what do'es the term handicap mean in golf?
351498
Handicapping is a system that allows golfers of different abilities compete against one another.  Although there are a number of variable factors (i.e. course difficulty), your handicap is roughly proximate to the number of strokes over par you would shoot over 18 holes.\n\nFor instance, someone who averages 82 (on a par 72 course) would have a handicap of ten.  One who averages 72 would have a zero handicap (also known as a "scratch" golfer).  If one player has a ten handicap and another has a twenty handicap, the ten handicap gives the 20 handicap ten strokes (to account for their differences in their respective handicaps).\n\nIn match player, holes are ranked 1 -18 according to their difficulty.  If a 15 handicapper plays a 20 handicapper, the 15 gives the 20 one stroke on the five most difficult holes.  If the difference in handicap is greater than 18, the stronger player must concede two strokes.  For example, if a 6 hancicapper plays a 26 handicapper, the 6 concedes two strokes on the two most difficult holes, and one stroke on the remaining 16.\n\nNote that the handicap system is only used by amateurs and never by professionals as pros are assumed to have a zero/scratch handicap.
1031798
Golf is a game and not a sport.  It is like billiards or bowling, neither of which are sports.  Not saying there isn't skill involved because there is, it just isn't very athletic.  It is more like a walk in the park with a purpose.\n\nMore proof that this golf is a game and not a sport is that female player from Hawaii, Michelle Wei,  I dunno how to spell her name... but she was trying to make history by playing with the men.  No offense to women, but there is no way any woman could match up to a man in a real sport.\n\nI don't wanna hear about how sexist I am... it is a simple fact of life that men are superior to women in physical ability and strength, just like women are superior to men when it comes to matters of the heart.
510830
Think of mini-golf as a big course of just putting greens. In my opinion, this game takes just as much skill to win. Putt-putt leveled the playing field.
493093
Golf (gowf in Scots) is a game where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. It is defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules."\n\nGolf originated in Scotland and has been played for at least five centuries in the British Isles. The oldest course in the world is The Old Links at Musselburgh. Golf, in essentially the form we know it today, has been played on Scotland's Musselburgh Links since 1672, and earlier versions of the game have been played in the British Isles and the low-countries of Northern Europe for several centuries before that. Although often viewed as an elite pastime, golf is an increasingly popular sport that can be played for one's entire life.\n\nAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada [1] simply as football, is a competitive team sport. The object of the game is to advance the football towards the opposing team's end zone and score points. The ball can be advanced by carrying the ball, or by throwing or handing it from one teammate to the other. Points can be scored in a variety of ways, including carrying the ball over the goal line, throwing the ball to another player past the goal line or kicking it through the goal posts on the opposing side. The winner is the team with the most points when the time expires and the last play ends.\n\nOutside of the United States and Canada, the sport is usually referred to as American football (or sometimes as gridiron or gridiron football) to differentiate it from other football games, especially association football (soccer) and rugby football. American football evolved as a separate sport from rugby football in the late 19th century. Arena football is a variant of American football. Canadian football is a close relative to the sport with a few key differences; the word "football" in Canada can mean American football or Canadian football depending on context.\n\nAssociation football, soccer, or simply football is a team sport played between two teams consisting of eleven players each. It is a ball game played on a rectangular grass field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by maneuvering the ball into the opposing goal. Other than the goalkeepers, players may not use their hands or arms to propel the ball in general play. The winner of the match is the team that has scored most goals at the end of the match. The sport is known by many names throughout the English-speaking world, although football is the most common. Other names, such as association football and soccer, are often used to distinguish the game from other codes of football, since the word football may be used to refer to several quite different games.\n\nThe origins of football are thought to be over 2000 years old. Indeed, in 2004, football's governing body Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) officially acknowledged that China was the birthplace of football, when people played the sport of cuju around 200 BC. Association football in paticular dervived out of games played at public schools in England in the Nineteenth Century.
66228
Comes from Scottish.  They invented the game, called it "Goff".  Golf is the Americanized version of that word.  Not an acronym for anything, that's absurd.
308493
The word is "fore"\n\nIt began, back when golf courses were not the manicured gardens that you see today. They often had lots of long grass. So it was easy to lose your ball.\n\nThey had "fore caddies" meaning, front caddie. Usually a young land who would go way out in front and watch where the ball landed. If in the long grass he had a good chance of seeing exactly where it landed.\n\nWhen the golfer hit his shot, seeing that it is headed for the long grass, he would yell "fore" to alert the fore caddy.\n\nToday of course it is used to alert another golfer that a projectile is headed his way and in a hurry.
798079
Hello Jimmy\n\nBasic rules are to treat every one with respect , dont interfere with anothers swing, play the ball where it lies , furthest away plays first and lowest score is best. Always repair your divots and ball marks and at least one more so you can leave the course in better shape then befor you started.\n\nI would suggest reading up on some of the USGA rules at the USGA web site,,,,,,\n\nhttp://www.USGA.org\n\nThere are tons of rules but follow the above and you will enjoy your game.\n\nLeon \n\nSource(s):\n\nhttp://www.usga.org
499316
Golfers can have so many bets going it takes hour to figure them all out.  The all have interesting names and every situation can be a separate bet.  Here are some examples - you can find these and many more types of bets on www.playgolfamerica.com look for the heading Games People Play \nArnies - A point is won by a player who manages to make a par or better on a hole without ever hitting a shot into the fairway.  Named after the King of Golf Arnold Palmer for great ability to get out of trouble and save par.  \n\nAutomatics – An agreement between players or teams when one side falls 2 holes behind another bet starts on the next hole.  So if you tied the next hole you would be 2 down for the first bet and even on the second.  \n\nBasket – A series of side bets per hole.  Closest to pin in regulation, fewest putts, low ball, and birdies.  Win all the bets on one hole (Basket) and everything is doubled.  \n\nBeach Bum – A side wager in which a player who fails to get the ball out of a sand bunker must pay everyone $1.00 for each try that doesn’t get the ball out of the bunker. \n\nBest Ball – This is not a scramble.  You play your own ball all of the time.  This can be one player playing against a team of other players or several teams competing against each other.  The best score out of all the team member for that hole will be the team score.  This form of play can use gross scores or net scores.  \n\nBingo-Bangle-Bungle – This is a good game for all players to play against each other and you don’t need a handicap.  Each hole has three bets or points.  The first point is for the person who hits the green first.  Except on par 3; s, the two closest to the holes win one point.  The second point goes to the ball that is closest to the hole once everyone’s ball is on the green.  The third point is decided by the ball that is first to go into the hole.  The person with the ball farthest from the hole must putt.  Now if you win all three bets on the same hole everything is double.   \n\nBloodbath – That’s what happens to me when I get home after a day of betting.  Just Kidding.  Two teams of two playing in the same group.  The other team gets to pick which drive the opposing team has to play.  \n\nBreak the Bank – Stroke play set a value on each stroke.  When the round is over the loser pays the amount times how many strokes they lost by.
722578
A shot that moves to the right for a right handed golfer.  A controlled slice.  \nYou can find a list of golf terms at www.playgolfamerica.com You can also sign up for a free golf lesson if you would like to play or see if you like it.
311327
"Up" refers to getting the ball on the green (the putting surface) and "down" refers to getting the ball in the hole.\n\nIt is common for professional golfers to get "up and down" in two strokes.
1137900
The handicap is an average of how many strokes over par you are. If shoot 83, 82, then 81 on a par 72 course, your handicap would be 10 because you average 10 strokes over par. Make sense? Holes are ranked as handicaps to determine the difficulty. #1 handicap being the most difficult and #18 the least. Hope this helps!
70815
That is kind of amusing. This undoubtedly came about because there were some folks who understood "par" as a numerical goal but didn't know enough about golf to realize that being "below par" is a good thing!
124870
It means to thoroughly dominate your opponent by not giving them a chance to do anything.  Essentially it's a billiards term - to knock in your remaining balls all in a row without giving up your shot, thus not allowing your opponent to come to the table to have a shot at winning.  In other sports, it means to simply beat the tar out of your opponent, not giving them a chance to come back and win.
1106364
how is this a golf question?
403320
Golf is a game in search of perfection. However, there are very few sports in which perfection can be attained (i.e. 300 in bowling).\n\nAdditionally, golf courses have a number that is considered normal, or "par." The idea is to get the least amount of strokes under par... the lowest score wins. \n\nThink about this... there are a multitude of variables on a golf course as well as with any player at any given moment. For example, a golf course may be wet the next morning after an evening rain. You might have done really well on the dry course the day before, however, since the weather changed, the conditions are different and scores will be altered. \n\nAlso, strength and fatigue have a lot to do with a golfer's capability to score well. As with any sport, training is necessary. However, strength may be lost at one point in time because of something simple as a bad night's sleep or in Tiger Woods' case, a father who is ailing from cancer. \n\nAnyways, putting a golf ball in a 3 1/2" hole from 150-600 yards away in one shot is very difficult. There are limitations that humans have... if one person can hit the ball 450 yards, he's not going to be very accurate. However, another person may be able to hit the ball only 300 yards but may be able to get around the green like a veteran pro.\n\nHope this explanation helps!
275227
Look at your score card for the line that says handicap.  The rating of each hole 1 through 18.  1 is the hardest.  You get 2 strokes on every hole except the holes rated 13 through 18.  Those are the easiest 6 holes.  Now you subtract the number of strokes you get on each hole from what you made on the hole.
509476
O.K., HERE WE GO... TAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR SCORE AND PAR, TIMES 113 DEVIDE BY THE SLOPE RATING OF THE COURSE, YOU NOW HAVE YOUR HANDICAP RATING... ALL COURSES HAVE A CHART THAT SHOWS WHAT YOUR RATING WORKS OUT TO FOR THEIR COURSE... MAXIUM HANDICAP IS 36... HAVE FUN, GOLF IS GREAT...