Compete Against Tiger Woods On Your Home Course

For most, an official USGA Handicap Index® helps create a good fair game between buddies.  The USGA Handicap System® is designed to level the playing field so that all golfers, regardless of their ability, age or gender can compete against one another with some chance of success (as long as all those involve follow the principles embodied in the rules).

With the U.S. Open fast approaching, it’s not uncommon to find wicked superintendents planning to push the limits of excessive rough and ridiculously tight “Sunday” hole locations at their course as they prepare for their local U.S. Open Day promotion.

This year, with heightened speculation that Tiger Woods will add another major championship to his record, consider taking him on whether it’s a formal competition or just you and your buddies on the course.

The USGA Handicap System gives you the opportunity to compete against Tiger.  With his win earlier this year at the Buick Invitational, there’s no doubt he is salivating at the thought of playing this U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, a course he has dominated since his junior golf playing days. 

Can you take him? All you need to start is his Handicap Index, and the USGA Course and Slope Ratings™ for the U.S. Open.

Course and Slope Ratings are based on “normal” playing conditions.  At most PGA Tour sites, the posted ratings are inaccurate because factors that affect the ratings such as rough height, fairway width, and green speed are altered for the event.  According to Scott Hovde, USGA Manager of Course Rating Education, Tour conditions produced a USGA Course Rating at least one stroke higher and a Slope Rating at least five points higher. 

With this in hand, we looked at Tiger’s last 20 rounds in official PGA Tour events, ending with the World Golf Championships at Doral.  To compute an Index, we first needed to determine the Handicap Differentials (Score – Course Rating X 113 / Slope Rating).  A Handicap Index is computed by taking the average of the lowest 10 differentials, multiplied by .96*, with the result truncated to tenths.  For Tiger, this computes to an incredible +9.2 Handicap Index!  Keep in mind, less than 10 percent of all golfers ever become single-digit handicappers.

Whenever the OGA or USGA conducts a competition, the course and slope rating is recalculated in order to allow competitors to post scores.  Based on the planned setup of Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, the USGA has determined the ratings will be 79.7/153, and Tiger’s +9.2 Index computes to a course handicap of +12.    He would have to give an average golfer with a 14.8 Index, a whopping 32 strokes in a Net Competition.

Of course, you won’t be able to actually tee it up inside the ropes against Tiger, but how about competing against him in another way?  Consider using the Target Score to see who actually plays to their handicap.  The target score is the difference between the Course Rating and the Course Handicap.  Its Tiger’s Sunday U.S. Open Score against you at your home course at a “U.S. Open” event.  Tiger’s target score is 68 (79.7 – 12).  What’s yours?  Whomever does best, wins!

* Bonus for Excellence is the incentive for players to improve their golf games that is built into the USGA Handicap System. It is the term used to describe the small percentage below perfect equity that is used to calculate a Handicap Index (96 percent). As a Handicap Index improves (gets lower), the player has a slightly better chance of placing high or winning a handicap event.

Average of lowest 10 differentials                    +9.6 (See detail below)
Multiply by .96                                              +9.2 (Tiger's Handicap Index)

USGA Handicap Index Must be in the Range of +3.5 to 40.4 for Ladies or +3.5 to 36.4 for Men

Event	Course	Rating	Slope	Score	Differential
Buick Invitational	Torrey Pines	79.1	148	65	10.8*
Tour Championship	East Lake CC	76.3	145	63	10.4*
BMW Championship	Cog Hill GC	76.4	147	63	10.3*
Buick Invitational	Torrey Pines	79.1	148	66	10.0*
Tour Championship	East Lake CC	76.3	145	64	9.6*
Tour Championship	East Lake CC	76.3	145	64	9.6*
Buick Invitational	Torrey Pines	79.1	148	67	9.2*
World Golf Championships	Doral - Blue	76.6	135	66	8.9*
BMW Championship	Cog Hill GC	76.4	147	65	8.8*
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Bay Hill	76.2	134	66	8.6*
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Bay Hill	76.2	134	66	8.6
World Golf Championships	Doral - Blue	76.6	135	67	8.0
Tour Championship	East Lake CC	76.3	145	66	8.0
BMW Championship	Cog Hill GC	76.4	147	67	7.2
BMW Championship	Cog Hill GC	76.4	147	67	7.2
World Golf Championships	Doral - Blue	76.6	135	68	7.2
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Bay Hill	76.2	134	68	6.9
Buick Invitational	Torrey Pines	79.1	148	71	6.2
Arnold Palmer Invitational	Bay Hill	76.2	134	70	5.2
World Golf Championships	Doral - Blue	76.6	135	72	3.9