Definition
Based on the score a golfer shoots and the assigned difficulty rating of the golf course they played, they will get a "handicap" which is an approximation for how good a golfer is.
Usage
My handicap is a 6 right now, but I hope to get it down to a 3 by the end of the year.
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In golf, there are many governing organizations. The biggest one in the U.S. is called the USGA, short for "United States Golf Association".
The USGA runs a program called GHIN, short for "Golf Handicap Information Network" that is responsible for going to golf courses around the world and assigning a difficulty rating to each course.
Based on the score a golfer shoots and the assigned difficulty rating of the golf course they played, they will get a "handicap" which is an approximation for how good a golfer is.
Below are some common phrases associated with golf handicaps:
- "Scratch golfer" - on average, this golfer shoots scores near the "course rating" assigned to a golf course by the USGA.
- "Plus Handicap" - Counterintuitively, a "plus handicap" means a golfer is really good and generally shoots even par or better.
- "High handicapper" - a high handicapper is a golfer who has a handicap in the double digits and generally shoots high golf scores.
Don't worry if this is confusing, golf handicap is one of the most confusing golf terms.