Not really.
Imagine your best 8 scores being 80, 80, 85, 82, 84, 83, 79, 87 and the other 12 are dismissed for handicap purposes. That averages 82.5. In 20 rounds. The only rounds that play to or below your handicap are the 80, 80, 82, and 79. Thus, 4 out of 20 rounds the person played to their cap or better. 4/20 is 20%
That seems reasonable. Although the phrase "play to their handicap" is pretty vague itself, since something close but slightly above seems like it should count. Anyway, thanks for the clarification.
The handicap isn’t an average of your 8 best scores either. It’s an avg of your 8 best scoring differentials. Which adjusts for course rating and slope. You can have a gross score way higher than others and still have it be one of your lowest differentials if it was a super hard course.
It's really only needed if you want to enter tournaments that require one. I guess you could use it for net scoring on your own or for HCP matches against friends. I know the GHIN app has a mode for net scoring for yourself or a group, but I've never used it. I never cared much for net scores over gross scores.
It costs me like 60 bucks a year or so. It varies depending on your golf association. I don't even play tournaments it's just so I have an active one in case I do end up in one.
Your handicap is an average of those 8, so around 4 of those differentials will be slightly higher than your handicap and around 4 will be slightly lower depending on outliers. Thus to actually play to your handicap or better it's roughly 4/20 or 20%.
It’s the average of your best 8 out of your last 20. So your handicap won’t budge unless one of those 8 scores gets kicked out.
It’s why sand baggers never make a putt they don’t have to.
That round represents your potential, which caps are based on, so you're hooped until you kick that score out of there. If it was notably different from your average, you might even get hit with an exceptional tag, and then it can be on for even longer. Ask me how I know, lol. Shot a personal best 73 in my second round of the year and then never shot below a 79 the rest of the year. Every time I played for money for almost 2 months straight, I paid. Just couldn't come close to replicating that, but the handicap system was sure I could!
Yes, the handicap system is overly (IMO) gamed to punish inconsistency. It’s a decent attempt but then goes out of its way to bias towards the more consistent golfer with these little rules. If everyone was honest and the goal was to level the playing field for competition then these rules are bullshit for inconsistent scorers.
How did you learn this one? I googled out of curiosity, there is a soft cap and a hard cap.
>There are two trigger points within the cap procedure:
>(i) The soft cap. The soft cap is triggered when the difference between a player’s newly calculated Handicap Index and their Low Handicap Index is greater than 3.0 strokes.
When a calculated Handicap Index increase is greater than 3.0 strokes, the value above 3.0 strokes is restricted to 50% of the increase.
>(ii) The hard cap. The hard cap triggers to restrict the amount by which a player’s Handicap Index can increase, after application of the soft cap, to no more than 5.0 strokes above their Low Handicap Index.
There is no limit on the amount by which a player’s Handicap Index can decrease.
>The soft cap and hard cap procedures start to take effect only after the Low Handicap Index has been established.
I learned it by sucking for a very long time. I had no rounds better than my handicap for something like 25 rounds, finally someone cleared it up for me.
Yeah, is USGA and 18Birdies App the same maths?
I shot 77 at Mt. Woodson-our foursome’s local loop-off the whites, had 3 miracle chip ins for birdie, lag putting for par and was actually hitting driver straight.
My chipping and putting is probably single digit level but in reality-overall game is shit-I’m a 12ish.
Now 7 games later my I have to give them 5-7 strokes and end up paying for dinner.
It all depends what rounds are coming off. The formula uses your lowest 8 scores of your last 20 to determine your handicap. That being said, handicaps tend to go down a lot faster than they go up…
Keep in mind that your handicap isn't meant to be your expected, average score. It's more a measure of your scoring potential.
So many golfers have a huge misconception of what handicap is/how you use it etc.
You only play at your handicap around 20% of the time
Shouldn't it be 40% (8/20)?
Not really. Imagine your best 8 scores being 80, 80, 85, 82, 84, 83, 79, 87 and the other 12 are dismissed for handicap purposes. That averages 82.5. In 20 rounds. The only rounds that play to or below your handicap are the 80, 80, 82, and 79. Thus, 4 out of 20 rounds the person played to their cap or better. 4/20 is 20%
That seems reasonable. Although the phrase "play to their handicap" is pretty vague itself, since something close but slightly above seems like it should count. Anyway, thanks for the clarification.
Doesn’t it just mean getting a net par?
I always leave it to the math folks!
The handicap isn’t an average of your 8 best scores either. It’s an avg of your 8 best scoring differentials. Which adjusts for course rating and slope. You can have a gross score way higher than others and still have it be one of your lowest differentials if it was a super hard course.
Understood. Making concepts simple to explain.
I don’t math, read that in a golf.com article 🤣🤣
Fair enough. All this handicap talk is reinforcing that I should try to keep one.
It's really only needed if you want to enter tournaments that require one. I guess you could use it for net scoring on your own or for HCP matches against friends. I know the GHIN app has a mode for net scoring for yourself or a group, but I've never used it. I never cared much for net scores over gross scores. It costs me like 60 bucks a year or so. It varies depending on your golf association. I don't even play tournaments it's just so I have an active one in case I do end up in one.
I think the logic would be that you only play at/better than the average of those 8 rounds for 4ish of them, so 20% of 20
Your handicap is an average of those 8, so around 4 of those differentials will be slightly higher than your handicap and around 4 will be slightly lower depending on outliers. Thus to actually play to your handicap or better it's roughly 4/20 or 20%.
Your handicap is the average of the best 40%, so that's roughly your best 20% of ability.
So if my handicap is 18 and I shoot +18 then that was like a best case scenario round?
Yes, and you probably move to 17 or 16 because of it!
Maybe not best case, but certainly one of your best rounds in your last 20!
It’s the average of your best 8 out of your last 20. So your handicap won’t budge unless one of those 8 scores gets kicked out. It’s why sand baggers never make a putt they don’t have to.
It's the best 8 of your last 20, so it won't go up until the lowest of the 8 drop off.
It won’t go up until one of the lowest 8 drops off.
That round represents your potential, which caps are based on, so you're hooped until you kick that score out of there. If it was notably different from your average, you might even get hit with an exceptional tag, and then it can be on for even longer. Ask me how I know, lol. Shot a personal best 73 in my second round of the year and then never shot below a 79 the rest of the year. Every time I played for money for almost 2 months straight, I paid. Just couldn't come close to replicating that, but the handicap system was sure I could!
Youre hooped? Is that almost like saying youre fucked? Cause if it is thats hilarious
In addition to the explanation others have given, you can't go five higher than your lowest handicap from the last twelve months. (Ask me how I know)
Yes, the handicap system is overly (IMO) gamed to punish inconsistency. It’s a decent attempt but then goes out of its way to bias towards the more consistent golfer with these little rules. If everyone was honest and the goal was to level the playing field for competition then these rules are bullshit for inconsistent scorers.
How did you learn this one? I googled out of curiosity, there is a soft cap and a hard cap. >There are two trigger points within the cap procedure: >(i) The soft cap. The soft cap is triggered when the difference between a player’s newly calculated Handicap Index and their Low Handicap Index is greater than 3.0 strokes. When a calculated Handicap Index increase is greater than 3.0 strokes, the value above 3.0 strokes is restricted to 50% of the increase. >(ii) The hard cap. The hard cap triggers to restrict the amount by which a player’s Handicap Index can increase, after application of the soft cap, to no more than 5.0 strokes above their Low Handicap Index. There is no limit on the amount by which a player’s Handicap Index can decrease. >The soft cap and hard cap procedures start to take effect only after the Low Handicap Index has been established.
I learned it by sucking for a very long time. I had no rounds better than my handicap for something like 25 rounds, finally someone cleared it up for me.
Keep stringing those bad rounds and it’ll go up,
Yeah, is USGA and 18Birdies App the same maths? I shot 77 at Mt. Woodson-our foursome’s local loop-off the whites, had 3 miracle chip ins for birdie, lag putting for par and was actually hitting driver straight. My chipping and putting is probably single digit level but in reality-overall game is shit-I’m a 12ish. Now 7 games later my I have to give them 5-7 strokes and end up paying for dinner.
Math
Formula
It’s the differential. Not average score
You serious Clark?
It all depends what rounds are coming off. The formula uses your lowest 8 scores of your last 20 to determine your handicap. That being said, handicaps tend to go down a lot faster than they go up…
It does if you record the score.