Under the rules of the United States Golf Association, the highest golf handicap is 36.4 for a man and 40.4 for a woman.
There is a technical provision that allows for higher handicaps if you are playing on a golf course that is more difficult than normal, but 36.4 and 40.4 are the officially stated numbers by the USGA, which regulates the golf handicap system.
Purpose of Golf Handicaps
The purpose of golf handicaps, states the USGA, are to make the game more enjoyable "by enabling players of different abilities to compete on an equitable basis."
So if two players at Augusta Golf Club tee it up for a match, a player with an handicap of 10.0 would have to give five strokes to an opponent with a handicap of 15.0. The strokes would be given on the five most difficult holes on the course, as designated by the scorecard. In theory, the opponents would then be equally matched.
History of Golf Handicaps
A story by Dean Knuth at his "Pope of Slope" website details the history of handicaps. The term originated with horse racing handicapping, when odds would be determined for all entries for betting purposes. Initially, it was called "assigning the odds."
It was largely the same in golf. A diary by a med student in Scotland in 1687 made the first known reference to handicaps. By the mid-1800s, simple golf handicaps became commonplace, in part because golf pros made a large chunk of their income by betting on matches against amateurs, and handicaps gave the amateurs an equal chance of winning, at least in theory.
How Do You Get a Golf Handicap?
You must play five rounds or more and post your scores at a course that is licensed by the USGA, which licenses several thousands of courses across the country for handicap purposes.
You will then be awarded a Handicap Index, which measures your potential ability on an average golf course. By the time you have played 20 rounds, your best 10 scores will count towards your handicap.
How is Your Golf Handicap Calculated?
By a pretty complex set of calculations. Your Handicap Index is adjusted up or down according to your scores. But your Handicap Index is not just calculated from your raw score--80 or 95--but adjusted for the difficulty of the course you play. A Course Rating is determined by how tough the course plays for an outstanding golfer. A Slope Rating, invented by Dean Knuth, is determined by how tough the course plays for a bogey golfer, who would normally shoot around 90.
So your handicap depends by your scores, adjusted for the difficulty of the golf course. If you compete against another golfer who plays at a different club, a Club Rating will determine how many strokes you are entitled to receive or must give to your opponent.
Equitable Stroke Control
There is one more important wrinkle in establishing your golf handicap. Since handicaps are based on potential ability, a really high score on one hole would distort the total score. So for handicapping purposes, a golfer can't score higher than a set amount on any one hole.
For example--if your handicap is 9 or less, you cannot record more than a double bogey for any one hole. For example--if your handicap is 10-19, you cannot record a total over seven on any one hole.
Fortunately, golfers don't have to do their own calculations. It's all done by the USGA, which administers the handicap system. And, generally speaking, the handicap system serves its stated purpose, keeping golf matches between players of different abilities competitive and fun.
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