GHIN: An In-Depth examination of how a Golf Handicap works

There are many golfers out there who don’t understand what a handicap is. So if you are playing in a work event, just play occasionally, or finally want to admit that you don’t quite understand it, worry no more. I’m here to help.

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The whole concept can be a bit of a daunting thing. “What do you mean he’s a 7 handicap and that other guy is a 14, while I’m a 22?” Those numbers might not make sense to you, especially when people start talking about slope and what tees you are playing from.

Yes, there is a lot that goes into a handicap, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to understand it.

First, let’s get into how it’s calculated. There is a course rating, which talks about how hard the course would be for a “scratch” golfer. The term scratch is for someone who should shoot par for a course, or be a Zero Handicap. If it is a par 72 and has a course rating of 70, it should mean that a golfer who shoots par normally would shoot two under. If a course rating was 75, they would shoot three over.

Then, there is the slope. This is more angeled towards the average golfer and helps determine the original reason you came here in the first place, your handicap, or GHIN (Golf Handicap and Information Network). Although these can be important once you are more familiar with handicaps, don’t worry about them for now.

Now, a handicap. This is the average of your eight best scores over the last twenty rounds that you have played. That number will be used for matching you up against other players and assist in figuring out who wins. Someone who is an 8 handicap will almost always beat a 22 handicap if you arent using the handicap. Applying those numbers is supposed to make it even, and it does a great job.

Here’s an example. If I am an 8, and my dad is a 24, then I should beat him by about 16 strokes. In fact, I’ve never lost straight up to him. I rarely shoot over 90, and I don’t think he has ever broken 90. If we apply the 16 shots to the final score, it makes it a lot closer. His 95 turns into a 79, which would beat my 82.

Take another example. You enter into a tournament for work or charity. Most people haven’t played, and get a handicap of 54, which is the maximum allowed. This means they get three shots per hole. They could have an occasional good hole, in which they scored a double bogey. Still two shots over par. However, because of their handicap, they get three shots off, which turns it into a birdie. Congratulations!

Essentially, a golf handicap is a way to take the game and make it equal for those that are playing, placing all of the competitors on a level playing field to increase the amount of competition available. Handicaps aren’t always used but they can be implemented into a majority of events to draw a larger crowd and make it more attractive to the general public.

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I hope it makes a bit more sense. As you can see, there is a lot that goes into it. That doesn’t mean that figuring out your handicap, or what it means, has to be difficult. Now get out there and play some golf, even if it is with someone who might shoot 40 shots better than you on average. Now that you know how it works, you just have to keep it within 40 shots and you’ll beat them, at least with a handicap applied.

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