How to Handicap in Golf

Ensure you have an established handicap through your local golf club or course. A minimum of five complete scores for 18-hole rounds must be entered into the course handicapping computer along with the course rating and index of the course, if it is not a score for your local course.

Check your course handicap for the location that you are going to play. If you have your GHIN (Golf Handicap and Index Number) available, the course pro can verify your handicap index and course index in his handicapping computer at the clubhouse.

Use your course handicap to reduce your scores on the course as required. For example, if you have a handicap of nine, you will get a stroke reduced from your score on the nine most difficult rated holes of the course. This is annotated on the score card on the handicap index row of the card. If your handicap index is close to zero, you could find your course handicap is positive. For example, if you have a handicap of 1 and play an easier course, your course handicap may be plus 2. In this case you add strokes to the most difficult two holes on the course.

Annotate handicap scores per the course rules for the event you are playing. Some courses will have you keep one score per golfer and just subtract the strokes on the holes that the golfer is entitled to them based on her handicap. Others will have you mark the true score on each hole or the net score and then the handicap score.