What is a Golf Handicap?
The golf handicap is the USGA and R&A’s system for balancing all skill levels so that players can play against each other equitably.
Most systems require you to post at least five scores to get a “handicap trend” and 20 scores to have an “official handicap.” When you post a score, the system takes into consideration the course rating for the tee box you played and the slope rating.
The course rating # is estimated by an official crew who come to the course and assess what they think a true scratch golfer would score on the course for that particular tee box. The slope rating is a formula that is based on the variance of scores between a scratch golf and a high handicap golfer. A high slope usually indicates lots of bunkers, water hazards, high rough, and out of bounds for a particular course, like Pebble Beach.
For example, if the course rating is 72 for the tee box at the course you play, that means the committee believes that a scratch golfer will average that number of strokes over 18 holes. If the slope rating is high, for example in the 140’s, that means a scratch golfer will still shoot around the course rating number, but a high handicapper would score much higher than their handicap.
The Controversy of the Handicap System
When I was a golf professional at a private golf club, the handicap system was sometimes a point of contention.
For example, when a player playing the back tees had a handicap match against another player from a forward tee. These players in essence were playing two different golf courses with two different course ratings! So, the player playing the easier golf course had to have their handicap adjusted to make the match equal. This situation was a recipe for disaster, but very equitable! The player playing the more forward tee had to have their handicap reduced by the difference of the course rating.
For example, if the player from the forward tee was playing a tee with a course rating of 65 and the their competitor was playing a tee with a course rating of 72, the player playing the forward tee would have to have their handicap reduced by 7 shots. So, if a 7 handicap from the forward tees was playing a 0 handicap from the back tees, both players would become 0 handicaps and the match would be played with no handicap strokes for either player. The slope rating is not considered when adjusting strokes for a match, only when you input your scores to the handicap system.
I have seen my share of upset players who are having their handicap deducted, but from my experience, this system has provided some very competitive matches over my career and I applaud the USGA and R&A for their effort in making competitions involving handicaps as equitable as possible.
Of course, players still have to have honesty and integrity in posting all of their scores, even their career best, and players that witness these rounds and lose money to these rounds should do their part in making sure that those players scores are posted in the system!
Are you Ready to Get Serious about your Golf Handicap?
I hope this helps clarify a very difficult system that will more than likely never make a golf pro’s life easy explaining. Take my advice, go get a lesson from your local golf professional or schedule a Zoom lesson with me and make one of the hardest games on this planet a touch easier!
