use your lowest score only until you have played 7 rounds, then it's your lowest 2. After that it's 3 after 9, 4 after 11...etc. until you are using the lowest 10 of the most recent 20 rounds you have played.

 

[cabinessence]

The nitty-gritty...

1) Do this calculation on your 20 latest rounds: (Score minus course rating) times slope divided by 113.
2) Average the ten lowest of those.
3) multiply by .96

That will be your handicap. When you play a round, your handicap will be adjusted according to its slope. 113 is "average", so if you play somewhere with a slope higher than that your handicap will rise slightly and vice versa. You can be expected to shoot around (and usually higher) than the course rating there plus the adjusted handicap.

Example:

You have a 15 handicap and play at a par 70 course with a 72.1 rating and 135 slope. Your handicap will adjust to 17 or so, and on an average day you will probably shoot somewhere around 88-92.

 

[P_102]

Correction.....


Formula is: ((score minus course rating)*113)/slope . Use this to get your avg. handicap and multiply by .96 for handicap index. When travelling to other courses, adjust by multiplying your handicap by their slope and dividing by 113.

Example: Score of 88 on a course rated 72 and slope is 125

((88-72)*113)/125 Handicap would be 14.464. Average your hcp's and multiply by .96. This gives you a hcp of 14 (14.054) When you travel to a different course, say an easy one w/ slope of 105, your handicap would adjust:
(14*105)/113 = 13

 

[cabinessence]

Oops, you're right, sorry!!

 

[Glenn70]

Yahoo has a free handicap tracker....

http://golf.sports.yahoo.com/tracker