Demystifying Golf Handicap

A golf handicap is a numerical measure that represents a golfer's skill level and is used to enable players of varying abilities to compete against one another on a level playing field. Essentially, it's a way to adjust a player's score to account for their usual level of play. The lower the handicap, the better the golfer is considered to be. A handicap allows players to subtract strokes from their gross score (the total number of strokes played) to produce a net score under the premise that this adjustment makes matches more equitable. The handicap system is standardized by golfing authorities around the world, and handicaps are calculated based on a player's recent history of rounds. Thus, the system is dynamic, with a player's handicap index able to rise or fall as they play more rounds and their game changes.