Golf Basics

Your handicap index is not a mystery the federation computes in a back room. It is a short formula you can run by hand. Here is the WHS math, step by step, with the numbers worked out.

Stableford turns a round of golf into a points game. A bogey is worth something, a blow-up hole costs almost nothing, and aggression suddenly pays off. Here is exactly how it works.

Two numbers on the scorecard quietly govern every handicap, every net score, and every course handicap chart in the pro shop. Here is what they mean, where they come from, and how to read them.

Three handicap numbers. Three jobs. Most golfers can name them but cannot tell you which one to subtract from a gross score on tournament day. Here is the simple version, with examples.

Gross score is the raw number on your card. Net score is that number minus your handicap. The difference is small in math and huge in how golf gets scored at every club in the world.