With it’s complex scoring system, rules, and lingo it can be tough to keep up with all of golfs terminology. Luckily this review is on hand to breakdown what exactly handicap means on golf scorecards.
On scorecards, handicap refers to the difficulty of the hole based on the average scores recorded by golfers of all skill levels. The holes are then ranked from 1 to 18 based on how high the average scores have been on each hole.
If you see the number 1 in the handicap section this means that it is the hardest hole on the course. If you see the number 18 on the handicap section of a scorecard this means that this hole is the 18th hardest. Or, in other words, the easiest hole on the course.
What Are Handicapps Used For In Golf
The use of these handicaps is to allow players of different skill levels to play each other on an even playing field. Each golfer that consistently inputs their scores will receive a handicap.
A lower handicap is better than a higher one. It is a rough estimation of how many strokes a golfer typically is over par on any given round. Say for example you are a 5 handicap. Then you can expect to shoot roughly five over par in a given round.
When there is a difference between two players handicaps golfers are then supposed to give the higher handicapped golfers strokes on the hardest rated holes.
Pretend a golfer has a five-stroke advantage in terms of a handicap. He or she will receive a stroke on the five hardest rated holes on the course. The holes will be noted by the handicap ranking.
So if it is a five-stroke difference you will gain a stroke on holes ranked 1,2,3,4,5. This should work to even out the skill difference between the two golfers.
Conclusion What Are Handicaps On Golf Scorecards
We hope you enjoyed our guide to understanding handicaps on golf scorecards. If you have any more questions regarding the handicap system please let us know in the comments below.
If you did enjoy this guide please check out some of our other golf content. Such as our guide to dimples on golf balls or bogey golf.
