Golf Handicap Guide

Why I am writing this

I’ve been playing golf for a few years now and the handicap system seems to be a mystery by most amateur golfers I talk to. Specifically filthy casuals, like myself. I had to search through multiple sources telling me different things and what certain numbers mean. So, I’m just going to put all this information here. Cross posted from my substack

What inspired me was wanting to play at Sentosa Golf course in Singapore during a work trip. One of their requirements was you needed a registered USGA handicap of 36.6. While 36.6 is actually a very generous requirement (most consistent players are well under this), it acts as a “vibe check.” It weeds out golfers who aren’t committed to the rules or pace of play. Nonetheless the requirement exists so I figured I should learn more about this.

TL;DR: Your Handicap Index is the average of your 8 lowest score differentials out of your last 20 rounds. It represents your potential, not your average score.

Sentosa Golf Club Handicap Requirement on their form

What is a Handicap (HCP) anyway?

If you’ve ever played Chess or a competitive video game, it’s basically your ELO or Rank. The difference is that is runs on an honor system for non-professional golfers. Meaning you write your own score to calculate your handicap (usually in an App like 18birdies). A “Registered USGA Handicap” usually requires a small fee via a local club or the GHIN app to be “official”. Your golf handicap index is basically your “potential”, which is why you calculate your 8 best scores and average them. It also helps keep the game competitive among all skill levels. How is it used?

1. Certain courses / tournaments will ask for you handicap number to allow you to play, or to score you properly during a tournament.
2. Fairness: It allows a weekend warrior to play a “fair” match against a scratch golfer. The winner is whoever played better relative to their own ability.
3. Gauge how well you are performing relative to the expected difficulty of the course. It’s good feedback to assess whether you are performing well, average, or poorly. For me its usually the latter.
4. Your rating adjusts based on course difficulty.

Terms you should know first

Bogey Golfer = Someone who typically shoots 1 over par in each hole. Their handicap is usually 17.5–26. Their average score per round is usually ~88–95. Consider this your average golfer who plays this sport consistently.

Scratch Golfer = Someone with a handicap of zero (0.0) or better. Highly skilled, consistent players capable of shooting par or better on any rated course, regardless of difficulty. Their average score is usually 68–74 per round.

PAR = The predetermined number of strokes a skilled (scratch) golfer should require to complete a hole or an entire 18-hole course. Usually a round will be a mix of 18 individual holes ranging from PAR 3 to PAR 5 — totaling between 68–72 for the entire course.

Example: When an 18 hole round is completed, the score of a scratch golfer should be around 68 to 74. A Bogey golfer would be around 88–95.

Example: If a hole says its a PAR 4, it means a scratch golfer should get the ball into the hole in 4 strokes or less. A bogey golfer would typically take 5.

Slope Rating = Ranges from 100 (easy) to 155 (extremely difficult). 113 is the neutral basement. Anything higher means the gap between a pro and a “bogey golfer” gets wider (The course punishes mistakes more).

Course Rating = The score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot in normal conditions.

Playing Condition Calculation (PCC) = How much did the weather conditions impact play on the day of. Most of the time its 0, but if there was rain you would probably see +1 to +3 to indicate it was a more difficult day to play.

Choosing your Tee Box

This will factor into your HCP calculation, so choose wisely.

Bayonet and Blackhorse in Monterey

Some person from reddit

Lets compare the two screenshots above. Be aware these are not 1:1 comparisons, but it illustrates the point.

Each hole will have multiple tee boxes for players to tee off from. A golfer will play choose a color (tee) and should play only those colored tee boxes for the entire round.

If you play the Black Tees (7,100+ yards), your 95 is much more impressive than a 95 from the Red Tees (5,200 yards). The handicap formula adjusts for this so you don’t get penalized for playing a “monster” course.

Bayonet and Black Horse (this example) is a challenging course. Probably one of the more challenging courses in Monterey according to them:

Red — 72.2/123–5,229 Yards → Beginners or youths

White — 69.4/131–5,945 Yards → Mid-high handicappers, you’re average golfer

Black — 74.8/139–7,104 yards ← Scratch golfers or pro’s would play these tee’s

Black Tee’s reads as the following:

• A scratch golfer should score around 75 on a good day
• Slope rating is 139 which implies this is a very difficult course for a bogey golfer. The standard is 113
• Total yards on all 18 holes from tee box to the pin is 7,104 yards. This is a very long course.

The image below is an example of what to expect for the first hole at this course.

Doing the math

Step 1: Play your round and record all your scores. Lets say it looks something like below. Assuming I played WHITE tee’s.

Step 2: Get your adjusted gross score. In this case its 97. I finally managed to break 100 in my hypothetical world

Step 3: Put it all in the formula and do some math

Now play your 20 rounds and take the average of your 8 LOWEST score differentials. That is your handicap index

Okay, we are done here