How does a Golf Handicap Work on a Scorecard
If you play golf, you may have heard about scorecards. A golf scorecard usually helps a golfer to track his or her strokes and provide other necessary information about the course.
It also allows you to get your final score depending on strokes and handicaps. But what does this handicap mean? Or how does a golf handicap work on a scorecard?
Read more: What is a Golf Handicap for a Beginner
Don’t be confused. In this piece of writing, we’ll discuss each and every necessary information you should know about it. Let’s jump into it.
How does a Golf Handicap Work on a Scorecard
The handicap on a golf scorecard is not important in stroke play. It has no relevance. But it is necessary in a match-play competition. The handicap is required to adjust each golfer’s score to help level the playing field.
When two players with varying skill levels play together, they can decide how many shots should be taken away from the lower-scoring players to balance things out. The player’s course handicap can be used to determine the number of shots, or it can be inferred from past rounds. Such a good thing, right?
However, in any event, the total number of strokes awarded is divided equally among the holes in that round after it has been decided upon. Therefore, on six holes, a player who receives six strokes from his opponent will have one stroke deducted from his or her score.
The hole’s handicap, indicated by the number on the previously mentioned scorecard, determines which holes these strokes are assigned to. Therefore, the first hole on which a stroke is deducted from the score to determine the net score is the one with a handicap of 1. Thus, in our six-stroke example, this holds true for holes with a handicap of 1–6.
The handicap numbers typically alternate between odd and even numbers on one side. In this manner, the front and back nine holes receive a fairly equal distribution of strokes. Using our six-stroke example once more, three would be administered on the front nine and the remaining three on the back nine.
Explore the Meaning of the Handicap Numbers on a Scorecard
The handicap numbers on a scorecard means the difficulty of a hole for a Bogey golfer compared to a Scratch golfer. So, what about a Bogey golfer and a Scratch golfer?
Well, let’s talk about a Scratch golfer. So, a Scratch golfer is a player having the ability of playing on any golf course with a zero handicap. A male Scratch golfer can, on average, 250 yards off the tee and attain a 470-yard hole in two shots at sea level. On the other side, a female Scratch player can 210 yards off the tee and attain a 400-yard hole in two shots at sea level.
Now, let’s know about Bogey golfers. A male Bogey golfer is a player who has a Course Handicap of around 20 on a standard course. A male Bogey player can average 200 yards on his tee shots and reach a 370-yard hole in two shots at sea level. On the contrary, a female Bogey golfer has a course handicap of around 24.
In this case, the lower the hole rating, the more likely a bogey golfer will require a stroke than a scratch golfer. This does not imply that the hole is “more difficult” overall than one with a higher rating.
FAQs
What is a Course Handicap on a Scorecard?
The term “Course Handicap” on a scorecard shows how many strokes you will lose depending on your handicap. Therefore, the course handicap is not your overall handicap. It mentions the particular course you’re playing.
What is a handicap index?
This is a rating you get by recording your scores every time you play 18 Holes using a service like GHIN.com. Your handicap index does not reflect your actual handicap. However, it can be used to calculate your actual handicap at any course you play on, as well as in tournaments where handicaps are used for competitive scoring.
What is a Bad Handicap Number in Golf?
The handicap number usually indicates a player’s ability. In this case, the higher the handicap number is, the worse the golfer. On the contrary, the lower the handicap is, the better the golfer. So, it is expected that a 40+ handicap value is considered bad.
What is a Good Handicap in Golf?
A handicap number less than 20 is considered good in golf. But an excellent handicap number in golf is 1 or 2 and the handicapper is called a semi-pro golfer.
Conclusion
Now we know how does a handicap number work on a scorecard. So, it’s your time to lower your handicap number to improve your golfing ability. And the way to do so is nothing but playing more and more and calculate your score each time.