# How do you find out your handicap??



## callawaygolf1 (Nov 24, 2006)

I was wondering how you find out your handicap.
Well your here you might as well tell me what yours is too.


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

If you are a member of a club, you have to play in 3 qualifying competitions, usually medal play only.

After you hand in 3 cards, they work out your average score over the three rounds and adjust it slightly in accordance with the standard scratch score (SS), and voila! you have your handicap.

If you are not a member of a club and just want a benchmark to see how much you will improve.

Play 3 times on a par 72 (can be 70 or 69 whatever as long as all 3 are on the same par course), and keeping a record each time you play for the next 3 times you can work out on average how many shots over par you are. This would be your handicap.

i.e. par 72

Monday - shot 95

Tuesday - shot 91

Wednesday shot 97

So in total you had 283 strokes.

Par would have been - 216.

283 - 216 = 67

67 / 3 = 22.3 handicap

Hope this helps.

At the moment I am playing off 14, and not playing nicely at all. The joys of golf!


----------



## JPsuff (Jan 9, 2007)

.



Not quite.


Handicaps are calculated using a formula which involves your scores, the course rating and the slope rating of that course. The formula is this:

(Score - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating

For example, let's say the score is 85, the course rating 72.2, the slope 131.

The formula would be (85 - 72.2) x 113 / 131.

Your handicap would be 11.04

This is your *Handicap Differential*.

To figure a *Handicap Index*, you'll need to compile a number of scores and depending on how many scores are used, a certain number of differentials will be calculated. 

If only five rounds are entered, only the lowest differential will be used. If 20 rounds are entered, only the 10 lowest differentials are used.

Get an average of the *differentials* used by adding them together and dividing by the number used (i.e., if five differentials are used, add them up and divide by five). 
Multiply the result by .96 (96-percent). Drop all the digits after the tenths (do not round off) and the result is handicap index.

So let's say that a golfer played 20 rounds at the course above and his average handicap differential, (for the lowest 10 rounds), was, say, 10.85.

10.85 x .96 = 10.416. Rounded to the nearest tenth his handicap *Index* would be 10.4.


Naturally, if you figure this all out yourself, it will not be valid for use as a handicap index in USGA sanctioned events or other events requiring a certified USGA handicap.

To get a USGA handicap index, you either drop your scores off at the pro shop at your regular course, (as is customary at most golf courses), or join a golf club that will keep your scores. Your scores will be noted, your differentials calculated and averaged and your official USGA Handicap Index will be established.


Mine is 3.7

-JP


----------



## MyGolfHQ (Jan 8, 2007)

JPStuff is correct. It isn't as simple as just your average strokes over par. You also have to take into account how hard the course is. 

If you want an "official" USGA handicap, you'll need to spend about $25 at your course and they should be able to set you up. If you are interested in getting one for free just to see how you are doing, you can use my site. It uses the USGA handicap formula to calculate everything just like the official one does. However, if you ever want to use your handicap for official events, you'll want the one at your course. Hope that helps.

See the link in my signature if you want the free one.

Oh, you wanted to know what our handicap is. I'm currently a 3.3.


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

We dont have slope ratings in the uk, courses are not certified for how hard they are.


----------



## JPsuff (Jan 9, 2007)

.


I didn't know that.

Do you have course ratings?


I thoght the USGA and the R&A standardized everything years ago.



Live and learn.





-JP


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Not as far as I am aware, I am active in tournaments, club to club and internal, and nothing of the sort has cropped up as yet.

I would imagine that this is something that will come in as the R&A are updating the rules sometime this year.


----------

