New to the golfing world? Do you aspire to be a good golfer? You should know about the handicap system in golf.
Do you know what is a plus handicap in golf, and how does it work? As a newbie, it is a concept that you need to learn to be a good golfer.
In golf, a handicap is a numerical measurement of a golfer’s ability to compete with others. It is calculated as a net score based on the number of strokes a player strikes in a round. The lower the handicap, the better the player.
What is a plus handicap in golf?
The golf handicap is a measure of your ability to compete against one another. In other words, it’s the number of extra shots a player is allowed to take on a par course.
Handicaps are used to determine how good a player is. They determine the golfer’s potential, not the average of the scores of the previous matches. The handicap system differs between regions and countries.
A plus handicap is the average number of extra shots a golfer needs to strike to complete the course. To understand the course, first, we should understand what “par” means in golf.
Par is the average number of shots needed. For example, a beginner’s golf course will have a par of sixty, and for an advanced golf course, it may be seventy or above.
Players, especially beginners, are not expected to hit all the shots and meet the average number of course. They may require the additional number of shots that the par limit above the course allows. If a player at par needed seventy shots to finish the course then his handicap is ten.
The handicap number will help the player a lot, especially when playing against a more skilled player. If you need four or five shots to complete a hole, you may be allowed to play it without penalty even if your opponent only needs two or three shots.
The main aim is to reduce the handicap, which means you are becoming a better golf player.
Scratch Golfer
When talking about golf, another important term that you will hear is “scratch golfer.” Have you ever wondered what it is? It means a player with zero golf handicaps. These players shoot close to even par.
You can be better than a zero golf handicap, in which your handicap is described as a plus. If you are one better than a scratch, then you have a “plus 1 golf handicap.”
How to calculate a plus handicap?
The formula to calculate a plus handicap is as follows:
- Handicap index X (slope rating of 113) + (course rating of par)
- The handicap index is calculated as the average of the scores of the previous three games.
- Slope rating is the average number of shots taken by a golfer for a particular course.
- 113 is the average slope rating.
- The course rating is the average number of shots taken by a professional golfer.
- Par is the average number of shots needed to complete the entire course.
Calculating the handicap can quickly become complicated. The easy way to calculate is by using the service or a phone app. In this section, a few details such as the course, tees you have played, and the score have to be given, and the app will calculate and maintain the handicap.
Based on these services, the average male golf handicap is 16 and the average female golf handicap is 28.
A good golf handicap
- This is different for men and women. A good golf handicap for a man is around nine or ten whereas for a woman it is around eighteen or nineteen. This means an average male golfer would shoot about 90 over 18 holes. The average female golfer would shoot about 110 over 18 holes.
- The USGA (United States Of America) calculates handicap by estimating the number of strokes by the golfer which can be below r above par depending on the scores of the best ten rounds of the previous twenty rounds of golf.
- However, in Europe, the organization leaves these decisions to individual countries’ national golf associations.
How to maintain and improve a plus handicap?
A good golf handicap is below 18, and an average golf handicap is 18–36. A mid-handicap is 36–54, and a plus handicap is anything above 54. Anything below 10 is a good handicap in golf. For a player to be considered an amateur player, he should have a good golf handicap.
This can be achieved through practice by playing short games. A golfer with a lower handicap is considered to be a better golfer who can shoot lower scores.
The two crucial aspects of improving your golf handicap are to focus on improving driving accuracy and ball striking. To lower your score, you can work on putting, chipping, and sand play.
In competing in amateur tournaments, a lower handicap is crucial. A golfer needs to shoot lower than his competitor to win.
To attain a low handicap, the golfer should hit a high percentage of solid shots. That doesn’t mean that good golfers never hit bad shots at all. They do, but they know how to recover.
Most importantly, their shots are crisp as a result of great techniques that they have mastered through practice.
Tips to Improve Your Golf Handicap
- A golfer should have a lot of patience and dedication
- Invest in a simulator or go to the range for practice
- A short game is more important than a long game
- The fitness of the golfer is critical
- Keeping your clubs in good shape is important
- Getting out on the course and playing by yourself is important
- Playing in less-than-ideal conditions
- Play different courses
- Track your progress and your goal handicap
How many plus handicap golfers are there?
In 2022, there will be approximately 3 million plus-handicap golfers in the United States. The growth represented a 16 percent increase since 2022. The average handicap for the golfers remained steady at 14.1 for men and 28 for women.
By 2022, over 400 000 new golfers will have joined. Some of the elite golfers are Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, and Tony Finau, who hit great tee shots all the time, which doesn’t happen that frequently for recreational golfers.
What is the highest golf handicap?
According to the USGA Handicap System, a male golfer’s maximum handicap index is 36.4. The maximum index for men is 36.4. (Or, the highest male handicap index for a round of nine holes is 18.2)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What does a +3 handicap mean?
A +3 handicap means the golfer can shoot more than three strokes under par on a 113-sloped course.
Is a plus or minus handicap preferable?
A positive handicap is preferable to a negative handicap.
What does a +2 handicap mean?
If you play scratch golf, you should score in the vicinity of par. There is a positive handicap even though most golfers score higher than par. A +2 handicap, for instance, indicates that you typically shoot two under par.
What is a +4 handicap?
In golf, a 4 handicap would be regarded as exceptional. Even though shooting four strokes over par on average doesn’t quite qualify you as a professional golfer, playing off a handicap of under five indicates remarkable skill and places you in the top 3% of all players.
What does a +7 handicap mean?
According to the United States Golf Association, you are among the top 21% of male players with a 7 handicap and the top 3% of female golfers with a 7 handicap.
Conclusion:
What are you waiting for? Gear up and be a pro golfer. Play it regularly and get the most out of your game. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect,” which is apt for golf. Practice is the key to getting good technical skills to be a pro.
One of the most challenging concepts for novice golfers and non-golfers to understand is golf handicaps. It is determined by the disparity between the course’s overall par and the typical number of strokes they use over the course of ten games.
The number of strokes you used compared to what is thought to be the course average is your golf handicap. A par of 4, therefore, indicates that it should take 4 strokes to sink the ball.
A lower handicap indicates a better golfer, while a higher handicap indicates a worse golfer.
