How Golf Handicaps Work

A golf handicap is a form of means-testing: it is a way to try to allow a less talented player to compete on level terms with a better one. Like all good intentions, it is widely abused, and the original intention, which was honorable, has been replaced by nefarious practices and dishonesty. Worst of all, it has become for many golfers the biggest barrier to improvement at their beloved game.

So what exactly is a golf handicap? The starting premise is that each player has a certain ability and talent at the game of golf, that is reflected by their handicap. The handicap is a measure of how many extra shots they take to complete a round, compared to an "expert" player. An "expert" player has a handicap of zero, or "scratch". A player who plays, on average, 10 shots more than an "expert" player has a handicap of 10.

How does a handicap work? If Player A has a handicap of 10, and Player B has a handicap of 15, they count up their scores at the end of a round. Player A subtracts 10 from his score, to give his nett score. Player B subtracts 15 from his, to get his nett score. Whoever has the lowest nett score, wins the match.

There are variations, of course. If Players A and B play against Players C and D, the mathematics becomes more complicated. If their respective handicaps are 5, 10, 15 and 20, then Players A and B have a total of 15, and Players C and D have a total of 35. The difference is calculated as 20. Then, this is multiplied by three quarters to give a nett difference of 15. It gets worse! If one of the players is a woman, the ratio changes from three quarters to seven eighths. If the players play alternate shots, the ratio changes again! If the match format is Matchplay, then the nett difference is distributed between the hardest holes on the course!

So that explains what a handicap is, and how it is used. But what are the effects on a golfers performance? The answer lies in the paradox that a higher handicap allows a less able golfer to beat a better one. He therefore has an incentive to manipulate his handicap upwards. A 20 handicap player can play in the competition on Saturday morning, shoot the worst round, and win the competition!

Some players jealously guard their handicap number: many times, it has been known for a player to "put the handbrakes on" late in a round. Why? Because they know they will not win the competition, but they are playing well enough to be "cut" and to have their handicap reduced, as they have a reasonable score. I was told by a 6 handicapper of how he deliberately 5-putted on the 18th green to avoid being "cut". (He was playing in a more prestigious competition the following week).

There was story circulating around 1996 that Bill Gates won top prize in a golf competition. His handicap was allegedly 24, and he played like a 12 handicap player. The odds of this happening by chance were gazillions to 1! He won a great prize though: a state of the art personal computer! The story may be completely untrue, but you get the point.