Inexplicable handicaps

I found myself looking over headlines this afternoon. I had scanned through several when I came across…Tiger Woods taking an infidelity leave from Golf. It didn’t really say infidelity. It said indefinite but I had just read another headline about Tiger and infidelity and my brain processed the headline that way. I thought after I read it…”Wow, Golfers are able to take an infidelity leave of absence?” Well, I did! I don’t know much about golf but it might have been possible…I mean, these days, you could expect just about anything. I would try to make a joke about how it might affect his handicap but I don’t understand that term in the first place.
I know there are certain sports – like golf and bowling – that some people (or all? I don’t know) have handicaps. I know it doesn’t have anything to do with something physical. I think a handicap is some sort of point system, but for what? Does a handicap add or subtract from your score and how do you get them? Does it even affect your game score? Do you have to be really bad or really good to get a higher handicap? Or does a low handicap mean you are better? It seems awfully confusing to someone like me who puts on a pair of running shoes and goes out the door. I would bet golfers and bowlers are as confused with that as much as I am confused about trying to read their stats. I mean if you were to compare, running to golf or bowling, it would be pretty clear cut. I ran so far, so fast. Golf and bowling have handicaps, splits, and bogeys. I don’t get it. What is it about these sports that they have to have all the extras? Or is running just as confusing to a golfer? I don’t really think they think about it.
I guess the one unifying factor is that you get to wear specific shoes for each. I’m really reaching, I know, but if I get to shop for shoes it can't be all bad.
But even so, I don’t think I’ll be trading in my running shoes for another brand of sports shoe just yet. I do think that someone will need to sit me down at some point and explain handicaps in plain English to me.   
But I’m out the door right now with my running shoes. I'll catch up with you later.
I'm going out to run so far, so fast.
TT