Handicap Question

[navitello]

When people ask me what my golf handicap is what do I tell them?  Is it correct to tell them the index or just an average?

[Club Rat]

You could say "loft" is your handicap..... Most everyone who plays has some degree of loft.

Just kidding, Typically, a handicap is the number of strokes a player would receive on any golf course determined by the course rating. A handicap could differ by the various Tee's a person elects to play. The Index is a number to determine a players course handicap which really is nothing more than the potential to play any course to net par.

39 minutes ago, navitello said:

When people ask me what my golf handicap

An example: if your golfing with friends and have a side game, each person would have strokes on the course handicap holes relative or equal to the players handicap.

In some golf events, a net score division is popular. Most golf associations have both gross and net events.

[Pendragon]

44 minutes ago, navitello said:

When people ask me what my golf handicap is what do I tell them?  Is it correct to tell them the index or just an average?

There's really no correct or incorrect response, but anytime I'm asked I give them my index. That's a constant , whereas your course handicap will vary based upon the rating and slope of which course and set of tees you're playing. 

[NJpatbee]

My simple answer would have been that I always gave my index.  But since the handicap rules have changed I cannot enter rounds played alone into my USGA handicap, which will reduce my number of rounds by at least 1/3.  I plan to use the Golf Digest Handicap system for all my legitimate rounds and continue with GHIN following the USGA new rule.  So I will have an unofficial but likely more accurate handicap and also one that is recognized by the USGA but for fewer rounds.   In only play about 25 rounds per season so it will be interesting to see the difference between the two.

 

[MacDutch]

When I ask this question, I expect to hear the exact handicap, not the playing handicap on the course we are playing.

[Patch]

I just tell them "10", and let it go at that. We are already playing from the same tees when they ask. Why worry about the math. I never play for money with strangers as it is.  I can usually play to a 10 so I am not trying to fool them. Bottom line is those asking are either better than I or they are not. First few holes will tell that story. 

[bkuehn1952]

On 1/25/2016 at 10:01 AM, navitello said:

When people ask me what my golf handicap is what do I tell them?  Is it correct to tell them the index or just an average?

Either typically works depending on the situation.  If I get a very specific question concerning my handicap index I tell them 7.8   If someone just asks "what's your handicap?",  I usually say something like, "My course handicap is around 8 to 10." 

[Fourputt]

If we're setting up a game at the course that day then I'll give my course handicap for the tees we are playing if I know it, and I'll state it that way.  If I haven't accessed the course handicap, or if it's just a general discussion, then I'll give my index.

[DaveP043]

Like the others have said, for me it depends on the situation, and the person asking.  For casual conversation, or with strangers, I'll use an approximation of my on-course handicap, which for me right now I'd say "I'm playing to around a 6."  If its someone knowledgeable, I'll tell them my current index.  On the first tee, if we're setting up even the most minor bet, I'll tell them both my index and my on-course handicap for the day. 

[David in FL]

15 hours ago, Fourputt said:

If we're setting up a game at the course that day then I'll give my course handicap for the tees we are playing if I know it, and I'll state it that way.  If I haven't accessed the course handicap, or if it's just a general discussion, then I'll give my index.

This ^^^

[Fourputt]

For those who may be new to handicap use, I want to post something that shows just how a handicap changes from course to course and tee to tee.  In a "friendly" game, just guessing your course handicap by using your index you can cheat yourself out of strokes that you should be getting.  It's easy to calculate your course handicap as long as you know the slope for the tees you are playing.

Formula:  Index x Slope/113 = Course Handicap (fractions are rounded up or down to nearest whole number)

Example:  I have a current index of 18.4.  The following three tees are my home course.

White tee:  18.4 x 115/113 = 18.73 rounds to 19 CH

Blue tee: 18.4 x 122/113 = 19.87 rounds to 20 CH

Black Tee:  18.4 x 127/113 = 20.68 rounds to 21 CH

140 slope would be a 23 CH

Not understanding this can be the difference between a competitive match and getting trounced. 

 

[DaveP043]

7 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

Not understanding this can be the difference between a competitive match and getting trounced. 

I'll just add to what @Fourputt has explained.  The calculation isn't hard, its simple arithmetic, although there's some long division involved, and many of the younger members may have never done that (by hand).  However, most courses will have a table posted somewhere, usually near the handicap computer, that shows the course handicap for any Handicap Index from each tee.  Simply find your index in the table, and you'll know your handicap for the day.  You can also use the handicap calculator at:

http://www.usga.org/course-handicap-calculator.html

[Club Rat]

Also, there are many Apps which are easy to use to calculate any course (selecting tee = course handicap) from an individual's "Index"

If a friend or any golfer for that matter does not have a USGA Index, then we discuss / debate a fair number.

Many guys I golf with usually discard using handicap differences and negotiate our games.

After all, we are all Men and we usually have a side fun / friendly game.

[DrvFrShow]

With the new rule change, most of my reported rounds will come during competitive rounds so I expect my handicap will bump upward this year unless I focus on my short game and putting where the nerves show up. During the casual solo rounds there was nothing at stake and no pressure, so the scores were typically much lower.

[BuckeyeNut]

Say "SCRATCH"..........................just be sure to never play golf with anyone you know.  LOL

[graham57]

Does anyone else have problems with courses which do not post a slope rating? We play in different countries in Europe and a number of courses in Thailand, and many of them just look blank when I ask about the slope. Some have a standard scratch score, but I am never sure how this correlates to slope (if at all) and how to calculate my course handicap based on the SSS. Any experience/advice?

[Hacker James]

On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 7:01 AM, navitello said:

On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 7:01 AM, navitello said:

When people ask me what my golf handicap is what do I tell them?  Is it correct to tell them the index or just an average?

When people ask me what my golf handicap is what do I tell them?  Is it correct to tell them the index or just an average?

all good replies.  I do not keep an official handicap, but I do record my play on a home made spreadsheet that complies with the rules. Here is a copy you can "
save as":  https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=6C3520778FAC042E!536&authkey=!AGVG27tu98ZQUTE&ithint=file%2cxlsx

You will need to run a multiple sort after you fill in the data first by column H, then by column A. to indicate the "Best of the most recent X".

 

[Fourputt]

4 hours ago, graham57 said:

Does anyone else have problems with courses which do not post a slope rating? We play in different countries in Europe and a number of courses in Thailand, and many of them just look blank when I ask about the slope. Some have a standard scratch score, but I am never sure how this correlates to slope (if at all) and how to calculate my course handicap based on the SSS. Any experience/advice?

The closest course to me is unrated, so when I play there I can't post anything.  I post when I can and don't worry about it when I can't.