If you know golf enthusiasts, it’s very likely you’ve heard them talk about handicap in golf, strokes, green, holes… But it’s also likely that if you’ve never played this sport before, all this could be quite confusing. So we will start with the basics.
We can say, in broad terms, that the handicap in golf is the rating of an amateur golf player’s level. But if you want to learn more about the golf handicap, it’s best if you keep reading.
What is the handicap in golf
The word ‘handicap’ comes from English and means disadvantage. But, why is it used in golf? The handicap in golf is understood as the disadvantage that amateur players have compared to professionals. Therefore, whenever we talk about handicap in the golf world, we refer to the number of strokes that an amateur player needs to complete a round compared to the established number of strokes (also named course par).
Let’s use an example to help visualize this explanation. The common thing is for a round of 18 holes to have 72 established strokes. That would be the number of strokes a player with a handicap of 0 should fulfill. A golfer with a handicap of 28, to meet his level, should complete the round in 100 strokes (72 of the course + 28 of their handicap). If they make more strokes, their handicap will increase, whereas if they’ve had a good day and completed the 18 holes in less than 100 strokes, their handicap will decrease.
This player rating is directly related to the course rating. This valuation is carried out by the national association responsible. In Spain, that would be the Royal Spanish Golf Federation. However, these ratings aren’t unchangeable and can be updated or change over the years. Some of today’s best golf courses in Spain weren’t always considered so.
How scoring works in golf
Just like in any other sport, points in golf serve to establish who wins a game. However, that’s not their only function. In golf, points also serve to set the personal handicap of each amateur player.
According to the score recorded during the game, the player that needed fewer strokes to hole the ball (meaning, get it in the hole) will be the game winner. Of course, it’s not that simple, and ‘how scoring works’ in golf is almost as complex as the sport itself.
The rules that govern scoring in golf also include situations where the player can’t usually play their ball: if they lost it and can’t find it, if it landed in a water hazard, if the ground conditions are poor or if the ball is dirty and doesn’t allow for optimal playing. Any of these four situations implies a penalty stroke for the player, meaning, it will be considered that the player needed an extra stroke to reach the hole.
Considering hypothetical scenarios such as these, the number of strokes that determine each hole’s difficulty in the course and the number of strokes the player made during the game are key to establishing the final score.
How does handicap work
If you’re not familiar with this sport, it’s possible that you still don’t know how the handicap works. You must know that most tournaments for amateurs are played in the Stableford Handicap modality, which means each player gets a score based on their golf handicap.
To obtain this score, it’s necessary to know the slope table of the course where the tournament is being played, as each one has their own, and it’s not the same in the golf courses in the Region of Murcia as in those located in Madrid or Cantabria. This table indicates how difficult the course is compared to the average and the playing handicap that corresponds to the player’s handicap, that is, the number of additional strokes granted so that they can finish the round.
Once the playing handicap for the course where the tournament will be played is obtained, meaning these additional strokes given to the player, these must be distributed over all the holes in the course. But before doing so, it’s necessary to know which are the hardest holes, so these additional strokes can be distributed appropriately.
The way to do it is to distribute points one by one, from the hole with handicap 1 to the hole with handicap 18 and, if there are extra strokes, start again at hole with handicap 1.
What handicap to start with in golf
If you want to know what handicap to start with in golf in Spain, the easiest is to calculate that you start with 2 added strokes for each hole. If you add two advantage strokes per hole, and there are 18 holes in a round, the figure usually used to start the golf handicap is 36 (18×2). As a player improves their game and records cards from their games, as well as participating in tournaments, it’s normal for this figure to decrease. Each player has a completely different handicap based on their results.
The first handicap is regulated by federations. The best way to calculate it is to compete in an official test. That way, the judges can confirm your results in the game. Once you have this first handicap, you’ll need the Royal Spanish Golf Federation to validate your player handicap.
What is the highest handicap in golf
According to the new World Handicap System in golf, whose implementation started in January of 2020, the maximum handicap has changed from 36 to 54 for all players.
The Royal Spanish Golf Federation made this change effective in Spain on June 8, 2020.
