Although in a sport like golf each player competes against themselves and their own skill, in tournaments it’s necessary for players to be grouped in some way so they can face opponents of their own level. Realistically, what fun would it be for a beginner to face a professional golfer? The only result would be that the better player would get bored and the worse player would end each match completely frustrated. To achieve this kind of “balance” among golfers, the famous handicap is used—a concept so often mentioned yet still difficult to grasp for those new to the sport.
So what is a handicap, and how does it work? A handicap is a number that indicates the average number of strokes a player needs to take on a specific course to complete the round. As we mentioned earlier, it’s basically used to level the playing field and follows a fairly simple rule: in a tournament where a player competes against others with lower handicaps, those players are allowed a greater number of strokes until the end of the round to even out the conditions. To give an example that’s easier to understand, it’s the same as if, in a track race, the runners with slower times started a few meters ahead of the faster runners.
Now that we know what a handicap is and what it’s for, it’s important to understand that there are several types of handicaps: for players, for the course, for the game, and for the different holes on a course.
How is a player’s handicap calculated?
A handicap is an average score that relates the number of extra strokes a player takes on a course to the “ideal” number of strokes that should be taken. In other words, the handicap is the difference between the golfer’s score and the course par. For example, if a player has a handicap of 28 on a par-72 course, it means they need 100 strokes to complete the round (100 would be the sum of 72 and 28). This player handicap is determined by the results they achieve in the competitions or tournaments they participate in and decreases as their score improves.
And how is the course handicap determined?
The course handicap can vary from match to match and is determined based on the official par of the course for each hole—which never changes—and the handicap agreed upon by the tournament organizers depending on the players’ category and weather conditions at the time of the match.
So how do the course handicap and the player’s handicap relate to each other? Before each round, both handicaps must be adjusted to obtain what is known as the “playing handicap.” The easiest way to determine this value is to consult the tables each club maintains for its courses. If, for any reason, this table cannot be consulted, the following equation must be used:
Playing Handicap = [(Player Handicap × Slope) / 113] – Course Rating – Course Par
*The course slope is the difference between the scores of a professional and those of an amateur on that course.
* The number 113 is the standard slope number worldwide.
I already know my playing handicap—how do I use it now?
Let’s say our playing handicap comes out to 25 strokes; this means we have a 25-stroke advantage to distribute across the 18 holes that typically make up a course. This distribution cannot be done arbitrarily, and the strokes cannot be saved to use on that one hole that always gives us trouble. The strokes must be applied strictly in the order of difficulty of the different holes, that is, following the hole handicap order, which goes from handicap 1—the easiest hole—to handicap 18—the most difficult hole.
Therefore, since we have been awarded 25 stroke advantages, we will use one stroke per hole—that is, 18—and we will use the remaining 7 on the holes with handicaps 1 through 7—so on those holes, instead of one stroke advantage, we can use two.
All these strokes and scores must be recorded on a scorecard, and all these results, after the tournament concludes, are sent to the Golf Federation, where the handicap obtained will be made official and updated after each tournament.
Although it may seem complex, after practicing a couple of times, the various concepts of the handicap are easily learned. In any case, it’s best to focus on enjoying the game and leave handicaps and scores in the background. Golf is a special and somewhat unique sport; it has many special rules and can sometimes be hard to understand, but it has some wonderful aspects that make it special. If you want to learn more about golf, check out our post explaining what a“golf baptism” is. Don’t miss out!
