Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

In golf, what is a handicap?

What is a handicap in golf? We'll break down if it's something you need to play a round

By
People playing a round of golf
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Have you been about to play a round of golf, and someone asked you, what’s your handicap? They aren’t implying you’re doing horribly, it’s actually a common thing to know. But in golf, what is a handicap? If you have no idea what yours is (or what it even means), rather than making it up, we’ll help you figure it out, and if you need to know yours.

What is a golf handicap?

Wouldn’t it be nice if at work when you had a bad day, the next day they gave you some slack and took it easy on you? Well, in golf, that happens. If you have a horrible, crappy, you can’t believe you sucked that hard round, you’ll be able to carry that over in the next round.

Recommended Videos

Handicap highlights

  • It’s a way to keep it fair for everyone, no matter their skill set, gender, or age.
  • It goes by a numeric system based on the course you play on.
  • You have to have played golf at least once to have one.
  • The higher the number, the bigger the handicap.
  • The lower the handicap, the better the golfer.

Say the course number is 72. Subtract how many strokes you needed to complete it, say 80, so your handicap would be 8. The next round of play, if you score an 88, take the handicap out, so you score an 80.

Related

There are more elements that could factor in, but that’s a good starting point.

Why do golfers need a handicap?

If you’re going to play regularly with people who take the game seriously, even for fun, you should know your handicap. It’s also good to know if you play on different courses, to keep things fair in regard to the course difficulty. Using a handicap evens things out, as someone with a 19 handicap could still feel good playing with someone who has a handicap of 3.

But most importantly, if you want to join a club or play in tournaments, you have to have one.

Two people looking at each other while holding their golf clubs over their shoulders
Unsplash

Do I need a handicap to go golfing?

If you are going to play with people who don’t care and don’t want to keep score, it wouldn’t matter if you had or knew your handicap. It’s not a must-have to be able to walk on the course. There isn’t someone going around asking you and then kicking you out if you don’t know it. You don’t need one to play golf, especially if you’re just starting out.

You need to know yours if you take it seriously enough to join a club, want to compete in a tournament, or if you think you want to make a career out of it. In those cases, yes, you need to have and know your handicap.

There are free apps to track your scores to find out your handicap, so you don’t have to use the old-school pencil and scorecard. Golfing is a sport that gets you outside and helps you relax. You don’t have to make it more complicated by figuring out your golf handicap, but if you want to, now you know the basics to get there.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Dannielle Beardsley
Dannielle Beardsley
Contributor
Dannielle has written for various websites, online magazines, and blogs. She loves everything celebrity and her favorite…
How to avoid a bison attack this summer (and any time of the year)
These huge animals don't seem dangerous, but they can be and you don't want to mess with them
Two bison in a field

Let’s start with the facts: It’s highly unlikely you’ll ever be attacked by a majestic bison, a symbol of the American West. The docile beasts, a species that once blanketed the continent by the millions now, call only a few places home.
So, unless you’re passing through Yellowstone country (including the Grand Tetons) or the Wind Cave National Park area of North Dakota, you’re probably not going to encounter a bison. However, a few wild herds are believed to reside elsewhere, such as in Utah. The many commercial herds out there won’t be escaping their pens anytime soon, but it's still helpful to know how to avoid a bison attack, no matter what, as it applies to a lot of larger mammals in the creature kingdom.
This is certainly handy for those visiting the nation’s first and foremost park. An estimated 5,000 bison wander the many meadows and river valleys of this breathtaking Western landscape. The population fluctuates a bit each year, as some of the animals are hunted when they mosey past park boundaries. Overall, though, this is the wildest batch of bison America has left, and it’s a delight to be in the company of the animal.
For the record, bison are as quick as horses, able to reach speeds of 35 miles per hour. That’s a heck of a lot faster than you can run, even if you’re Usain Bolt (remember him?). Oh, and they can weigh up to a ton, with a lot of that weight distributed in a massive, horn-clad head. That’s big enough for the largest mammal in North America (Sidenote: Buffalo reside in Africa while bison live in America). No, they're not going to eat you as they prefer grass, but they can trample you or launch you like a rag doll (Warning: It's a sobering video but worth watching to appreciate raw power). 
So, you don’t stand much of a chance against this animal in the unlikely scenario where it feels provoked or threatened and charges your way. Every year, there are cases of attacks in Yellowstone especially, but the vast majority of the time, it’s the tourists who are making all the wrong decisions.

Tips to avoid a bison attack

Read more
Audi has a new eMTB, and it’s looking as phenomenal as their cars
Audi releases new e-bike
The new Audi eMTB e-bike

You may have an Audi in your garage, but I’m guessing that it most likely isn’t a mountain bike. As mountain biking continues to grow in popularity, it isn’t a surprise that we see more companies getting into the dirt-oriented sport.

But Audi is no stranger to off-road pursuits. The brand made a name for itself in the 1980s at the World Rally Championships by introducing its Quattro All-Wheel Drive. Now, Audi is breaking into the mountain bike market with the introduction of its Audi e-bike.

Read more
Ryvid’s Outset electric motorcycle launches with an unexpected low price
Why buy a fast e-bike when an electric motorcycle is so reasonably priced?
A rider on a Ryvid Outset electric motorcycle in Vapor Grey on a city street under an overpass.

Ryvid Anthem in Vapor Grey Ryvid / Ryvid

We have already covered the Ryvid Anthem electric motorcycle and noted that its $8,995 price tag was competitive in the small field of its competitors. Today, Ryvid dropped two significant news bits. First, the Anthem price has been reduced by $1,500 to an even more tempting $6,495. The second, perhaps even more exciting piece of news is the launch of the Ryvid Outset, another model that shares most of the Anthem's key components but costs $5,9995, $500 less than the Anthem.
Why the Ryvid Outset matters
Ryvid Outset in Sector Red Ryvid / Ryvid

Read more