Determining a player’s handicap

A handicap is calculated with a specific arithmetic formula that says, approximately, how much worse than par a player should be able to play. The United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Academy of Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, specify slightly different ways to perform this calculation for players in North America and in the rest of the world, respectively. The details of these calculations are presented below.

A golfer’s net score is determined from his or her gross score (the number of strokes actually taken) by subtracting his or her handicap from the gross score. The net scores of all the competing golfers are compared and (generally) the lowest score wins.

A player’s handicap is intended to show a player’s potential, not their average score, as is the common belief. A player will play to their handicap less than 25% of the time. The USGA refers to this as the “average best” method. So in a large, handicapped competition, the golfer who shoots the best with respect to his or her abilities and the normal variations of the score should win.

While there are many variations in detail, handicap systems are generally based on calculating an individual player’s playing ability from his or her recent history of rounds. Therefore, a handicap is not fixed but is regularly adjusted to increases or decreases in a player’s scoring.

A golfer whose handicap is zero is called a “scratch golfer.” A golfer whose handicap is 18 is called a “bogey golfer.” It is possible to have a handicap below 0; these are referred to as ‘plus’ handicaps, and at the end of the round, a ‘plus’ handicap golfer must add his handicap to his score. A professional golfer plays off scratch, but has no actual handicap.

In the United States, handicaps are calculated using several variables: The player’s scores from his or her most recent rounds, and the course rating and slope from those rounds. A “handicap differential” is calculated from the scores, using the course slope and rating, and the player’s handicap differentials are used to calculate the player’s handicap.