1.What is the purpose of handicap??
All golfers are not created equal. But with the USGA Handicap System, all golfers can compete equally. The handicap system is a method of leveling the playing field. If a golfer who shoots in the low 70s plays a golfer who shoots in the high 90s, we all know who's going to win. But by using handicaps, those players can play each other as if they are equal in ability. Golf may not be the only sport in which a handicapping system exists and serves that purpose, but it is the only one in which such a system is so integral and in such wide use. With the handicap system, no matter what your ability is, you can play any other golfer on any course and be competitive.

2.Is handicap & handicap index the same?
The two terms are often used interchangeably even in Pulai Springs, but "handicap index" technically refers only to those established through the auspices of the USGA or MGA Handicap System. Anyone can claim a "handicap." Self-serve handicaps can be kept by golfers who can't, or just don't want to, join a golf club and get an official handicap index. Such handicaps cannot be used in official competitions, however, and are not sanctioned by the USGA.

The USGA Handicap System - and the use of the term "handicap" by the USGA - originated in the early 20th Century. The USGA began using "handicap index" in the early 1980s when it added slope rating to the equation. A handicap index is not a representation of your average score and, if you're doing it right, it's not what you'll use to give yourself (or playing partners) strokes. The handicap index is a number that is compared to course rating in order to determine your course handicap. Course handicap is then used to figure how many strokes to give to your competitor. For those who have been deceived by partners with “ Buaya” handicaps,  the next time you  play with him ask for the M.G.A handicap card.??!!