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California and Florida are bound to be high on the list with their beautiful weather and assortment of playing options, and New York and Pennsylvania probably deserve spots on the list as well with their rosters of classic courses and deep histories. However, while those states have plenty to offer golf-wise, none of them appear near the top of the list of states with the lowest average handicap indexes.

The USGA keeps careful track of Handicap Index figures from the entire country, and recently, they shared some of that data with us. One stat that jumped off the page? The states with the lowest average Handicap Indexes.

Lowest average Handicap Index (men and women)

Among the entire United States, the state with the lowest average Handicap Index is Mississippi at 11.8. According to the USGA, 8,527 golfers in the Magnolia State keep a Handicap Index — and it appears that a healthy dose of them can golf their ball.

Check out the entirety of the list below.

Lowest average Handicap Index (men only)

Mississippi might take the title for the lowest average Handicap Index, but if we narrow our query to only include men, Oklahoma rises to the top of the list. According USGA data, the average Handicap Index among men in Oklahoma is 10.9, the lowest figure in the U.S.

Check out the entirety of the list below.

Lowest average Handicap Index (women only)

Now that we’ve sorted by men, let’s take a look at the ladies. According to the USGA, the state with the lowest average Handicap Index among women is Utah at 21.3. However, Utah doesn’t quite top the list as Puerto Rico (a territory) has a lower average Handicap Index among women at 18.7.

Check out the entirety of the list below.

NEWSLETTER

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The post The World Handicapping System is evolving and innovating. Here’s what’s coming next appeared first on Golf.

The post The World Handicapping System is evolving and innovating. Here’s what’s coming next appeared first on Golf.

The handicapping system, designed to keep us all on a level playing field.

In January, 2020, the USGA and the R&A expanded the system’s democratizing reach by rolling the six existing handicapping systems around the globe into a single World Handicapping System.

The WHS has brought a range of benefits.

Easy to understand, without sacrificing accuracy, it has made it simpler to establish a handicap. The system is also adaptable to all golfing cultures, allowing players of varying ability to compete fair and square on any course, in any format, anywhere on the planet. (Don’t have one? Head here to get started.)

Golfers have responded in droves.

In the United States alone, more than 2.86 million golfers now keep a handicap, a roughly 10 percent jump since 2020. In 2021, more than 82 million scores were posted on the GHIN system, the digital platform that supports the WHS. In the past three months, through a joint initiative of the USGA and its 58 affiliate state and regional associations, some 50,000 golfers joined the GHIN fold.

Instruction

Of all the reasons to establish and maintain a handicap, the most compelling is that it makes the game more fun. It gives you access to a great assortment of events. It also gives you personal targets, benchmarks to help you gauge your progress. Not that you have to be serious stick. To make it easier to establish and maintain an index, the government bodies have raised the maximum handicap to 54.

“I think the biggest myth about handicaps is that people think, ‘I’m not good enough to have one,’” says Steve Edmondson, managing director of Handicapping and Course Rating for the USGA. “That runs counter to the purposes of a handicap — it’s meant to make the game more enjoyable for everyone.”

A growing number of golfers have learned this. As they establish handicaps, the golf world has also learned more about them.

Here’s a peek at some handicapping facts and figures, along with a look at newly added handicap-related innovations and others that are coming down the pike.

The game is more global than ever

Before 2020, the six separate handicap systems in use around the globe included just over 80 countries. There are 119 countries in the WHS today.

It takes time to add a country

For a country to be part of a handicap system, its courses must be rated. The governing bodies got working on this long before launching the WHS. In some countries, it took upwards of 5 years to rate the courses. On average, the game’s governing bodies and their affiliated state and regional associations rate 3,000-4,000 courses a year.

The average handicap has held steady

In recent decades, the average handicap hasn’t changed much. And it has held pretty much steady since the launch of the WHS. Today, the global average is 14.5. In the United States, it is 14.2 for men and 25.7 for women — numbers that are pretty much on par with those around the world. The USGA will have more comprehensive handicapping data at the end of this year, thanks to a new Centralized Handicap Computation Platform.

Instruction

More men play, but more women are joining

Men make up roughly 79 percent of golfers with handicaps, and women roughly 21 percent. But girls and women currently represent the fasting growing segment of the game.

The techies are always working on their games

The move to the WHS came with a complete overhaul of the GHIN platform, which was simplified significantly for the user even as it added a range of sophisticated features. In partnership with GolfLogix, which is an affiliate of GOLF.com, green-reading and GPS technology functions were added, giving golfers ready access to valuable information through their mobile phones — all in accordance with the Rules of Golf.

As of this month, the GHIN app is also now Apple Watch-compatible, bringing the power to keep score and track stats to golfers’ wrists.

Other innovations are on the way, including more advance stat-tracking, as well as a games feature that will make it easier for golfers to keep track of friendly competitions. Who gets strokes on which holes in a four-ball match for a beer? Let GHIN handle that. By 2024, the USGA also plans to add features that will make it simpler for golfers to log 9-hole and other alternate-length rounds.

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The post Handicap Index myths: 5 details that most golfers misunderstand appeared first on Golf.

Handicapping is implemented via the World Handicap System. This system, jointly governed worldwide by the USGA and R&A, levels the playing field and enables golfers of all abilities to compete on a fair basis. No matter your skill level, if you have a Handicap Index, you can compete with another golfer in a fair competition, in any format, on any course, anywhere in the world.

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However, despite the utility of handicapping, many golfers have a fundamental misunderstanding of how Handicap Indexes work. That’s where we come in. Below, you’ll find five handicap-index misconceptions and some explanations we hope clear things up.

Myth #1: A Handicap Index represents your average score

Many golfers have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a Handicap Index actually represents. They hear someone is a 2 handicap and assume that golfer should shoot two over par every time they tee it up. That is far from the truth.

“A Handicap Index, in basic terms, is a numerical value that represents a golfer’s demonstrated ability,” says the USGA’s Assistant Director of Handicap Education and Outreach Lee Rainwater. “Ultimately, we say that because we’re not looking at a golfer’s average. We are looking at how a golfer is capable of performing on a golf course.”

“Demonstrated ability” is a key phrase here.

Myth #2: You should shoot your handicap every time

This is directly related to No. 1. Again, Handicap Index does not represent your expected score every time you play. It is a reflection of demonstrated ability, not average ability. It can be frustrating not to play to your potential — but that’s kind of the point, too.

“It’s actually expected that in any given round, you’re going to shoot two, four, five strokes higher than your Handicap Index,” Rainwater says. “And it could be higher than that if you just have a poor day. Golfers vary from a standpoint of consistency. But generally, one in every four to five rounds you will play to your handicap.”

Myth #3: A Handicap Index counts all your scores

Another misconception comes from the way a Handicap Index is actually calculated. As noted above, many golfers think a Handicap Index refers to an average of your scores. This is partially true, but not completely accurate.

Per the USGA’s website, “your Handicap Index is calculated by averaging the best eight Score Differentials out of your most recent 20 scores.”

Each time you tee it up, it is more likely than not that it won’t affect your Handicap Index. Unless it’s one of your eight best rounds, that score will get dropped. So, next time that 2 handicap in your group has an off day, don’t automatically assume it’s a vanity handicap.

Myth #4: All scores are created equal (Pt. 1)

Score differential is a key ingredient in Handicap Index calculation, but it’s not widely understood. For a proper explanation, we turn to the USGA’s handicap FAQs.

“A Score Differential measures the performance of a round in relation to the relative difficulty of the course that was played, measured by the course rating and slope rating,” the USGA explains. “The result of the daily playing conditions calculation is also included in the Score Differential calculation, which may provide an adjustment if course and/or weather conditions significantly impacted scores on that day.”

The score differential formula is as follows:

(113 / Slope Rating) x (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating – PCC adjustment)

Myth #5: All scores are created equal (Pt. 2)

Golf scores, like many things in life, require nuance to interpret. A pair of 78s from two different courses could count in different ways for handicap purposes. This is because Score Differential is used to calculate your handicap, and not raw scores in relation to par.

“We’re looking at your scores in relation to the course rating and the slope rating being played,” Rainwater says. “Someone might see a score and simply compare it to par, and it gives a distorted view about performance. Shooting an 82 on a really difficult course may very well be a much more impressive performance than a 78 on an easier course. We focus on the score in relation to the difficulty of the course to drive the Handicap Index.”

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A stroke is a stroke. Your score is your score.

Clarity over vagary. That’s the ethos.

Funny, then, how the first tee is often grounds for squishy, adolescent uptalk.

What do you play to?

Oh, um, I’m like  . . . an 11?

News

According to the latest figures from the United States Golf Association, 2.86 million golfers in this country carry a handicap. That’s up from 2.4 million in 2014, but it’s still only 12 percent of the total American golf population.

The governing body would like to see the number grow. They’re serious about handicaps, so much so that they’ve trademarked the term (officially, it’s the Handicap Index, thank you very much). They’ve made it easier than ever to establish one (you need scores from only 54 holes, in any combination of 9 or 18 holes, including past rounds). And they’ve kept it relatively affordable. The average fee is $55 a year, which is less than you probably spent on streaming platforms last month. You can start the process here.

But the question here is not whether you owe the USGA your business.

The question is whether you owe it to your fellow golfers to carry a handicap.

The short answer is usually, yep, you do.

The slightly longer answer is that even in the most laidback outings, most golfers want to play with something on the line, whether it’s a beer, a buck or bragging rights. If you want to be part of that good, clean, fun, etiquette calls on you have an index. It’s fairer and more enjoyable for everyone. Saying I’m, um, like an 11 doesn’t cut it because there is, um, no such thing.

Instruction

Of course, nothing requires you to play for any stakes at all. It’s not an etiquette violation to opt out of a match on the first tee. But it does verge on anti-social, and you risk being perceived as a ninny or a killjoy.

That might not matter to you. The Etiquetteist just thought you should know.

The right to play in friendly matches is not the only argument for carrying a handicap. There are plenty of pragmatic reasons. You’ll need an official index if you want to play in any number of club events. You’ll also want one if you’re headed overseas, where many courses require it. Some enforce a maximum handicap (at the Old Course in St. Andrews, that maximum is 36), which has less to do with mandating a certain skill level than it is about ensuring that golfers know how to move around a course and play at a reasonable pace.

Oh, and having a good handle on your handicap will also give you a good idea of what tees you should be playing.

In that sense, carrying an index is often less about etiquette than it is enjoyment. Not bothering to have one is like fudging a hand in solitaire. The only one you’re cheating is yourself.

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The post The Etiquetteist: Sandbaggers in your midst? Here’s how to deal with them appeared first on Golf.

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Here are 10 suggestions for dealing with sandbaggers in your midst.

1. Take pity

The sandbagger is, at heart, a sad and lonely figure, willing to sacrifice integrity and friendship for the sake of a soulless win. Looked on in this light, he or she deserves your sympathy, not your scorn.

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2. Turn the other cheek

This is not a swing tip that calls for more rotation of your lower body. It’s a plea to your capacity for forgiveness, a request for recognition that all of us are human and therefore deeply flawed. Except you, of course.

3. Gripe and gossip

This is a wildly popular approach. As the alleged 15-handicap who plays to 2 strides to the podium to accept his 12th consecutive net-division plaque, grouse and grumble to your buddies at the table. Let out a mournful chuckle and shake your head. Although this strategy will change nothing, don’t dismiss it. There is great satisfaction in passive-aggression and petty chatter behind someone else’s back.

4. Leave an anonymous note

You could post it on her locker or the windshield of her car, making plain your displeasure with her dishonesty. What this method lacks in courage it makes up for in clarity. And it’s (slightly) more mature than slashing tires.

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5. Give the cold shoulder

Even those who are self-centered enough to sandbag are not entirely oblivious to social clues. Among groups of golfers, is it not uncommon to gradually freeze the sandbagger out of matches. This tactic takes time. But at some point, the offender gets the hint.

6. Alert the authorities

We’d suggest that you speak to the head of the handicap committee, but the handicap committee is a fading institution. A lot of clubs no longer have them because, well, who in their right mind would want to sit on one? The more likely go-to for your grievance is the head professional, who often winds up in the middle of handicap disputes, navigating a minefield of politics and personalities, among other messes that sandbaggers leave behind.

7. Poke gentle fun

Light-hearted jabs are another way to get your point across. Just beware that you’re walking a fine line. What seems to you like playful ribbing may be taken as fighting words. There is truth in humor, after all. And kidding aside, you are essentially calling them a cheat.

Instruction

8. Confront them directly

This is the old-fashioned pugilist’s approach, moving straight ahead, letting the verbal haymakers fly. Mince no words. Let them have it. With the understanding that you might leave a friendship flat-out on the floor.

9. Be diplomatic

Current political climate notwithstanding, there are ways to hold a conversation without letting it turn into a hostile confrontation. Instead of bluntly branding someone with the s-word, try couching your critique in euphemism. “You’re clearly a great competitor,” you might offer, “with another gear when it really matters. Given those gifts, would it not be sporting to adjust your index to more accurately reflect how clutch you are.” Like most diplomacy, it is worth a try, even if it leads to all-out war.

10. Draw on the data

Good news, someone has already done the hard work for you! His name is George Thurner, 58, a longtime scratch player with a background in data analytics. Two years ago this month, he launched a service called Cap Patrol. Originally intended for use at the private club in Cincinnati where Thurner belongs, Cap Patrol has become a business, and Thurner has made it his full-time job.

As its name suggests, the system functions as a golf-world RoboCop, policing players’ rounds and scores to ensure that performances square up with true potential. As part of its surveillance, Cap Patrol crunches numbers across 43 data points, scanning everything from tournament results to GHIN indices and tee-sheet records, distilling its findings through an algorithm, which in turn flags suspicious rounds.

There’s much more to Cap Patrol than we have space for here, but it’s worth nothing that fabled Oakmont was an early adopter, and the system is currently in use at several hundred clubs across the country, all of them private or semi-private. If you belong to one of them, lucky you. Cap Patrol has you covered. If not, we refer you to methods 1 through 9.

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The post This is the average handicap index among golfers in the United States appeared first on Golf.

How much higher than 71, though? Thanks to data from the USGA, we can give you an exact figure. The governing body recently shared its handicap index statistics for 2021 with us, and one figure that jumped off the page was the average handicap index among golfers in the United States. Check out the data below.

Wedges

The average handicap index among men

Among the 2,305,672 of male golfers who kept a handicap through the USGA, the average handicap for men in the United Stats in 2021 was 14. This is slightly lower than the 14.2 average that was reported in 2020 — perhaps the golf boom has made for more talented golfers? — and means that an average men’s golfer in the U.S. is typically shooting in the mid-to-high 80s. Just a bit higher than the average score of a Tour pro.

The average handicap index among women

Among the 544,712 female golfers who kept a handicap through the USGA, the average handicap index among women was 27.7. And while men’s golfers saw a slight drop to their scores year-over-year, women’s indexes were slightly higher than the 27.5 average reported in 2020.

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The post Do you know your ‘anti-handicap’? Here’s why that rarely-cited stat is so useful appeared first on Golf.

The post Do you know your ‘anti-handicap’? Here’s why that rarely-cited stat is so useful appeared first on Golf.

I do keep a Handicap Index (this year for the first time in many years), which is truly one of modern civilization’s greatest inventions, and which just last year was made better still. What other game gives you the ability to compete head-to-head so seamlessly with players to whom you’re either far superior or inferior? I can’t think of many.

But this column is not an ode to handicaps. Instead, I’m here to praise handicaps’ lesser-known cousin: anti-handicaps.

Lifestyle

I had never heard of anti-handicaps until the other day when I received a newsletter in my inbox from my handicap provider, a fun app called TheGrint. Among the items in the email was a blurb on anti-handicaps, a stat that TheGrint provides all of its users. A Grint writer identified only as Luis explained that anti-handicaps illuminate “how you play when you are not your best version.”

“The Anti-Handicap,” Luis continued in an article on TheGrint’s site, “is the exact opposite of the Handicap Index. Whereas one measures your demonstrated potential ability as a player, taking your BEST 8 rounds, the other tracks the 12 rounds that don’t count towards your Index, i.e. your WORST rounds. … So basically, Handicap = how good of a player you are. Anti-Handicap how bad of a player you can be.”

Clever, right? It’s not a new metric, just one that’s not often cited. The first reference to anti-handicaps I could find online was from Bob Carney, formerly of Golf Digest, who in 1988 wrote that anti-handicaps address “the shakiness quotient.” That’s a nice way to put it, because ultimately your anti-handicap reveals how steady — or shaky — a player you are, in a way that your regular handicap does not. Put another way, not all players with the same handicaps are created equal.

For example, take Player A with a 15 handicap (we’re just estimating here), whose last 20 rounds look like this (again, just estimating): 90-104-107-91-96-101-112-94-100-88-95-105-91-87-106-103-99-104-97-102. That player’s eight best scores over that stretch were 90-91-96-94-88-95-91-87, which gets you somewhere in the ballpark of a 15 index.

Now, take Player B, who also is a 15 handicap but whose last 20 rounds look like this: 90-98-98-91-96-100-94-98-101-97-95-97-91-87-98-88-100-102-98-99. Player B’s eight best scores were exactly the same as Player A’s: 90-91-96-94-88-95-91-87, but you don’t need a Ph.D. in advanced calculus to deduce that Player B is a much better, or at least far more consistent, golfer than Player A. How much more consistent? That’s where anti-handicaps are so useful.

Tournaments

Start by computing each player’s anti-handicap — again, that’s their handicap from their 12 worst scores instead of their eight best. When you have that number, subtract from it the player’s actual handicap. The difference will speak to each player’s consistency, or lack thereof. Somewhere in the range of 5 strokes would indicate that you’re a steady player. Creep up to a differential of 10-15 strokes and it’s fair to say who knows what’s coming from one round to the next.

So, how to put anti-handicaps to good use? Well, for starters, it’s a handy stat to know about your own game. If your differential is in that 10-15 range, try to determine why: too many putts? Bad decision-making? Mental meltdowns? If you can pinpoint the problem area (and improve on it!), that should lead to more consistent scoring.

Anti-handicaps are also useful in matches. If you know your buddy is a 12 handicap and a 16 anti-handicap, beware! He’s unlikely to have many blow-ups, and unless you play your best, you might find it hard to get into his wallet. Likewise, if you’re looking for a teammate in a match-play event or club championship, find a pal with a low handicap/anti-handicap differential. You want a player in your corner who you can rely on — not one who could just as easily shoot 103 as 83.

Like…um, me! I’m a 12.8 index, but my anti-handicap, as I just learned last week, is a 20.9, leaving me with a differential of 8.1.

Not bad, I suppose, but not great. Go find another partner.

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The post It’s officially handicap-posting season: Here are 4 things to remember appeared first on Golf.

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Thursday, April 15 marks the official beginning of golf season — or, at least it’s the beginning of the active season according to the USGA. You can finally start posting scores for handicap purposes in all 50 states. Here are four things you need to know about handicap-posting season.

1. How to get a handicap

You need to join a club to post scores for handicap purposes. This doesn’t mean you need to shell out serious cash to join a swanky private club, this just means you need to connect with a local golf course and have them walk you through the sign-up process. Most golf courses are authorized to do this, and many can set you up on the spot. If not, you can also sign up for an electronic club, or E-Club, which allows you to pay dues and obtain an ID Number (such as a GHIN number) via the internet. So, if you want to get a Handicap Index this season, reach out to your local course to get started or follow the link here.

2. All scores count

Prior to today, it was not the recognized active season in all 50 states. What that means is that some northern states were still in the inactive season, which happens during the winter months. Scores are not counted for handicap purposes during these months because playing in the harsh, cold conditions do not accurately reflect someone’s playing ability. But now that we are in the active season everywhere in the country, every round you play is eligible to be posted for handicap purposes.

3. Net double bogey is max

Although you may make some big numbers on the card this golf season, the max score you can take on any hole is a net double bogey. Specifically, a net double bogey is a double bogey plus any handicap strokes you receive on that hole. If you are playing a hole where you receive one stroke for handicap purposes, the max score you can take for the hole is a triple bogey, or a net double bogey.

4. Not all rounds are created equal

Although some scores you post may be lower than others, they might be viewed as “better” because of course difficulty. But did you know that scores posted on the same course can be viewed the same way? That’s because of the playing conditions calculation that is used to more accurately gauge performance on any given day. Courses can vary in difficulty from day to day for a number of reasons, so this calculator uses data to determine if an adjustment is needed to reflect your performance on that day.

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And then I moved up to New York, where I was introduced to a true golf offseason, good and hard. And along with it, I became familiar with the golf’s offseason handicap rules.

In case you’re unfamiliar: The handicap system in each state is run by that state’s golf association (some of the larger and/or more populous states have multiple golf associations, but let’s get into that another time), and each state has slightly different rules.

Which brings us to the offseason handicap rules.

Around the time when temperatures begin to drop, the states in various northern climates move into an official offseason. Why? Because as the USGA explains, the effects of weather fluctuations on course-conditions have the potential to skew players’ handicaps. If you’re playing a course in near-freezing temperatures, for instance, or with frozen greens, and you shoot a higher-than-average score, is that really a fair reflection of your ability? Probably not, which opens the door for potential sand-bagging.

Hence the offseason. Offseason start dates vary by state; some come in mid-November, some in late November. All of the state associations that implement offseasons will have done so by the end of November.

The states in blue on the map below are the offseason states; the states in green allow you to post scores year-round. You can check out a full list right here.

States with offseason handicap rules

If you live in an offseason state, you can (obviously) still play golf in these areas, it just means that you can’t register a score that counts towards your handicap. If you play golf in a non-offseason state, you’re still allowed to post that score towards your handicap.

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The post This is the most common handicap index among golfers in the United States appeared first on Golf.

The USGA updated its handicap index statistics — compiling the millions of official handicaps registered with the governing body — to create a treasure trove of golfy nuggets and facts. You can dig into all of it here, but we decided to highlight what we thought was the top water-cooler fodder — the most common handicap index in golf.

The most common men’s handicap index in golf

Drumroll, please…13! That’s right, the most common handicap index for men in the U.S. is in the 13.0-13.9 range. But barely. Those golfers (about 96,000 of them) make up 5.42% of the total men’s population with handicaps, but that’s only one-hundredth more than 12.0-12.9, which is 5.41%. So, if you are a 12 or 13 handicap, you have lots of company. And, if you were wondering, while this is the most common handicap range, the average handicap index for men is actually 14.2.

The most common women’s handicap index in golf

As for women’s golfers with official handicaps, the most common is 27.0-27.9, which is the handicap range of 4.07%, or slightly under 18,000 golfers. The second-most common handicap is 28.0-28.9, or 4.03%. The average handicap index for women is 27.5.

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