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The Grades Are In: How Did You Do On The Handicap Quiz?

The first handicap quiz (on your way to the final exam at this year’s Golf.com World Am) has been issued, and the results were decidedly mixed. The majority of respondents missed three out of the five questions, so we figured it was time to bust out the USGA handicap book and offer everyone a refresher course.

That being said, here is a quiz review:

1. True/ False: A handicap index is not the same as a course handicap.

Ninety-three percent (93%) of you correctly answered true. A handicap index refers to a player’s potential playing ability on a course of standard difficulty. A course handicap represents the number of strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played.

In short, your handicap speaks to your ability. The course’s handicap speaks to its difficulty in relation to your ability.

2.  True/False: A handicap index represents the difference between a person’s average score and par.

The answer is false and 48 percent of respondents answered correctly. A handicap index is the USGA’s service mark to indicate a measurement of a player’s potential ability, not how far over (or under) par he or she is on a particular course. 
 

3. How many scores are used to determine a handicap when only 9 scores are posted?

This question was the most problematic, by far. Only 11 percent of people knew that three best differentials of the nine counted toward their handicap. The most common answer was nine.

A USGA handicap is based on the best handicap differentials in a player’s scoring record. If a player’s ledger contains 20 scores, the best 10 differentials are used to calculate the index. As the number of scores in the system decreases, the percentage of scores used decreases from the maximum of 50 percent.


4. True/False: To have the most accurate handicap you should only post tournament scores?

Ninety-seven percent (97%) of people knew that to have a proper handicap you have to include scores beyond tournament rounds.

5. How many holes do you have to play in order to post a legitimate 18-hole score?

Most people thought you have to play all 18. The correct answer is 13, and 27 percent of people chose the right answer. Once you’ve completed more than 2/3 of your round, the USGA makes it official. Scores for unfinished holes must be recorded as par plus any strokes the player was entitled to receive.