What is a handicap in golf and how is it calculated?
What is a handicap and how is it calculated?
Golf is a very popular sport played by approximately over 60 million people across the world. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned pro, you will have come across the term golf handicap, however it can be a bit of a mystery as to what it is for those of us that aren’t professionals. In this blog answer the highly asked questions of what a golf handicap is, how it’s calculated and if you need one.
What is a golf handicap?
A golf handicap is a numerical score that is a measure of a golfer’s ability. Golf handicaps allow for an even playing field in competitions, where all skill levels can compete against each other taking the handicap into consideration to make the scoring fair.
A golf handicap is a representation of how many strokes above or below the course par the golfer is expected to play. A higher score equates to being able to subtract more strokes from the final score to calculate the net score, a lower score demonstrates a more skilled golfer who’d be expected to have a lower net score.
There are not many sports that allow for such a fair level of play, therefore making golf a unique sport that consistently attracts beginners to pick up a club and start playing.
How is a golf handicap calculated?
Calculating a golf handicap is a done by completing a mathematical formula, but don’t worry you don’t have to do this manually! In the UK the handicap system is governed by the English Golf Union (EGU) and based on the World Handicap System (WHS). The calculation takes into account recent scores, the difficulty of the golf courses completed and even down to the tees used.
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Calculating a golf handicap takes into account the following points:
- Handicap Index – An average of the most recent 20 scores
- Course rating – The expected score of a novice player on the course
- Slope Rating – The expected score for a bogey golfer (who consistently averages a score of one stroke over par)
- Score Differential – the difference between the golfer’s score and the course rating
If you’re looking to calculate your golf handicap for the first time, take a look at the information available on the England Golf website or download their app.
Should everyone have a golf handicap?
If you play purely for fun and don’t compete you do not need a handicap. However, if you don’t compete but want to be able to see your progress, knowing and tracking your golf handicap is an ideal way to do this.
If you’ve recently started out playing golf but your aim is to compete, a handicap is a requirement for competitions.
In summary, although it might feel like a minefield when starting out, it’s not as difficult as it may seem to get your handicap score as it can be calculated for you on an app. A handicap is not essential for playing golf as a hobby but can be a useful marker to track your own progress and is a non-negotiable for competing.
