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You can actually be lower than 0or scratch and you go into plus's. This means you have to consistently hit under par and add shots back on.
Sergio Garcia had +7
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I think the range is actually +3.5 to 36.4 (basically, -36). And, I think that's your index. Your course handicap I think can range from +9 to -44. A little math could figure it out. Try a course with 145 slope as a difficult course. To have a +3.5 index, you'd have a course handicap of +4 and to earn that, you'd have to consistently post scores around 68. Who does that??
I also think that highly competitive amateurs (US Am winners, Open qualifiers, etc.) are typically +3 to +4. Realize that this means they consistently shoot under par as you'd expect. A four round tournament score of -8 is usually going to be in the money...but that's only 2 under (granted, on a fairly difficult set up probably).
As a comparison...
Jerry Rice is about a 0.5...and came in almost dead last in his Nationwide debut.
Donald Trump is about a 3 (supposedly...but he does pontificate a bit)
Kenny G is around a 0.
Rush Limbaugh is around a 14.
Top notch college players are often +1 or so.
As some commentator said, the playing ability difference between a Tour player and a +1 is greater than between a +1 and a 20 hcp (again, see Jerry Rice's debut as an example of this...we still love you, Jerry).
the Player who currently has the lowest UK handicap is Laurie Canter(of bath, Somerset county player and member of the England elite sqaud)playing off +5(+4.7) Laurie has had a very quick
rise to fame having only played off a handicap of +1 at the start of 2009 he has since won the south African amateur and strokeplay championships aswell as winning the open LFQ at fairmount with a impresive eight under total for the 36 hole qualifying with rounds of 3 under and 5 under. unfortunatly he missed the cut in The Open shotting rounds of 82 and 78. although he is not the highest England player in the wagr currently lying 75th he does hold the lowest handicap in the UK.
The official record are three 58's ... Jason Bohn in the 2001 Canadian Tour Bayer Championship, Shigeki Maruyama in 2000 during the US Open sectional qualifier, and Ryo Ishikawa in 2010 at the Crowns event on the Japanese Golf Tour ... the latter round is the only 58 ever shot on one of the worlds 4 major tours.
The official record on a men's course over 6500 yards is 58 ... Jason Bohn in the 2001 Canadian Tour Bayer Championship, Shigeki Maruyama in 2000 during the US Open sectional qualifier, and Ryo Ishikawa in 2010 at the Crowns event on the Japanese Golf Tour ... the latter round is the only 58 ever shot on one of the worlds 4 major tours.
There are documented rounds of 57, 56 and even a 55. Although these rounds were legitimately witnessed and played by the rules, most were shot on either very short courses or under non-tournament conditions.
The lowest handicap in golf is 0. This is called playing off scratch. No shots are given on any hole. There are many such players, even at club level
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Not true. See other answers to this question. USGA Index ranges +3.5 to (-)36.4. Course handicap ranges based on adjustments to this.
In theory, you could say that an amateur that shoots 60 every time they go out would probably be a +11 or so, but then they'd also be playing on Tour...not even Tiger shoots scores like that.
Pros don't have handicaps, by the way.
You would not really be able to find out who held the lowest ever golf handicap because it is not really ever released by clubs. Rory McIlroy played of +5 before he turned pro.
A golf handicap is a numerical representation of a playerβs ability,
A golf index is the same thing as a golf handicap - it measures a golfer's ability.
36 ;)
15
24
9
Net golf is the use of a players handicap when adding up the score.
2 years
Putting
yes
50