handicap is the scale of measurement that is used to determine a golfer's score (number of strokes).
what scale of measurement is this a golfer's score (number of strokes)?
handicap
once calculated, the course handicap is applied in stroke play by simply reducing the player's gross score by the handicap, to produce a net score. so, a gross score of 96 with a handicap of 22 would produce a net score of 74. in match play, the lower handicap is subtracted from the higher handicap, and the resulting handicap strokes are awarded to the higher handicapper by distributing them among the holes according to each hole's difficulty; holes are ranked on the scorecard from 1 to 18 (or however many holes are available), and one stroke is applied to each hole from the most difficult to the least difficult. so, if one player has a 9 handicap and another has a 25 handicap, the 25-handicap player receives one handicap stroke on each of the most difficult 16 holes (25-9). if the 25-handicapper were playing against a "scratch golfer" (zero handicap), all 25 strokes would be distributed, first by applying one stroke to each hole, then applying the remaining strokes, one each, to the most difficult 7 holes; so, the handicap player would subtract 2 strokes from each of the most difficult 7 holes, and 1 each from the remaining 11.
golf
a hole is classified by its par, meaning the number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play of the hole. the minimum par of any hole is 3 because par always includes a stroke for the tee shot and two putts. pars of 4 and 5 strokes are ubiquitous on golf courses; more rarely, a few courses feature par-6 and even par-7 holes. strokes other than the tee shot and putts are expected to be made from the fairway; for example, a skilled golfer expects to reach the green on a par-4 hole in two strokes—one from the tee (the "drive") and another, second, stroke to the green (the "approach")—and then roll the ball into the hole in two putts for par. putting the ball on the green with two strokes remaining for putts is called making "green in regulation" or gir. missing a gir does not necessarily mean a golfer will not make par, but it does make doing so more difficult as it reduces the number of putts available; conversely, making a gir does not guarantee a par, as the player might require three or more putts to "hole out". professional golfers typically make between 60% and 70% of greens in regulation.
golf