What Is a Good Golf Handicap? Strategies for Lowering Your Handicap

In golf, there are few feelings better than watching your handicap slowly drop over time. But what is a good golf handicap in the first place?

Well, that depends on how you define "good." According to the WHS, the average handicap is 14.2 for a male golfer and 27.5 for a female golfer.

However, this system calculates your handicap based only on the last 20 rounds you've played. It doesn't consider factors like age and experience. For someone just getting into golf, a good handicap can go above 30.

At the end of the day, the only handicap rule is that you should always aim to lower it. Here are some tips that will help you make that happen!

Hit Consistent Drives

The best way to reduce your handicap is to hit consistent drives with a lot of distance. A good drive sets up both your short game and approach shots.

Hitting a consistent drive is all about a balanced setup position. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart and balance your weight over both feet. Put your head behind the ball and keep a slightly positive shaft lean.

If you're a new golfer, it's also worth looking into your golf equipment. In many cases, a good driver and shaft combination can make all the difference. Go to a good club fitter to find out what works best for you.

Control Chips and Pitches

If you're a mid-handicap golfer, you should be able to hit chips and pitches with decent contact. The next step is controlling distance.

A good way to practice this is to calibrate the distance you hit your wedges. After each shot (low or high), write down the distance and calibrate every 10 yards. This can help you turn shorter putts into up-and-downs.

For best results, use different techniques when calibrating your chips and pitches. For chip shots, it's best to calibrate the total distance. For pitch shots, calibrate from where the ball lands.

Practice Your Curveballs

Mastering one basic swing and ball flight can do a lot for your game. Still, it's always worth having another option for trouble shots and doglegs.

One shot you should have in your arsenal is curving the ball on demand. All you need to do is adjust your grip. If you're right-handed, placing your thumbs on the right side of the shaft will make the ball curve left.

This technique works the other way around, too. If you rotate your thumbs to the left side of the grip, you'll open the face and make the ball curve left and slice. You can control the amount of curve by varying your hand rotation.

Avoid 3-Putts

One of the most reliable ways to lower your golf handicap is to minimize your 3-putts. You'll notice that low-handicap golfers don't 3-putt often.

The key to avoiding 3-putts is to control the speed and distance your ball will roll. That way, your first putt will settle closer to the hole. Plus, a ball that slows down around the hole is more likely to fall into the edges.

In general, good putting is something that requires experience. If you're looking to get ahead of the curve, consider distance control drills. The 3-foot increment drill is a good place to start.

Hit Greens in Regulation

Hitting greens in regulation is another reliable way to reduce your handicap. You have to hit 7-13 greens to drop to a single-digit handicap.

To hit more greens, plan how you'll enter them. Let's say you have a fairway bunker on the left side of the fairway. In this case, it makes sense to get a better angle by teeing off on the far left side of the box.

Here's another example: the hole is tucked over a bunker on the right side of the green. If so, you should aim your shot a little more to the left to avoid the bulk of the bunker. This would also create a far easier approach angle.

Make Solid Contact

Golfers with a low handicap (i.e. scratch golfers) hit a high percentage of solid shots. They do it by making contact in the middle of the club face.

Now, this doesn't mean that a good golfer can't hit a bad shot from time to time. They do, but they also know how to recover. Most of the time, though, they'll make good shots thanks to their crisp hitting technique.

To consistently make solid contact, you need good fundamentals. Pay attention to how you set up the ball, grip the club, and align your wrists. Hold your finish to correct any balance issues.

Control Bunker Distance

No matter how consistent your golf strokes are, some balls will end up in a bunker. The question is: how do you get back on track from there?

One skill that helps here is the ability to control your distance. This allows you to get out of the bunker while getting the ball closer to the hole. The best way to achieve that is to look into your club selection.

For bunker play, you should use your lob wedge for the shortest shots. Your sand wedge should do for medium shots, and the gap wedge is perfect for longer shots. Consider changing your swing path as well.

Know When to Settle

As mentioned above, low-handicap golfers can have bad days too. When that happens, though, they'll try to make the best out of a bad situation.

What does this mean? Simple: if they notice their ball striking isn't as good as usual, they'll adapt by playing more conservatively. This involves choosing less offensive shot options rather than going for a high score.

In a word, it's all about discipline. Like most other aspects of golf play, you can work on improving it. This involves recognizing your own abilities and sensing when to go on the defensive to save the round.