How to Calculate Your Golf Handicap

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Golf Handicap Score Differential Calculator

Your score after applying USGA maximum hole score rules.
The USGA Course Rating for the tees played (e.g., 72.5).
The USGA Slope Rating for the tees played (typically between 55 and 155).
Your Score Differential will appear here.
function calculateScoreDifferential() { var adjustedGrossScore = parseFloat(document.getElementById('adjustedGrossScore').value); var courseRating = parseFloat(document.getElementById('courseRating').value); var slopeRating = parseFloat(document.getElementById('slopeRating').value); var resultDiv = document.getElementById('result'); if (isNaN(adjustedGrossScore) || isNaN(courseRating) || isNaN(slopeRating) || adjustedGrossScore <= 0 || courseRating <= 0 || slopeRating <= 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.'; return; } // Formula: (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) * 113 / Slope Rating var scoreDifferential = ((adjustedGrossScore – courseRating) * 113) / slopeRating; resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Your Score Differential for this round is: ' + scoreDifferential.toFixed(1) + ''; }

Understanding Your Golf Handicap

A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's ability, allowing players of different skill levels to compete fairly against one another. It's a cornerstone of amateur golf, making the game more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.

What is a Score Differential?

The Score Differential is the core component in calculating your overall Handicap Index. It represents your performance on a given day relative to the difficulty of the course you played. Unlike a simple gross score, the Score Differential takes into account the specific challenges presented by the course, making it a more accurate reflection of your playing ability.

Key Components Explained:

  • Adjusted Gross Score: This is your raw score for the round, but with a crucial adjustment. Under the World Handicap System (WHS), there's a maximum score allowed per hole (Net Double Bogey) to prevent one or two bad holes from disproportionately affecting your handicap. If you score higher than this maximum on any hole, your score for that hole is adjusted down to the maximum.
  • Course Rating: This is a numerical value, typically to one decimal place (e.g., 72.5), that represents the average expected score for a scratch golfer (a golfer who can play to par) on a particular set of tees on a given course. A higher Course Rating indicates a more difficult course for a scratch golfer.
  • Slope Rating: The Slope Rating is a two- or three-digit number (ranging from 55 to 155, with 113 being the average) that indicates the relative difficulty of a course for a "bogey golfer" (a golfer who typically shoots around 20 over par) compared to a scratch golfer. A higher Slope Rating means the course is significantly more difficult for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer.
  • The Constant (113): This is a fixed number in the handicap formula, representing the average Slope Rating. It's used to normalize the Score Differential calculation across different courses.

How the Score Differential is Calculated:

The formula for a Score Differential is:

Score Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) × 113 / Slope Rating

Our calculator above uses this exact formula to give you the Score Differential for a single round.

From Score Differential to Handicap Index:

While this calculator provides the Score Differential for one round, your official Handicap Index is derived from the average of your 8 best Score Differentials from your most recent 20 rounds. As you submit more scores, your Handicap Index will be updated, reflecting your current playing ability. The World Handicap System aims to provide a fair and accurate representation of your skill, allowing you to compete equitably with golfers of all levels.

Example Calculation:

Let's say you had an Adjusted Gross Score of 85 on a course with a Course Rating of 72.5 and a Slope Rating of 130.

Using the formula:

Score Differential = (85 – 72.5) × 113 / 130
Score Differential = 12.5 × 113 / 130
Score Differential = 1412.5 / 130
Score Differential = 10.865…

Rounded to one decimal place, your Score Differential for this round would be 10.9. This value would then be considered among your other recent rounds to determine your overall Handicap Index.

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