Simply put, a golf handicap approximates a golfers 'average' strokes above par on an 'average' 18 hole course. It is used to adjust the golfer's actual score so that they can fairly compete againts other golfers with varying skill levels. Inexperienced golfers typically have higher handicaps because thier score needs more adjusting than experienced golfers. Professional golfers don't use a handicap at all, they are considered "Scratch" golfers, meaning thier score doesn't need adjusting. So, the lower your handicap, the closer you are to a 'Pro' golfer. For the rest of us, a 'Bogey' handicap is considered pretty good. A 'Bogey' golfer's handicap is usually around 15.

Your handicap is caculated by taking a moving average of your most recent, 'best' scores. The World Handicap System (WHS) formula, which was adopted worldwide in January 2020, uses your best 8 scores from your most recent 20 rounds played. There are adjustments made to each score based on the difficulty of the course played. For example, higher scores on difficult courses are adjusted down, while lower scores on easy courses are adjusted up. Every golf course has a rating and slope number representing it's relative difficulty and these numbers are used to adjust your handicap accordingly. Simply put, if you track your score, course slope, and course rating of every round you play, then plug them into a simple formula, then take the average of your 'best' (most recent) rounds, you get your handicap. Fortunately websites like gcaddy.com make this a snap.

People often ask, what is my golf handicap if I shoot 100? Or, what is my golf hanidcap if I shoot 80 and so on. The answer is it depends. Your golf handicap for a given score is different based on the course you play. For example, scoring 100 on a very difficult course is much more impressive than scoring 100 or an easy course. Therefore when calculating a golf handicap, it's necessary to use the courses slope and rating numbers. These numbers are used to normalize the golf course when compared to other courses. These numbers effectively adjust your handicap based on the relative difficulty of the course you've played. Fortunately, golf handicap apps like gcaddy.com make this a snap. Simply enter your round score, then adjust the slope and rating accordingly. Super simple and highly accurate handicap tracking with ease.

What is a good handicap for a beginner? As mentioned above, professional golfers don't use a handicap. They are considered "Scratch", meaning the score they record in a given round doesn't need adjusting. So the lower your handicap, the closer you are to a 'Pro' golfer. For the 'average' golfer, a 'Bogey' handicap is considered pretty good. A 'Bogey' golfer, averages 1 stroke over par on every hole they play. This translates into an average score of around 90 for 18 holes and roughly a 15 handicap. 15 also happens to be right smack in the middle of the general golfing population's abilities. Therefore, simply speaking, anything lower than a 15 handicap would be considered "better than average", and thus respectable among most golfers.

The World Hadicap System (WHS) is a globally accepted norm for calculating golfer handicaps. It was implemented globally in January 2020, and has standardized the way major golf playing countries track handicaps. Prior to the establishment of the WHS, countries used different formulas to track individual golfer's handicaps. This lead to incompatibilites when golfers would compete outside of their home country. For the most part, the individual countries' systems were close but now they are finally all the same. However, given the fact that the WHS is still somewhat new, most online golf handicap calculators are not yet up to date. Fortunately, gcaddy.com is ahead of the curve! Golfers can quickly import their most recent scores and calculate a valid WHS handicap in seconds, for FREE!