It wasn’t a raucous affair. There was no balloon drop. Confetti wasn’t tossed about. There wasn’t a dance floor covered with jubilant dancers. No back-slapping took place nor were any wild tales told. As one of the revelers on hand, I freely admit the gathering – at the venerable and iconic Baltusrol Golf Club this past October – marking the centennial of the USGA Handicap System was a bit reserved. Yet for this small, but tightly connected group of golf insiders who share a mutual respect for and commitment to the handicap system that protects the integrity of our game, the gathering was memorable indeed.
It was a fun evening, largely because Baltusrol is one of those tradition-laden golf venues that have helped define the game in this country. However, if you took a poll of the 140 handicap evangelists in the gathered crowd, most of whom, like me, never
tire of talking about the game’s sacrosanct indexes, like slope, course ratings, green speeds and handicaps, you’d get quick consensus that the USGA Handicap System is best celebrated on the course not in a ballroom, no matter how grand the setting.
To the average golfer, a handicap is just a number that doesn’t garner our attention or respect until it drops. But for the past one-hundred years, the system that establishes that number has made it possible for golfers of all ages, sizes, shapes and skill sets to compete against one another on a level playing field regardless of the course.
Even at 100, the USGA Handicap System remains golf’s timeless wonder.
