What is a Golf Handicap?

In every kinds of sport, there are players with different skill levels. There are professionals and there are amateurs. Some players take their game very seriously and some just play for fun.

Some feel that playing a game without competing is neither interesting nor amusing. Therefore, many players like to compete with each other. But since there is deviation on the skill level, it is hard to have a fair game. Sometimes, if we know how good our opponent is, the better player may give away points to make the game more even. Take bowling as an example, a bowler whose average score is 200 may give 20 pins to a player whose average score is 180.

What is a handicap? The 20 pins that the lower score bowler is given is a handicap.

The handicap system for Golf

In the game of golf, The United States Golf Association (www.usga.com) has developed a faultless handicap system. The USGA Handicap System. It is well recognized and widely accepted by golf clubs throughout the country. However, this handicap system is based on a player's most recent series of scores.

What happens when you’re not sure of somebody’s skill level? Or friends whose you haven’t played with for a while? It is hard to determine who is better or worse. Under these circumstances it is hard to have a fair competition. Therein lies a problem that besets many tournament committees, particularly those who organize conventions and/or resort events. Not everyone has a USGA handicap.

Therefore we have an instant handicap system like Peoria, Callaway, Stableford and System 36.
(http://www.usga.org/handicap/publications/unhandi/c6-unhnd.html)

These instant handicap systems are an artificial handicapping system developed mainly for one-time events (corporate, convention, resort or charity events) where most of the competitors simply don't have official handicaps. When using these instant handicap systems, every player can enjoy the game and have fun with the competition.