A golf handicap
is a guide to the standard of your golf game. It is
designed to represent the number of strokes per
round of golf that you would take over that of a
"scratch" (0 golf handicap) player.
What is a Official Golf Handicap
In the UK The Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU)
retain the copyright of the Golf Handicap Scheme.
The Council of National Golf Unions is made up of
representatives from the English Golf Union,
Scottish Golf Union, Welsh Golf Union and Golf Union
of Ireland. There is only one way to get an
‘official’ golf handicap and that is to join a Golf
Club affiliated to The Council of National Golf
Unions.
Why would I want a Golf Handicap
There are generally 3 reasons golfers want a
golf handicap from 4left.com. The first is to
consistently measure their standard of golf and
quantify any improvements in their golf game. The
second is to provide a fair and equitable
measurement to allocate shots when playing golf
against other golfers. ( You may find if you play
golf in a regular 4ball where no one knows their
golf handicap the same guy always wins the money).
The third is to provide a golf handicap certificate
sometimes required to play golf on a Golf
Course. For the latter I always recommend
faxing the golf handicap certificate to the
Golf Club and confirming it is acceptable
prior to booking your golf tee times.
How is a Golf Handicap calcuated
Firstly, the golf handicaps (1 - 28) are divided
into categories (you will see your category on your
4left golf handicap certificate)
The categories are
When you play a round of golf, take your gross
score (the number of stokes you have taken) and then
reduce your score on any hole where you took more
than a double bogey, to a double bogey (e.g. you
score 7 on a par 4, reduce it to 6) - this new score
is your gross adjusted score. Now deduct your
current playing golf handicap (as shown on your
4left golf handicap certificate) to give your net
score for the round.
Let's first assume your net score is above the par
for the golf course - this is where the categories
are first used. Each category has a buffer zone as
follows:
If the amount you are over is within the buffer for
your category, you will have no adjustment to your
golf handicap. If you are over by more than the
buffer, your golf handicap will increase by 0.1 -
note that exact golf handicaps can never increase by
more than 0.1 regardless of how badly you score .
Now let's look at what happens if your net is below
the par for the golf course. Again the categories
come into play as each has a multiplier as follows: