Golf Handicap And Everything About It…

Golf Handicap And Everything About It…

We get a lot of questions regarding the Handicap System…

   “How is it calculated?”

   “Why is it so low?”

    “How come my Handicap hasn’t change at all after a few days I uploaded my Scores?”

And others… The good thing is, we have the Answers to your questions.

We are going to give you a few examples for these questions and give you the answers as well.

The Handicap Index Formula

The first one is easy…

Just kidding hehehe, here is a much easier explanation:

  1. First you need to find your last 20 scores and calculate the Handicap Differentials of each one. You get the Handicap Differentials by applying the formula between the red brackets for each score (and using the Equitable Stroke Control for each score. See more on this below)
  2. Once you have done that, identify the lowest 10 Handicap Differentials of those 20 and obtain the average by adding them up and dividing by 10.
  3. Then multiply the result by 96% (.96) and there you go. That result is your Handicap Index.
One important note, you may not have 20 or more Scores posted. So, how do you calculate your Handicap Index if you have less than 20 scores posted? 

How to calculate your Index with less than 20 Scores Posted?

This table below shows the amount of Handicap Differentials you have to take into consideration depending on how many Scores you have available:

Equitable Stroke Control

For the Handicap is very important that you take into consideration the ESC (Equitable Stroke Control) which is the Maximum Hole Score you should take depending on your Handicap. This way, the Handicap will be more accurate and fair for everyone.

This Table will help you with that:

Golf Handicap Calculator

Now that we know how the Handicap is calculated and what it takes, then

Why is my Handicap so low?

First you need to know that the Handicap is not supposed to reflect your average performance, but your potential ability. So only the best rounds are considered.

Most of the time, when we get that question, what happens is that the Player doesn’t really have the 20 Scores available and because of that, the amount of Handicap Differentials taken into consideration towards the Handicap are just a few (2, 3 or 5) and so, resulting on a lower Index than what it would be if you would have 20 scores available to calculate your Handicap.

The more Scores you have available, the more accurate it will be according to your game.

How come my Handicap hasn’t change after I uploaded my Scores?

If you keep your Scores with us (TheGrint.com) or with any other USGA Compliant Club, you should know that Handicap Revisions are every 15 Days (in our case, the 1st and 15th of each month).

One common mistake is: you play a few rounds but you forget to put them into your Account (or your Club) and when you do, you write the same date for all of the Scores, then those Scores will go towards the Next Handicap Revision. So they don’t show in your current Handicap Index.

The Handicaps won’t change as soon as you upload or “deposit” your Scorecard. Handicaps update twice a month. If you have all of your Scores (8) with the same date (9/07/2015) then your Handicap will update on 9/15/2015; so until that day, the system will simply show whatever you had before, or what you put when you signed up to TheGrint.

There is one more thing the USGA Handicap System relies heavily on, “peer review”. Peer review is “golfers watching other golfers” to make sure all scores are input correctly.

Doing the math is relatively simple, the difficult part to have a compliant handicap is the “peer review” and the licensing with the USGA. That’s why we created TheGrint, to become THE Free Golf Handicap tracker from USGA licensed golf clubs.

Feel free to ask questions on the Comments Box or e-mail us to: contactus@thegrint.com

Enjoy your Golf!

Blog written by: LadyGrinter
Author avatar
Luis
Golfer, Writer, and Grinter for life.

10 comments

  1. Great explanation. I play a lot of 9 hole matches, how does that figure into the handicap calculation?

    • Hi Steve, thank you for your comment!

      For a 9-hole Score, the Handicap Calculation would be the same, but taking into consideration the Rating and Slope of the 9-holes. Not the 18-hole Rating and Slope.

      You also have a 9-hole Handicap and a 18-hole Handicap.

      We have also applied the Feature that allows you to Combine two 9-hole Scores to make them an 18-hole Score, and so, it will be calculated towards your 18-hole Handicap. You will find this Feature on the Website, on the “Scores” Option.

      Hopefully this helps.

      Let us know if you have any questions or need anything else.

      Regards,

      • Austin Cooksey

        Can I combine all of my 9 hole scores to make them 18 hole scores even if a couple of months old?

        • Hi Austin, good morning.

          Thank you for contacting us.

          You can. You just have to make sure you put the Old Date and not combine those Scores to make them a NEW 18-hole Score. Make sure you leave the Old Date from when you played those Holes.

          The option to combine the Scores is on the Website, on the Scores Option.

          Let us know if you have any questions or need anything else.

    • Nicholas russo

      What is a handicap revision and how is it performed?

      • Hi Nicholas, good afternoon,

        A Handicap Revision is an Automatic Revision the System does every 1st and 15th of every Month.

        It is done following the USGA Regulations so your Handicap is updated according to your Scores in your Account.

        You can e-mail us to contactus@thegrint.com if you have any questions.

  2. J.Go

    Does the grint app factor ESC for us?

    • Hi J.Go,

      Thank you for your comment!

      To answer your question:

      If you upload the Score Hole-by-hole or send us the Scorecard Picture, because the Upload is Hole-by-Hole, the ESC will be calculated automatically.

      If you go to your Scores and Click on View. At the bottom of the Score for each Hole, you will see the ESC.

      However, if you upload the Total Score, you would have to calculate the ESC. You can go to this link http://www.thegrint.com/range/how-to-calculate-a-golf-handicap-2/) and see how to calculate it.

      Let us know if you have any questions or need anything else.

      Regards,

  3. Stu

    If i enter a hole score of 10 with a handicap of 22, will the app apply the equitable stroke control concept to my scorecard. Eg records this hole as 8 for the handicap calculation?

  4. Joe Buda

    I have been a member for over two years and I just switched phone service and as a result Grint asked for my password. I put that in and it wouldn’t tabs it. I contacted you and you sent a password (0000) and that sent me to free Grint.
    My handicap number is 10212300.
    Please help me get back to my Grint site that I pay $19.00 per. Year. I need to update my scores. Please help!!!
    Joe Buda

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