How Do I Get a Handicap?
Sorry to disappoint, but this is about how to get a GOLF handicap (if you don't already have one). Your golf handicap, or handicap index, is used to match you up in The Hank Invitational so that you will play in a match that pits equally skilled golfers against one another. You do NOT need to have a USGA-approved handicap index for The Hank Invitational.
FREE HANDICAP (Non-USGA approved) CALCULATORS
Below are some websites that will allow you to sign up and track your handicap index for FREE:
KeepMyGolfScore.com
Yahoo Sports' tracker
Handicapplus.com
KeepMyGolfScore's is a little better because of its statistic tracking (fairways and greens hit, putts, etc.) but any one will do the job. Plus, you can print it out and bring it to the tourney or screenshot it and email it to me to provide your proof of handicap index.
USGA-approved online handicap website
Stracka.com (Cost starts $13.95 and goes up to $98.95)
A premium membership on Stracka allows you to keep a USGA-approved handicap online. Why do you want a USGA-approved handicap index? It is required if you ever wanted to play in a USGA-sanctioned tournament. The Hank Invitational is neither USGA-sanctioned (far from it!!!) nor does it require a USGA-approved handicap. This option is simply presented as an alternative to the "free" sites for those golfers who want to have a USGA-approved handicap index.
GHIN.com
Once you have the handicap index, it will be used to determine which golfers are placed on which side. Sides will be chosen so that the handicaps on one side balance in comparison to the handicaps on the other side. Here is how it might be used to for pairings/matches:
FREE HANDICAP (Non-USGA approved) CALCULATORS
Below are some websites that will allow you to sign up and track your handicap index for FREE:
KeepMyGolfScore.com
Yahoo Sports' tracker
Handicapplus.com
KeepMyGolfScore's is a little better because of its statistic tracking (fairways and greens hit, putts, etc.) but any one will do the job. Plus, you can print it out and bring it to the tourney or screenshot it and email it to me to provide your proof of handicap index.
USGA-approved online handicap website
Stracka.com (Cost starts $13.95 and goes up to $98.95)
A premium membership on Stracka allows you to keep a USGA-approved handicap online. Why do you want a USGA-approved handicap index? It is required if you ever wanted to play in a USGA-sanctioned tournament. The Hank Invitational is neither USGA-sanctioned (far from it!!!) nor does it require a USGA-approved handicap. This option is simply presented as an alternative to the "free" sites for those golfers who want to have a USGA-approved handicap index.
GHIN.com
Once you have the handicap index, it will be used to determine which golfers are placed on which side. Sides will be chosen so that the handicaps on one side balance in comparison to the handicaps on the other side. Here is how it might be used to for pairings/matches:
- In a Singles match, two golfers will play against one another individually. A guy with a 6 handicap index would play against a guy with a 5 to 10 handicap index rather than against a guy with a 15 to 20 handicap index. If a significant imbalance exists, the guy with the lower handicap would give his opponent a few strokes on the hardest holes to make up the difference. For example, if a 3 were to get paired up against an 8, the three would give his opponent a one stroke on each of the 5 hardest handicap holes on the course.
- In a Foursomes match or a 2-man scramble, two pairs play against one another and, unlike Singles matches, these matches could potentially match players with unequal handicap indexes in the same pair. One match might pair a guy with a 2 handicap index with a partner who has a 23 handicap index in a match against a guy with a 5 handicap index who is paired with a partner who has a 20 handicap index. Another match might pair a guy with a 5 handicap index with a partner who has a 7 handicap index in a match against a guy with an 8 handicap index who is paired with a partner who has a 4 handicap index. The most important part of using handicap index in creating these particular pairings is to combine them so that the pairs are cumulatively as equal as possible. In an extreme situation where a foursome is created based solely on social circumstances, the pair with the lower average handicap would give strokes to the opposing pair in the same manner set forth above for a singles match.