Golf is a unique game in that anyone can compete with anyone else, regardless of skill level. This is thanks to handicapping. Handicapping is implemented via the World Handicap System. This system, ...

The Rules of Handicapping include safeguards to ensure a player’s Handicap Index accurately reflects their demonstrated ability. However, under some circumstances it will be necessary for the Handicap ...

Welcome to Stuff Golfers Should Know, a GOLF.com series in which we reveal all kinds of useful golf (and life!) wisdom that is sure to make you the smartest, savviest and most prepared player in your ...

Your golf handicap isn’t just a number—it’s the key to fair competition and tracking your true playing ability. From understanding course and slope ratings to using GHIN for posting scores, knowing ...

Among the highlights of the June 2024 presidential debate was a lively back and forth between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump – about golf. Trump cited his golf skills as ...

The number of golfers in the U.S. with a Handicap Index eclipsed the 3 million mark for the first time in 2022 as the year-over-year trajectory pointed upward for the third consecutive year. The ...

As golf’s popularity has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic—3.3 million people in the United States played on a course for the first time in 2022, according to the National Golf Foundation—so too has ...

No, wait, there’s more. Play a bunch of golf this season, track all the highs and lows, and share how your progress is reflected in your Handicap Index. Oh, OK. So slightly more involved. Still, we're ...

If you play a round using preferred lies, is your score acceptable to post for your Handicap Index? Rules Guy has the answer.

Nearly two years after it was first unveiled, the World Handicap System (WHS) is about to take effect. The U.S. is one of several countries that will adopt the WHS, which was crafted by the USGA and R ...

If you ask some golfers, “What’s your handicap?” be prepared to hear the humorous reply: “my swing” or “my lack of coordination.” The more accurate question is: “What is your handicap index?” So, what ...

You can find your golf handicap by taking the average score of the best eight of your last 20 scores. Use this equation to calculate your handicap for any course: Course Handicap = [Handicap Index * ...