A golf handicap measures the skill of a player over the course of a golf round, indicated by a number. The lower that number is, the more skilled the player is. A player with a handicap of three, for example, will be much more skilled than a player with a handicap of 17. Your handicap essentially measures how far over par you should be on any given course.
What Is the Purpose of a Golf Handicap?
Golf is difficult — so difficult that its rulemakers created a handicap to help players out on the course. It’s also a sport that has so many varying levels of talent — one day you may be playing with someone who has never been on a course, and another day you may be playing with someone who has been taking lessons since they could hold a club.
The handicap offers a way to bridge that gap of talent between players, creating a fair way to engage in competition with one another on the course.
How Does a Handicap Work?
Your golf handicap can work in a few different ways. If you’re playing against the course, you can simply play your round and then subtract your handicap from your total score. If that brings you down to even par for the round, then you’ve played your handicap correctly.
If you’re competing against someone else, then your handicap can help you make the game more even. Let’s say you have a 10 handicap and your friend has a five handicap. In that case, your friend is giving you five strokes during the course of the round.
There are two different ways you can split these strokes up during the round. If you’re playing stroke play, then your friend can just add five strokes to his total score. For match play, you’ll stroke on the top five handicap holes, meaning if your friend gets par and you do too, you’ll still win the hole.
How Do You Get a Handicap?
If you’re serious about your golf game, it’s very important you get a handicap. This will allow you to gain valuable insights into your game and also let other people know what your skill level is. Next time someone asks, “how good are you?”, you won’t have to shrug your shoulders — you’ll have an actual number to tell them exactly how good (or bad) you really are.
Attaining a golf handicap involves a few different steps.
1. Register
The first thing you’ll want to do when getting a handicap is to register with a local golf club or sign up online with USGA. This will allow you to make your handicap legitimate and enter scores online. Most golf courses, both public and private, are authorized. Some may require small fees to register.
2. Play and Submit Your Scores
After you’ve registered, it’s time to play. The USGA requires you to play at least 54 holes — five rounds — to get a handicap index. These scores can be taken from full 18-hole rounds or a complete round of nine holes. Keep in mind a few key strategies while you golf.
Don’t Cheat
As you play, make sure you’re being accurate and avoiding any cheating. When you hit it in the water, take the penalty. No gimmes — even if you rim out that one-footer, you must count it.
Cheating will only hurt you in the long run, as you’ll receive an inaccurate handicap and likely fare worse against your opponents. Instead, play focused and freely and be sure to record all your scores.
Get a Partner
To make the handicap legitimate, you’ll also need a partner to ensure that you aren’t doing any funny business on the course. At the end of the round, you’ll both sign the scorecard to signify that it’s accurate.
Make sure you’re finding a good partner — a friend, family member, a friendly competitor — so that you can have fun, stay relaxed and have an agreeable partner to keep you accountable and help you keep score. If you can find someone who is also looking to get a handicap, this could be a perfect match.
You both could golf with the aim of finding your handicap.
Don’t Count Too Many Strokes
Even though you shouldn’t cheat, you also shouldn’t count an outlier hole that disrupted your entire round. We’ve all experienced that disastrous experience on a hole where we find the water twice, duff a chip and four-putt on the green. Although it happens, this likely doesn’t encapsulate our full golf game.
The USGA acknowledges this and lets players take the course maximum instead of writing a 20 down on the scorecard. Wipe that sweat from your brow, take a deep breath and head to the next hole — you’re still alive.
3. Calculate
When you’ve got 54 or more rounds under your belt, you can jump into calculations. Unless you’re looking forward to some complicated mathematics involving course ratings and slope, there are some online tools you can use that can make the process easier.
Handicap Ranges
After you get your handicap, you may be curious about where you stand regarding other golfers. The highest handicap a male golfer can have is 36, while a female golfer can have as high as 40. No handicap can pass zero — otherwise it wouldn’t be a handicap.
Here is a breakdown of the various ranges of handicaps.
40-30 – Beginner
The higher end of a handicap will usually be reserved for those golfers who are just starting out or who have rarely played the game. Getting a handicap at this level is actually highly beneficial — it means you can start working on your game, compete against others and fit your talent to difficult courses.
Most people assume they should wait until they get good at golf and then get a handicap, but this just acts as a hindrance to their improvement. Get a handicap early on in your golf journey to start reaping the benefits.
30-20 – Amateur
The 30-20 range is for golfers who have evolved above the beginner level and have some skill on the course. There is certainly room for improvement, but this amateur range is somewhere where many Sunday golfers stand.
20-10 – Average
Most golfers fall in this handicap range. If you’re around the 15 range, you’re probably consistently breaking 90, which is a great place to be in.
10-5 – Good
This is a good range to be in. You definitely have a great feel for the game, although one aspect of your game may be lacking a bit. This is a handicap to be proud of.
5-0 Great
In this range, you can consider yourself a great golfer. If you have a 0 handicap, you’re probably considered a scratch golfer and are pretty good at all aspects of the game. You may even be a pro.
What Is a Good Handicap?
If you’re somewhere around the 15 handicap range and consistently breaking 90, this is usually considered a “good” handicap. This is a pretty subjective topic, however, and what you may consider a good handicap may be mediocre or excellent for others. Keep in mind that there’s always room for improvement — even if you’re a scratch golfer.
Benefits of Having a Golf Handicap
A lot of people don’t bother with a golf handicap because they find the process too taxing or don’t see the advantages of having one. If you’re just a casual golfer who plays once in a while for the fun of it, you may not need a golf handicap.
But if you’re looking to improve your game, a golf handicap is essential. Here are some reasons why you should think about getting a golf handicap.
Know Your Skill Level
With a handicap, you’ll know where you stand regarding your skill level in relation to others. This means you’ll be able to set goals, see where the average lies and see if you break apart from the pack. Simply knowing that handicap can do wonders for your golf game — it can motivate you to become better and make you more aware of the value of each individual shot.
Compete Against Others
With a handicap, you can make matches more fair and more fun for everyone involved. If you’re facing a very talented individual, you can both push each other to become better on even terms instead of your opponent blowing you away. If you’re facing someone who’s new to the game, they’ll still have an even shot to win. It makes the competition fun and allows you a legitimate measurement to balance the game.
Learn About Your Game
Golf handicaps are extremely insightful. Golf is all about gaining those insights into your game and seeing what you can improve upon. Without identifying issues, it will be hard to improve. Your handicap is a vehicle for which you can start striving towards advancement in your game.
Enter Tournaments
You’ll need a handicap to enter official tournaments. If you’re looking to compete, make sure you get the handicap as soon as possible.
As you enter the game of golf, you’ll notice that having a handicap will benefit you in many different ways — allowing you to communicate your skill to others, understand how to improve and motivate you to get better.
How to Get a Better Handicap
If you figure out your handicap and are disappointed in the result, don’t worry — there are plenty of ways you can start to improve.
Play More
The easiest way to get a better handicap is to play more golf. Most people want to get better but they simply aren’t out on the course enough. Commit to playing at least a few times a week to start to get a feel for your golf swing.
Be Competitive
It’s fun to go out with your friends and play friendly golf. If you’re looking to seriously improve, however, playing competitive matches is one of the best ways to get better. It forces you to take every shot seriously and also puts some pressure on your game, which will be very beneficial.
Take Lessons
If you really want to become a better golfer, there’s no better way than to start taking lessons. A good teacher can dramatically improve your golf game with just a few simple lessons.