The Golf Handicap Formula

                                                                                         

Golf Handicap for a given golf course is the relative ranking of a golf player to a golf newbie that helps in normalized assessment of players and allowing the golf players to compete fairly. This assessment is obviously based on a golf player’s performance in a series of games, the scores in those games and a few other factors that help in normalizing the scores.
Calculation of golf handicap for a given golf player for a given set of golf courses involves a lot of factors and many golf aspirants find the golf handicap calculation formula difficult to comprehend at least at the start. A few golf aspirants even question the very concept of golf handicap calculation and the golf handicap calculation formula.
Even though there are so many golf handicap calculators available online in a flurry of websites, it is always better to have an idea on how it is being calculated just for the sake of understanding; before going on to use one such golf handicap calculators. However in most practical situation it makes sense to use one of these calculators to save time and improve accuracy in the golf handicap calculation process.
Basically the golf handicap calculation formula is a six step procedure with straight forward calculations. However the calculations used start to differ as the calculation inputs vary and that is where the golf handicap calculation formula tends to get complex.
The first step is to jot down the scores in the last five 18 holes rounds played by the golf player. The second step is to normalize the scores across the golf courses and this is done by considering the rating and slope of the various golf courses in the scores list. The third step is to find the difference between the points scored in a specific golf course and the rating of that golf course. The fourth step is to multiply the number in step 3 by 113. The fifth step is to calculate the differential for that score that is done by diving the number is step 4 by the slope of the golf course. The product of the lowest of the five differentials with 0.96 gives the golf handicap for that golf player.
If there are more than 5 but less than 20 scores to consider, the first five steps remain constant but in the sixth step the average of the (n-5) lowest differentials is calculated and the number is multiplied by 0.96 to arrive at the golf handicap of that golf player. Here n indicates the number of scores taken into consideration. For example if seven scores are considered then 7 - 5 = 2 lowest differentials are picked up and their average is multiplied by 0.96 to arrive at the golf handicap for that player.
If there are twenty or more scores, the latest twenty scores are taken and the ten lowest differentials out of these twenty scores are picked up, their average is found and the average is multiplied by 0.96 to arrive at the golf handicap for that golf player.
While the golf handicap rating calculated using the above formula is a ballpark estimate, the official United States Golf Association (USGA) golf handicap ratings cannot be given out by everyone and there are authorized clubs that are entitled to provide these golf handicap ratings.

About the author:
Steve Katz is an experienced golfer who writes about the game and courses that are played by the normal people as well as the top professionals. Golf Information

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