Handicap Index: Happy and Confused

[JGus]

I joined a course in May so I could practice and play more, prior to that I maybe got one round in a week, with no practice at all except before my round. I have tracked an "unofficial" handicap using Scorecard over the past two years, which has fluctuated between 26 (when I first started tracking stats) and 18.

I took some lessons at the end of last season and now I am practicing at least two days a week, and before/after my normal round on Saturday. I have posted 8 rounds for the month of May and checked to see if I was assigned an official USGA Handicap Index and Home Handicap after the monthly revision, and now have my first ever official USGA Handicap Index of 14.2 and a Home Handicap of 16.

I was confused at first on why it was that low, but after reading up on how Handicaps are calculated and reading some posts here, I understand it a lot better now. And now am happy to see that the practice and actually playing more is paying off. I know it's not a single digit handicap or scratch, but that's my next goal.

Anyone else go through this when they first got an official handicap?

[DavidFehertysBike]

Your handicap is an indicator of what youre capable of, not what you usually score. Your worst rounds are thrown out if you post enough. Im a 3 handicap, but i rarley shoot less than three over par. My average round is in the mid to high 70's. But once or twice a month i drop in a score at around even par. Those are the rounds that stablaize your handi.

[double_j]

Possibly a stupid question. What's a home handicap? Is that just your USGA handicap converted to expected strokes over par for your home course?

[lonewolf]

I have the same question as double j.

The normal calcualtion as I know it; assuming you have 20 rounds is this:
(Your score (minus) course rating X 113) / course slope.
Example: 88(score) - (course rating)71.1 = (16.9 X 113) = 1909.7 / (course slope)130 = 14.69.

When one has 20 scores the best 10 are taken. Anything under 20 scores there is a sliding scale of how many scores are take.

Still not sure what the"'home course handicap" is or how to calculate.

[Fairway_CY]

Possibly a stupid question. What's a home handicap? Is that just your USGA handicap converted to expected strokes over par for your home course?

Yes... your home handicap takes your USGA handicap and then uses the course slope and rating to determine how many strokes you would 'get' in a tournament at your home course.

It's the same calculation used at any other course... they just list it on your card because they figure it's where you play the most frequently. CY

[lonewolf]

I thought slope was calcualted on every score for handicap purposes....home course or not. If so, what is the point of a "home handicap"?

[double_j]

I thought slope was calcualted on every score for handicap purposes....home course or not. If so, what is the point of a "home handicap"?

It does the math for you. Given a par of 72 and a Home Handicap of 16, you'll pretty much know that you should be shooting somewhere around an 88 at that course. I'm guessing it's also makes it a bit simpler to figure out how many strokes to give to other members, etc.

I don't have an official home handicap but I generally do the math in my head. I know that at my home courses, anything below an 84/83 will translate to a 9 something index.

[sean_miller]

I joined a course in May so I could practice and play more, prior to that I maybe got one round in a week, with no practice at all except before my round. I have tracked an "unofficial" handicap using Scorecard over the past two years, which has fluctuated between 26 (when I first started tracking stats) and 18.

It's not until you get 20 rounds in that it evens out. The next card I put in means my index will include another round. My index could swing a stroke either way, depending on what I shoot on this Sunday.

[Fairway_CY]

It's just for ease of use... really. It's on there just so you don't have to calculate it prior to playing... it's done for you.

And, I made a mistake before... the rating of a course isn't used to calculate a handicap... it's used to calculate the differential after a round has been played.

CY

[Zeph]

Is there math needed to be done? I take my index, locate the Slope Table at any course I'm playing, and find the course handicap on any given course.

I suppose the home handicap is nothing more than the course handicap of your home course.

[sean_miller]

It's just for ease of use... really. It's on there just so you don't have to calculate it prior to playing... it's done for you.

. . . which is possibly used with other differentials to calculate your handicap index.

[zeg]

Is there math needed to be done? I take my index, locate the Slope Table at any course I'm playing, and find the course handicap on any given course.

That's it. You can alternatively do the math yourself using the slope rating; it's easy enough. If you forget to look it up, that way you just need the rating which is usually on the score card. Then just multiply your handicap index by slope and divide by 113 and round to the nearest whole number (0.5 on the nose rounds UP). The only silly thing is the choice of 113 as the divisor, if only they'd chosen 100 this would be a much simpler operation...