History

• The golf handicap system was first documented in Scotland in the 1680s. However, there was no formal system in place until the 1870s, when several English golf clubs began using the term "handicap." These clubs began averaging the golfers' three best scores and subtracting the course rating to determine the handicap of their players. In 1904, the United States Golf Association developed its first official handicap system.
  
  

Calculation

• Calculating a golf handicap seems more complicated than it really is. To calculate your handicap, take the scores from your last five 18-hole rounds. Next, get the course rating and slope rating for the course that you played for each of those rounds. You can find these ratings on the scorecard, so be sure to save them. If you didn't save your scorecards, call the course and ask. Now, take the first of your five 18-hole scores and subtract the course rating. Then, multiply that number by 113, and divide the result by the slope rating. This number is called the "differential." Repeat this for each of your other four 18-hole scores. Finally, take the least of your five differentials and multiply it by 0.96. The result is your golf handicap.
  
  

Terms and Definitions

• There are various terms and definitions you may hear when discussing golf handicaps with other golfers. Raw score, adjusted score and handicap differential are three terms that are important to understand. Raw score simply means your total score for an 18-hole round. Adjusted score is your total score that's adjusted after the "equitable stroke control" has been applied. Equitable stroke control means that there are maximum scores for people with different handicap ranges. For example, if you have a handicap of 20-29, then the maximum score you can take on a hole is an 8. Handicap differential, which you learned how to calculate in section 2, is the difference between adjusted scores and course difficulty. Your course handicap means that your handicap may be adjusted based on the difficulty of a specific course.
  
  

Benefits

• Golf handicap systems are beneficial because they allow you to keep track of how your golf game is progressing. It's a great way to see whether or not your scores are improving over time. For serious golfers, the goal is to practice and play enough so you decrease your handicap. Knowing your golf handicap allows you to have a number to shoot for each time you play, which brings a more competitive element to the game.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Many people assume that your handicap is your "average score," but this is actually not the case. Let's say your handicap is a 10. This doesn't mean that your average score is an 82 on a par 72 course. Rather, it means that the average of your five best rounds was an 82, or 10 over par.