Golf Handicap Explained - What is a Golf Handicap and What Does a Golf Handicap Mean?

If you are thinking of starting or have just started to play this beautiful game of Golf, then I am sure that you have so many questions that you want answers too. I will at least help to answer a couple of those questions for you on this page:

'What is a Golf Handicap?' and 'What does a Golf Handicap Mean?'

I understand that for most beginners the Golf Handicap can seem quite complex and confusing to start with, but once you get the basics, it is really quite simple and makes complete sense, as I will explain below! It can start to get a bit trickier when you look at Calculating Golf Handicaps or Golf Handicap Adjustment though!

Firstly let me explain that Golf is a game that is played over 18 holes and within those 18 holes there are 3 different types of holes. Par 3's, which are short holes and can generally be reached with just one shot, Par 4's, which are longer and generally can be reached with two shots and Par 5's, which are longer again and can generally be reached in 3 shots.

Most Golf courses will be made up of mainly Par 4 golf holes with 2 or 3 Par 3's and 2 or 3 Par 5's, so the average Par for 18 holes will normally be 72.

Golf Handicap Explained!! the Simple Answers to 'What is a Golf Handicap?' and 'What does a Golf Handicap Mean?'

In simple terms a Handicap is a numerical measurement of an Amateurs playing ability and is used to create a Net Score from the number of strokes actually played, or put another way, it is the number of Strokes that a Golfer receives and is able to remove from his overall Gross Score at the end of the round, i.e. the higher your handicap is, the more strokes you can remove from your overall Gross Score at the end of the round.

This makes it a great system that allows Golfers of all skill to compete on a level playing field, so therefore, it doesn't matter whether you have just started the game or have been playing for years, you will be able to enjoy healthy competition with whomever you are playing with.

The better the Golfer is, the lower the Handicap they will have. It is generally accepted that the Maximum Golf Handicap allowed for men is 28 and for women 36. So when you first start to play Golf, you will more than likely start off with a Handicap of 28 (men) or 36 (women), which means if you are playing against someone more experienced and who is playing off of a 10 handicap for example, you will be allowed 18 more shots (men) or 26 more shots (women) than them, per round.

So if the 10 Handicap Golfer takes 82 strokes to complete a round of Golf on a Course that is Par 72 and you take 100 (men) or 108 (women) then you have (in the eyes of the Handicapping system) both played to your Handicaps and have had an equally good round of Golf!

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