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With being completely new to the game of golf and knowing nothing about golf can somebody please tell me what Handicap means. Thanks

A handicap is a way that a beginner could play a professional and be competitive. I use handicaps for all kinds of formats with my corporate groups...quota (modified stableford), best ball, ABCD pairings, etc. The rest of the world plays a lot more Match play than we do here in the US. In playing match play, your handicap determines how many strokes you get on the golf course and on the scorecard is a line labeled HDCP or Handicap most of the time. You take your handicap and apply your strokes as they fall on the card with the #1 handicap hole being the most difficult and therefore gets the most strokes (if you were a 19 handicap, you would get 2 strokes on the #1 handicap hole and 1 on every other hole). Usually the handicap holes alternate between front and back with the hardest hole on the front nine being #1 and the hardest hole on the back 9 being #2. There is a recommended way of figuring those holes but that is for another post. As you can see though, a handicap is a way of being competitive in all kinds of different formats.

For example, a 28 handicapper like me is given an extra 28 shots over the course of a round than a really good player who plays off 0 (scratch).

In effect this works out that on the 10 hardest holes I start on -2 compared to him and on the other 8 holes i start on -1 (equalling 28 shots).

An 18 handicapper will start on -1 on every hole and so on.

Without handicaps it would be difficult if not impossible to gamble.
Truely then golf would be no fun.

Is gambling allowed here at Bushwood?

How else would you compare yourself with other golfers? By Height?

I thought we compare by length.

"5 bucks says he picks his nose....and eats it!" Sounded like a bet to me!

I hope your talking drives.......... ;)

I think we're talking "lumberyard"