Posed to a golfer, “What’s your handicap?” can elicit a variety of responses ranging from a serious number to a comment about clubs.
The joke: “My backswing, my downswing and my putting.”
But it’s a serious matter for about 33,000 golfers who have registered handicap indexes with the Tennessee Golf Association.
“I think it’s a pretty important thing to have if you’re going to play any amount of golf,” said Lynne Howd, director of handicapping for the TGA. “It can track your progress up or down, and it can help a golfer of one ability compete with those on a different level.
“Those are the two main reasons to have a handicap.”