38 • JULIO • Nº 16 / GOLF CV
Golf for the residents HANDICAPS, WHY HAVE ONE AND ONE ONLY? A golfing handicap is one of the most contentious topics amongst golfers and nowhere more than here on the Costas. I have actually played with a category two golfer who informed me that he has four different handicaps, how you might ask? What with a CONGU handicap, a plethora of golfing society handicaps who use varying creative systems to adjust their society member’s handicaps and finally the EGA handicap administered by the RFEG. The EGA handicap is the only handicap that is valid here in Spain and it alone allows you to compete in tournaments. As the EGA handicap system is an automated system (based on SCH, Central Handicap Server)there is no need for a society handicap se-
cretary spending many long hours trying to create a level playing field for their members. What then is a handicap? It is defined in golf a singular term, a number and it is said to be a measure of a player’s playing ability over an entire round of golf a number. The lower this number is, the better the golfer is, allegedly. A handicap gives an indication of the number of strokes above or below par for a course a golfer should be able to play. Handicaps are supposed to allow golfers of differing standards and abilities to compete against one another in a fair match, based upon the difference between their respective handicaps. For
instance, a 12-handicapper must offer a 16-handicapper four strokes before they begin their game. In stroke play, the golfer who shoots the lowest net score (total strokes minus handicap) wins the round. Where as in match play strokes are awarded at the four most difficult holes on the course as per stroke index or handicap When we play golf with players we have never played with before, the question of handicap always arises. It has been estimated that only 20 percent of all golfers have a legitimate handicap. Many golfers who don’t have a registered handicap may often take their average score and subtract 72 from it. But that is not a handicap. The term “handicap” is so often hotly debated,
