What is a handicap...

The numerical measure of an amateur golfer's ability is known as a handicap. This is used to calculate the net score of the player form among the actual number of strokes played. This system allows players with varying proficiency to play against each other on an equal basis.

The administration of handicaps is done by national golf associations or golf clubs. The system of handicaps is complicated but to simply put they are calculated as the average over power from the ten best scores of the golfer's last twenty rounds which have been adjusted for course difficulty. Aren't you glad I didn't give you the complicated version?

The use of handicaps is not done in professional golf. Professional golfers follow the procedure for scoring several strokes below par for a round. However as is the common belief that a player's handicap is intended to show the average score but in actuality the handicap determines the player's potential.

The United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Academy of Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland gives the specifications to perform the calculations for the Handicap. A player plays to his handicap about 25% of the time.

Thus in a largely handicapped competition the golfer shooting the best with regards to his abilities and taking into account the normal variations of the score should win. The handicap of the player is not fixed but is adjusted according to his recent scores.

A golfer with a handicap of zero is called a scratch golfer and a golfer with a handicap of 18 is known as a bogey golfer. Professional golfers do not have any actual handicap and play off scratch. Handicaps can also exist below zero and are known as plus handicaps, a player with such a handicap must add his handicap to his score at the end of the round.

There are several variables to calculate the handicap in United States. They include the player's recent scores; course rating and slopes form those rounds.

The United Kingdom earlier had its scratch score in place in a bid to be fair to golfers of varying abilities, so that there could be courses that could play easier or harder than their par overall to the amateur field. Thus the Standard Scratch Score was put in place. Similar to this is now followed the CSS or the Competition Scratch Score. The basic principle remains the same the only difference is that this describes how easy or difficult was the course during a competition.

Players with handicap of 5 or below 5 are classified under the Division 1 and players with a higher handicap are put under Division 2, 3 or 4. If the score of any golfer under Division 1 is less than the CSS then his handicap is reduced by 0.1. Similarly for the golfers of Division 2 the reduction will be 0.2 and so on and so forth.

However amateur golfers are provided with a buffer zone to protect their handicap on off days.

The term course handicap is drawn as a result of course rating in addition to slope rating. The player's handicap and the course rating and slope rating are used in the calculation of a handicap index. This handicap index's comparison to the rating of the slope you are playing and the average slope of 113 is the figure that determines the number of strokes by you on different holes.

So calculating your course handicap can be easy if you know your handicap index and the slope rating of the slope which you are playing.