Do You Want To Find Out About Golf Handicap? Visit Here.

Golf is a fairly popular sport but most non players have incomplete understanding of the rules and requirements of the game. 18 holes constitute a round of golf, the holes are played in a definite order. The course layout determines the number of holes, 18 and 9 hole courses are the most common. Nine hole courses need to be played twice for a standard eighteen hole round.

The USGA (United States Golf Association) and the R&A are the governing bodies in America and Europe respectively, the R&A is the successor to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Fair play forms the primary idea behind all the rules. In a few words, the player should play the ball as it is, play the course the way it is or by any other fair means.

Handicap, in golf parlance, is used to measure an amateur golfer's skill. Golf handicap is determined based on the number of tees played for a particular course and the course and slope rating for that course. The essence of the golf handicap system is to create a system to measure players with different levels of expertise. Lower handicap implies higher proficiency, a 'bogey golfer' is one who has an 18 handicap and a 'scratch golfer' is one who has zero handicap. The concept of golf handicap applies to amateur golf only.

'Par', in golf terminology, is used to indicate the number of strokes required by a scratch golfer for a particular hole, round or tournament. Depending on the number of strokes used, golfers are classified as above, below or at par. A player is said to be above par if fewer strokes are required, a player is said to at par if the same number of strokes are used and is said to be below par if greater number of strokes are used.

A player's handicap is subtracted from actual number of strokes to calculate the net score. Golf handicap varies with a player's score, it is an average measure of a golfer's skill. Player's can have plus handicaps as well, plus handicaps are added to the golfer's score.