When you first start playing golf, you’ll likely either start by playing nine holes with your buddies or hitting a few balls at the driving range. As you begin to improve your skill set, you’ll begin tracking your performance and playing 18 holes. The best way for someone new to golf to improve their game is by using a beginner golf handicap. But what is a good beginner golf handicap?
The lower the handicap, the better it’ll be for you. It provides an equalizer for you no matter what competition level you’re playing against. Also, you’ll always have something to aim for.
What is a Good Handicap in Golf?
You may be wondering, what does handicap mean in golf? A golf handicap is the measurement of a player’s current ability over a golf round. This comes out to a score, where the lower your score, the better your skill level is.
But what is a good golf handicap? When determining an average handicap for beginner golfer, you can expect around 30 or higher. For golfers that commit to playing golf a few times per month, you can easily bring down your handicap score to 20 or below within a year. Golf requires patience to succeed.
But what is a good golf score? Well, the average score for 18 holes is about 100. This means anything below a 100 will indicate a good golf score. This number indicates the number of strokes it takes to finish the 18-hole golf course.
One way to lower your golf handicap is to spend most of your time working on your short game. Your handicap will improve when you learn how to chip and putt.
How Do You Calculate a Golf Handicap?
Most people often confused by the topic of a golf handicap. The easiest way to explain how the golf handicap works is to predict how many over par that you will most likely shoot. For instance, a 25 handicap score means that you will most likely score about a 97 on a par 72 course. The way it’s calculated is that you will take your gross score and minus the handicap number to get your net score.
This helps you get an idea of what the handicap number means. But it’s not quite that simple. The handicap number is designed to show a golfer their potential, not their average golf score. The handicap calculation will consider your last 20 rounds of golf play and only calculate the average of your best eight scores. The average of your best eight scores will then become your handicap number. If you have a five handicap score, that means you shoot five over par on average 40% of the time or 8 out of 20 times. This is the reason why golfers believe their handicap number is too low.
The handicap score also considers the difficulty of the golf course that you’re playing on. Some golf courses will be much more difficult than others. However, the handicap number will factor into your score. All courses have a course rating used to figure out how many under or over par that you shot. For example, you could play a par 72 course with a difficulty rating of 74 or something less challenging with 69. This rating is accounted for when determining your score. The course rating can be found on your scorecard.
And There’s More . . .
It gets even more complex. The handicap score will also factor in the slope rating. The slope rating will consider the variances of the different slopes in the golf course.
There are also a few terms to keep in mind. “Scratch” means that the golfer has a zero handicap, and they shoot about an even par 40% of the time. “Plus” means that they typically shoot under par.
The handicap can be confusing depending on the place you live. The criteria change depending on the country you are playing in. However, organizations such as The Royal and Ancient and the United States Golf Association have created a new World Handicap System. This system has a process for introducing a global standard for creating a handicap.
How Can You Acquire a Golf Handicap?
The simplest way to acquire a golf handicap is to register yourself through country clubs and local golf clubs. You will be entered into their systems, and the scores of your games will begin posting immediately. It’s best to post all of your scores to ensure that your handicap will be accurate. It is as simple as posting your scores on a phone app.
There are also online options to get your handicap as well. However, just make sure that the R&A or USGA is managing it for credibility. These are the two major organizations that manage golf.
How To Use a Golf Handicap
You can utilize your golf handicap in many ways. A handicap is best utilized for a golfer to track their game and see if they are improving over time. Since the calculation factors your last twenty scores, you’ll be able to see how your performance is trending.
Handicap scores are an excellent way to place side wagers with your friends. This system will create a level playing field since it can adjust to your playing difficulty.
Lastly, you can compete in net tournaments. Usually, most golf tournaments are played in gross scores, meaning without handicaps. But handicaps are a great way to compete with your friends who are on different skill levels. For example, if you shoot 88 and you have a 20 handicap. That means your net score will be 68.