Golf Australia is the governing body for handicapping and course rating in Australia. Golf Australia executes its role in co-operation with the state golf associations. The purpose of the Australian Handicap & Course Rating Systems is to make the game of golf more enjoyable for golfers by providing a means of measuring a golfer’s performance and progress and to enable golfers of differing abilities to compete on as equitable a basis as possible.
Through these systems, each golfer establishes an Australian Handicap which is a numerical measurement of a player's potential (not actual) scoring ability.
The relative difficulty of a golf course is determined jointly by Golf Australia and the state golf associations in accordance with the Golf Australia Course Rating Systems. Specially trained Course Rating Teams evaluate the difficulty of a golf course based on such variables as length and a number of obstacle factors.
Only affiliated bodies are permitted to use the Golf Australia Handicap & Course Rating Systems.
In these subsections, you will find a range of information on the Golf Australia systems along with key updates regarding the implementation of the new Australian Handicap System.