When two golfers with different skill levels play against each other, a golf handicap is used to make them competitive despite their differences in skill levels. What this means is that better golfers can play against average golfers and both will still have an equal opportunity to win.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) developed the formula for calculating every golfer's handicap, but it cannot assign handicaps to every golfer, so the Association will license a "golf club" in a golf course, and that course will utilize the USGA formula to calculate a golfer's handicap.
In order for you to get a handicap, you need to first play 20 rounds of golf and give each one of your scores to the golf course so it can calculate your handicap. You still need to turn in your scores even after the course has calculated your handicap, so it can maintain your handicap.
The formula used to calculate a golf handicap is complicated, which is why the USGA licenses courses before they can perform this task. If you want to approximate an unofficial handicap, there are several websites that have handicap calculators you can use.
In calculating a player's handicap, the first thing the course takes into account is the golfer's raw scores for the 20 rounds. Once the 20 raw scores are provided, the course translates them into adjusted scores, which are the total scores after applying Equitable Stroke Control (ESC). The ESC caps the maximum score a golfer can receive on each hole. Once this is established, the golf club calculates a Handicap Differential for the adjusted score. The Handicap Differential is the difference between the course difficulty, which the USGA assigned to that specific course, and the adjusted score.
These 20 differentials are then inserted into a Handicap Index calculator by the licensed golf club and a handicap is established. Once the golf club has a Handicap Index for one golfer, it can easily establish the handicap for each golfer, no matter what course he plays. This is why golfers who play multiple courses take all their scores, along with the score card that shows the slope and rating of the course they played on, to the licensed golf course.
The way handicaps work can be confusing. Each golf course's score card lists its holes, but the card also ranks each hole from the most difficult to the easiest. An example of this is when a number 1 is placed next to the most difficult hole; a number 2 is placed beside the second-most-difficult hole; and so on until the easiest hole, which will have a number 18 placed beside it.
A 10 handicap golfer playing against a golfer who has a zero handicap (otherwise called a "scratch" golfer) will receive one stroke on each of the 10 most difficult holes. A golfer with a 20 handicap playing against a scratch golfer will receive one extra stroke on all 18 holes, as well as one extra stroke on the two most difficult holes.
The golf handicap not only makes the game fairer and more fun to play, it allows golfers of different skill levels to play against one another and still be competitive. This is one of the reasons why golf has become a very popular sport to play: anyone can play against anyone else, and with the establishment of a handicap, even a less-experienced golfer can win some tournaments.
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