How is a golf handicap calculated?

Question

Do you have to play in competitions? What is the maximum handicap for a male golfer in the UK? Can you reduce your handicap by playing a 9 hole course?

Answer 1

Hello Bandit

1. you do not have to play in competition to get a handicap
2. The max for a man is 36
3. Handicaps are based on 18 holes

The USGA records only the last 20 rounds you play and uses the lowest 10 scores from those rounds. You only get 96 % of the difference between par and your scores. The USGA computes this.

You can get a handicap by paying a small fee at most courses and input your scores into their computors, then you can have an official handicap.

It is an ongoing process of your scores rolling over after 20 rounds.

Leon

Answer 2

As others have written, calculating a handicap can be pretty complex. I play on a 9-hole golf league and they use a more simplified "un-official" handicap for competition within the league. It's not recognized or anything, but it works well within the league. Also, 9 hole rounds have handicaps that are half a typical 18 hole handicap.

We use (Average Score - Average Par) * 75%.
There's a golf website our league uses that can really help explain the calculations, both for a simplified formula or the more complicated USGA formula.

Go to http://www.imagolfer.com , click on the Demo button, and select League Secretary. You can then go to the View Scores menu and select By Round. Then click on any golfer's handicap.

A window will open with the scores and calculations that were used. This has been extremely helpful in proving to golfers that their handicap is correct each week, rather than manually calculate every time there's a question (which used to happen a lot).

I just checked the website and the Demo league was set for USGA so you'll be able to see the steps for calculating Handicap Differentials, then converting those (based on how many exist) to a Handicap Index, and then converting that to the Course Handicap based on the current course.

If someone changed it to the more "basic" league formula, you can change it back by clicking on the Setup menu, select Handicap Settings, then select USGA-Based calculations and click Save. Then just go back to the scores page and click on a golfer's handicap. Then you'll see the steps for USGA.

- Rich

Answer 3

Your handicap in golf is quite an official thing - you need to join a club and get them to recognise your normal score at their course. If that score is, say, 90, and the par for the course is 72, your handicap is the difference (90 - 72 = 18).

You can work out an unofficial handicap the same way.

In case you don't know much about this: if a hole is short (say under 250yards), it's called a par 3 (it should be completed within 3 shots by a professional). 250-500yds (roughly) = par 4; and anything bigger is a par 5. Adding all the 18 holes' pars together (say 10 par 4s, 4 par 3s and 4 par 5s) gives you the par of the course (par 72 in my example).

As for a UK maximum, I don't think you're allowed to use a handicap higher than 36 in any legitimate way. If you're playing a professional, with a 0 handicap, the most you can have deducted from each hole is 2 strokes (36 handicap).

Answer 4

In the UK Handicap is worked out reference to the standard scratch (SS) of each course SS varies depending on the difficulty of the course ie. you can have a par 69 course with a SS of 72 or the other way round. (9 hole courses are played twice.) SS can also vary on any given day depending on the average scores of the category 1 golfers playing in the comp.
Once a SS has been reached .1 (for Cat 1 players) .2 (Cat 2) .3 (Cat 3) and .4 for Cat 4 will be deducted from the handicap for each shot under SS.
So someone off 28 shooting 68 with a SS 72 will have 1.6 shots deducted and have a handicap of 26.4. a 2 handicapper shooting the same score will be off 1.6
I think Cat1 is scratch - 6, Cat2 6-12, Cat3 12-18 & 4 18-28. 28 is max in UK.
To get a handicap you put in 3 cards and the BEST score each hole are added up (to a maximum of 2 over par) and that is your first handicap. Hope that helps, but just play the best you can, never give up, buy the best equipment you can afford win everything in sight, till your handicap plataus and never win again same as the rest of us..

Answer 5

In the UK the maximum handicap is 36. This is the same in the U.S. it is governed by the PGA. Handicaps are calculated over a minimum of 10 18 hole rounds. They take into account couse rating, slope index, and score. After a certain handicap is reached, only scores that play to or under your handicap can be turned in. I'm a +6.

Answer 6

Handicaps are calculated based on your posted scores (for FULL rounds, not 9 holes) at various courses.
If the course's par is 71, and you shoot 90, your handicap is 19. Average that out over a bunch of rounds, and you get your handicap score. Some calculations take into account the slope rating of the course as well as another factor.
In the US, there is no "maximum" handicap, though I don't know about the UK.

Answer 7

Whoa! People have oversimplified the hadicap system. It's a bit complicated to explain in detail here but the USGA.COM web-site has very detailed analysis. It is NOT a simple calc. of your average "over par" on an 18 hole course, although most people try to calculate it this way. It takes into consideration the "slope" of the course. Since every course isn't the same, the slope rates the course for it's complexity and the calculation takes this into effect. My score of 85 may be impressive on a difficult course with tiered greens, lots of water,trees, hills and bunkers at 7200 yrds from the tees, but the same score is pathetic on a simple 6200 yrd course that's open and flat. Even though both courses have the same par 71, they are treated differently in recording your handicap. There's 30 pages of detail on the web site explaining this fact. Best to go to the source.

Answer 8

"A Handicap Index compares a player's scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty. A player posts scores along with the appropriate USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating to make up the scoring record. A Handicap Index is computed from no more than 20 scores plus any eligible tournament scores. It reflects the player's potential because it is based upon the best handicap differentials posted for a given number of rounds, ideally the best 10 of the last 20 rounds." Handicaps usually go to 36 at most clubs and for USGA events. A negative handicap indicates you are better than a scratch golfer because you are giving strokes to a scratch (par) golfer. Most pros carried negative handicaps in their days as amateur players.

Answer 9

First, handicaps are based on COURSE RATING not slope. Slope is a calculation that is used to let your handicap "travel" from one course to another. Course rating is the score that an "expert golfer" should shoot on a course. It takes into account hole length, difficulty of the greens and length of the course.

Handicap is based on your best ten of your last twenty scores. There is also a maximum score that you can take on any hole. This is called adjusted score. After your round you need to adjust your score. You then need to determine if this adjusted score is one of the best ten of your last twenty. If not it is discarded and your handicap remains the same. If it is, then take your best ten scores, add them together, divide by ten. Then you need to subtract the course rating. Then you need to multiply the result by .96. There is your handicap. EASY

Answer 10

these are good questions. I'll come back to see the answers you get. thanx

I think the guy above has over-simplified the calcs