Handicap Index provides golf-course equity, even for hackers

The thing that separates a "golfer" from "a person who plays golf" isn't a lower score, better wardrobe or a $400 driver.

It's a "Handicap Index."

Having a "Handicap Index" as an amateur golfer means you take the game seriously, even if you never have broken 100.

In a game where some concepts are simple — the faster the club-head speed, the farther the shot; the higher the loft on a club the higher the shot — the Handicap Index stands as the math class you dodged in high school.

The Handicap Index is often misunderstood. It does NOT mean that the golfer with a Handicap Index of 12 usually shoots 84 on a par-72 course. Instead, the Handicap Index (often shortened to index) isn't directly linked to par. It is connected to performance in relation to the difficulty of courses played. In other words, higher scores on tough courses can earn a golfer a lower Handicap Index than lower scores on easy courses.

A "Handicap Index" is essential in some situations and handy in others:

• Competing and making bets. Golf prides itself as being a sport where players of different abilities can compete equally. A player whose "index" on a course is five strokes higher than his opponent, "gets a stroke" on the five holes that have been selected by a committee as the five that most favor the better player.

For example, if the difficult par-4 third hole is one of the five stroke holes and both players shoot 5s, the higher-handicapper wins the hole.

• It is required in any tournament where prizes are offered for the best "net" (actual score minus course Handicap ).

• Getting into compatible foursomes. Telling a starter, "I'm here as a single and I'm a 16" could help him steer you away from a group of raw beginners that would test your patience or a group of scratch golfers where you might feel out of place.

OK, so what is a "Handicap Index" and how do you get one?

"Your Handicap Index is based on what you should shoot 20-25 percent of the time on a course with the standard Slope Rating of 113 (USGA Slope standard difficulty)," said Eric Lahman of the United States Golf Association Handicapping staff in Far Hills, N.J.

OK, time out. We'll slow down. Let's talk about Slope Rating first. Until 1987, courses were rated only for elite (U.S. Amateur caliber) golfers. A course rating of 67.9 from the white tees is what an expert golfer would be expected to shoot from that set of tees. The USGA decided that the handicap method needed to be revised to include the relative difficulty of the course for the bogey golfer.

Example: That 150-yard carry over a lake off the tee is nothing for the scratch golfer but can present a psychological obstacle for the bogey golfer. Also, scratch golfers can reach a 430-yard par-4 hole in two shots and most bogey golfers can't.

The higher the Slope Rating and Course Rating, the more difficult the course. The "standard" course has a Slope Rating of 113. Slope and course ratings are almost always higher from back tees than other tees. Slope Ratings of two popular courses from the white tees: Jefferson Park, 110, and West Seattle 117.

Handicap indexes are based on the best 10 scores of your most recent 20. That means it isn't an "average" score.

A golfer enters (called "posting") his score onto a computer and then it is converted into a "differential" based on the course and slope ratings.

The 4 percent decrease (accomplished by multiplying by .96) is done to reward players who improve their golf games.

Back to "adjusted gross score." The USGA requires a golfer to adjust his score on "disaster holes" after completing a round to avoid inflating his Handicap Index. There are a maximum number of strokes you can record for a hole when you go to "post" your score for the round (enter it on the computer). Golfers with single-digit Indexes (0-9) can record nothing higher than a double bogey. Those with Indexes 10-19 can take nothing higher than a seven.

For example, I shot an eight on the par-4, 16th hole at Walter Hall Golf Course in Everett. I wrote down x-7 because my Course Handicap (explanation just ahead) was 15 and the maximum I could post on any hole was a 7. Instead of posting a score of 86, I posted an 85.

A player's "Handicap Index" is converted into a "Course Handicap" at the particular course he or she is playing that day. That's because courses differ in difficulty. A player with a 13.6 Index might have a Course Handicap of 16 at one course (difficult) and 11 on another course (easier). Pro shops have Course Handicap conversion charts.

So how do you get a USGA Handicap Index, something 79,000 golfers in the state possess through the Washington State Golf Association? Although Web sites offer a handicap service, they aren't considered official and tend to be viewed skeptically by those who hold a USGA Handicap Index.

You can form your own golf club even if you don't have a course. To form your own club, you must have at least 10 people to operate under by-laws with committee to supervise golf activities, provide peer review and maintain the integrity of the Handicap System.

The big thing is "peer review" to prevent dishonesty, which is why "Handicap Committees" exist at golf clubs.

"It boils down to the whole notion of vouching for someone else's Handicap Index," Lahman said.