Golf Handicap Calculator
Use this calculator to determine your Handicap Differential for individual rounds and a Provisional Handicap Index based on up to 5 recent scores. An official USGA Handicap Index requires a minimum of 3 scores and typically uses the best differentials from your last 20 rounds.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4 (Optional)
Round 5 (Optional)
Calculation Results:
"; var roundsProcessed = 0; for (var i = 1; i 0 && courseRating >= 0 && slopeRating >= 55 && slopeRating <= 155) { var differential = ((grossScore – courseRating) * 113) / slopeRating; differentials.push(differential); resultsHtml += "Round " + i + " Handicap Differential: " + differential.toFixed(1) + ""; roundsProcessed++; } else if (document.getElementById(grossScoreId).value !== "" || document.getElementById(courseRatingId).value !== "" || document.getElementById(slopeRatingId).value !== "") { resultsHtml += "Invalid input for Round " + i + ". Please ensure all fields are valid numbers (Gross Score > 0, Course Rating >= 0, Slope Rating between 55 and 155)."; } } if (roundsProcessed === 0) { resultsHtml += "Please enter valid data for at least one round to calculate differentials."; } else if (roundsProcessed < 3) { resultsHtml += "Provisional Handicap Index: More rounds (minimum 3) are needed to calculate a Provisional Handicap Index."; } else { // Sort differentials to find the best (lowest) ones differentials.sort(function(a, b) { return a – b; }); var provisionalHandicapIndex; if (roundsProcessed >= 3 && roundsProcessed <= 5) { // For 3-5 scores, use the lowest 1 differential provisionalHandicapIndex = differentials[0]; } else { // This part is for future expansion if more rounds were added, // but for 5 rounds, the above rule applies. // For now, it will just use the lowest 1 for 3-5 rounds. provisionalHandicapIndex = differentials[0]; } resultsHtml += "Based on your " + roundsProcessed + " valid rounds, your Provisional Handicap Index: " + provisionalHandicapIndex.toFixed(1) + ""; resultsHtml += "Note: This is a simplified calculation. An official USGA Handicap Index requires a minimum of 3 scores and typically uses the best differentials from your last 20 rounds, with specific rules for how many differentials are used based on the number of scores submitted."; } document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = resultsHtml; }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 each other. The lower the handicap, the better the golfer. It essentially represents the number of strokes above par a golfer is expected to shoot on an average course.
Key Components of Handicap Calculation:
- Gross Score: Your total number of strokes for a round before any adjustments. For handicap purposes, this is often adjusted using Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) or Net Double Bogey (NDB) to prevent a few bad holes from disproportionately affecting your handicap. For this calculator, we assume you're entering your adjusted gross score.
- Course Rating: This is a numerical value, typically to one decimal place (e.g., 72.0), that represents the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer (a golfer who can play to par) under normal course conditions.
- Slope Rating: This number, ranging from 55 to 155 (with 113 being the average), indicates the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer (a golfer who shoots about 18 over par) compared to a scratch golfer. A higher slope rating means the course is more challenging for higher-handicap players.
- Handicap Differential: This is the core calculation for each round. It converts your score on a specific course into a value that can be compared to scores on any other course. The formula is:
(Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) × 113 / Slope RatingThe factor of 113 is the average Slope Rating. - Handicap Index: This is your overall handicap, calculated by averaging your best Handicap Differentials from a set number of recent rounds (e.g., the best 8 out of your last 20 scores under the USGA system). This calculator provides a "Provisional Handicap Index" based on the best differential(s) from the rounds you provide.
How to Use This Calculator:
- Enter Gross Scores: Input your total strokes for each round. Ideally, these should be your "Adjusted Gross Scores" after applying any maximum score per hole (e.g., Net Double Bogey under the World Handicap System).
- Enter Course Rating: Find the Course Rating for the tees you played on the scorecard or the course's website.
- Enter Slope Rating: Find the Slope Rating for the tees you played.
- Click "Calculate Handicap": The calculator will display the Handicap Differential for each valid round and a Provisional Handicap Index based on the best differential(s) from the rounds you've entered.
Important Notes:
- This calculator provides a simplified "Provisional Handicap Index" for illustrative purposes. An official Handicap Index, governed by systems like the World Handicap System (WHS) or USGA, involves more complex rules, including specific adjustments for exceptional scores, playing conditions, and a larger number of rounds (typically the best 8 of the last 20).
- A minimum of 3 valid scores is generally required to establish an official Handicap Index.
- Always refer to your national golf association's guidelines for official handicap calculations.
Example Calculation:
Let's use the default values in the calculator:
- Round 1: Gross Score = 85, Course Rating = 72.0, Slope Rating = 125
Differential = (85 – 72.0) * 113 / 125 = 11.752 - Round 2: Gross Score = 88, Course Rating = 71.5, Slope Rating = 128
Differential = (88 – 71.5) * 113 / 128 = 14.566 - Round 3: Gross Score = 82, Course Rating = 70.8, Slope Rating = 120
Differential = (82 – 70.8) * 113 / 120 = 10.503
The differentials are 11.8, 14.6, and 10.5 (rounded to one decimal place). The lowest (best) differential is 10.5.
Therefore, the Provisional Handicap Index based on these three rounds would be 10.5.