whats a good handicap?

[meenman]

I am curious as to what handicap is considered a good handicap,

I find my handicap to be a good one when playing in tournaments - it can definitely frustrate a lower handicap in tournaments when my 6-7 bogies knock out their pars in match play

[kingofcars08]

As a low handicap, I have played with pros and 20+ handicaps. I stay with the pros for most of the day, but they make way more putts over 10 feet, and they stick irons like you have never seen in person. I have seen 20 handicappers that shoot in the 90's because they are not long enough to reach, or they are not making putts, but they are good ball strickers and just make bogeys. So to answer the question, I think good golfer is single digit, but really, the 0+ handicappers are what I am looking to achieve. But I will play with any handicap, they all have positives and negatives.

[mad max]

Anything under 16

[Petden]

Anyone with a handicap 20% less than yours.

[Riverologist]

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19407

[Blades4me]

I am curious as to what handicap is considered a good handicap, as I have heard 10 handicappers call themselves duffers or hackers, so Im just interested in people's opinions as to where that line is that a golfer becomes "good" in your eyes. Thanks.

I've heard teaching pro's say that once you hit a hc of 12 you are better than most ppl on the course. Personally I don't know how true that is, I'm a 9.5 and many seem better than me. Howerver I've also noticed that when one's hc is 10-12 they are starting to be a pretty consistant ball striker.

[JCDot33]

A good handicap is one lower than your buddy that you can never beat, and two lower than your father-in-law's!

[flopdarock]

im not a statistician (or however you spell it) but for the average joe that considers himself a golfer... but doesnt live on the course like some of us... and has a job/career outside of golf... id have to say a pretty good handicap is lower than 20...

for a guy that plays/practices all the time an practically lives on the course/range... id say a good handicap is anything in the single digits...

i think a good 'recreational' golfer is someone that has a relative grasp on the games subtlety... like good ettiquette... proper idea of technique (even if its difficult to execute due to lack of playing time)... knowledge of do's and dont's... this guy should break a hundred occasionally

[GaijinGolfer]

Id say that a 10 is a good handicap. Im kind of surprised to see all you guys say that an 18 handicap or bogey golf means you are a pretty decent golfer.
I usually make bogey (with the occasional par and once in a blue moon birdie) and I still think I suck at this game.

[mirv]

i agree with previous posters who said, for just average joe golfer, 18 is probably a fairly good handicap. if you're playing bogey golf, you're good enough that you're not holding up the course and you're keeping good pace, and you likely get your fair share of pars and the occasional birdie.

[chipper2]

I would love to play bogie golf consistenly. I do sometimes. I think an 18 handicap would make you a better golfer than the majority on the course.

[tjy355]

I am curious as to what handicap is considered a good handicap...

A good handicap is one that is a few strokes higher than your ability!

I guess you mean what handicap would indicate a good golfer? Obviously, that depends on your perspective. For me, I think a single digit handicap is indicative of a good golfer.

[juanrjackson]

I remember reading somewhere that the average golfer following the rules cannot break 100. So if a golfer can break 100 you are probably better than avg.

[Lark]

A good handicap is what YOU think is a good handicap. Unless you're a professional you won't be competing seriously with anyone for anything worthwhile. I shoot 80-90's and I consider myself a poor golfer. The reason: I 2-3 putt every hole I'm on and my approaches are always on the green 10-20 feet away at least. I KNOW I can be better. Remember, set your handicap rating beliefs to your own desire. Will I ever be a + golfer? I doubt it. Will I be able to shoot consistent 72-80's? I believe so. So a good handicap for me is 0-10. A good handicap for you might be 20... or who knows maybe it's a +. Be realistic and you'll find your game improve so fast that the unrealistic might just be in sights.

[$2 Nassau]

I guess I'll be the bad guy here. I don't think 18 is good, it's average. If you are looking at it from a "relative" view then yes it's good because many people play to much higher handicaps than that.

I regularly call myself a hacker, because I am. I chunk shots sometimes, hit duck hooks, slice the ball here and there. I don't think good players do that. It's what has kept me constantly improving, kinowing that I could be better, or that I should be better.

This is just personal and somewhat selfish point of view but that's the way I see it. I think 95% of us stink at golf. LOL.

[Zeph]

Below single digits I would say the player is "good" by my definition. The way from 10 to scratch is of course monumental compared to the way down to single digits, but at <10, a player is good.

I don't consider myself good at this point, but if I get my problems on the course sorted out and reach single digits, I would call myself good. Either way, to a person with no or limited golf knowledge, I suppose it doesn't matter what you say. To anyone familiar with the handicap system, using the handicap works. And by familiar, I don't mean knowing that you go from 36 to 0, but also how progressively harder it gets.

[Bullitt5339]

As an 18 handicapper, I think I'm a hacker. I hit way too many horrible shots. I play with 3 guys that are around 10, and they have some bad shots, but I consider them "decent" golfers, but to be honest, they're not that much better at ballstriking than I am, they just avoid the blow up holes which I haven't seemed to be able to do yet. I played with a 2 handicapper a few times, and he is a good golfer. He can see the shot, plan it and execute it most of the time. He shot a 37 on the front 9 and was complaining about how horrible he was playing, and I was looking at my 44 on the scorecard, and pretty happy with it.

So I guess "good golfer" is what you think it is.

[chilly]

Good question. I think it's a "moving" scale based on who you ask. I started playing last year, opened with a 27hcp, and considered anything below 20hcp to be "solid". I'm a 13hcp now, and I can honestly say, I still suck. I now would say that a "good" golfer is anyone 5hcp or below, a "solid" golfer is 10hcp or below. Everyone I've played with in that 5hcp range is truly a "player" that hits the ball very nice, has some short game, competent putting...etc. Some guys in that range can really hit the ball well too...maybe just need a little course management to become scratch.

A 13hcp like me can be an older guy that barely hits it 200yds but still gets around the course with a decent short game, or it can be someone like me that hits some nice shots but still blades a few half wedges over the green and has bad putting days...not anywhere near "good" golf.

That said, I still say anyone shooting true bogey golf is a "decent" golfer, and would pummel 80% of the total golfing population.