Golf Handicap Calculator
Enter your recent golf scores along with the Course Rating and Slope Rating for each round to calculate your estimated Handicap Index according to the World Handicap System (WHS).
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Your Estimated Handicap Index:
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. It represents the number of strokes above par a player is expected to take on a course of standard difficulty. The lower your handicap, the better your golfing ability.
The World Handicap System (WHS)
Introduced in 2020, the World Handicap System (WHS) unified six different handicap systems into a single, global system. This means that a golfer's Handicap Index is now portable and comparable worldwide, making golf more inclusive and equitable for all players.
Key Components of Handicap Calculation
To calculate a Handicap Index, several factors are considered:
- Adjusted Gross Score (AGS): This is your raw score for a round, adjusted for any unusually high scores on individual holes. The WHS uses a "Net Double Bogey" adjustment, meaning your maximum score on any hole for handicap purposes is limited to a double bogey plus any handicap strokes you would receive on that hole. For simplicity in this calculator, we assume you are entering your already adjusted gross score.
- Course Rating (CR): This is the USGA's evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer (a golfer who can play to par). It's expressed as a number, typically between 67 and 77, and includes decimal points (e.g., 72.3).
- Slope Rating (SR): This number represents the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer (a golfer who typically scores around 20 over par) compared to a scratch golfer. Slope Ratings range from 55 to 155, with 113 being the average difficulty. The higher the Slope Rating, the more difficult the course is for a bogey golfer.
Calculating the Handicap Differential
The first step in determining your Handicap Index is to calculate a Handicap Differential for each eligible round you play. The formula is:
Handicap Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) × (113 / Slope Rating)
This formula normalizes your score based on the difficulty of the course you played, allowing for fair comparison across different courses.
Calculating Your Handicap Index
Your Handicap Index is calculated by averaging your best Handicap Differentials from your most recent 20 scores. If you have fewer than 20 scores, the WHS uses a sliding scale:
- 3-5 Scores: The lowest 1 differential.
- 6-7 Scores: The average of the lowest 2 differentials.
- 8-10 Scores: The average of the lowest 3 differentials.
- 11-12 Scores: The average of the lowest 4 differentials.
- 13-14 Scores: The average of the lowest 5 differentials.
- 15-16 Scores: The average of the lowest 6 differentials.
- 17-18 Scores: The average of the lowest 7 differentials.
- 19-20+ Scores: The average of the lowest 8 differentials.
The calculated average is then rounded to one decimal place to become your Handicap Index.
From Handicap Index to Playing Handicap
Your Handicap Index is a portable measure of your ability. When you play a specific course, you convert your Handicap Index into a "Playing Handicap" for that course. This accounts for the specific difficulty of the tees you are playing from. The formula for Playing Handicap is:
Playing Handicap = Handicap Index × (Slope Rating of Course / 113)
This Playing Handicap is the number of strokes you receive during a round on that particular course to adjust your score to net par.
How to Use This Calculator
To use this calculator, simply enter the Adjusted Gross Score, Course Rating, and Slope Rating for each of your recent rounds (up to 10 rounds). The calculator will automatically determine how many of your best differentials to use based on the WHS rules and provide you with an estimated Handicap Index. Remember, for an official Handicap Index, you should register with your national golf association.
Example Calculation
Let's use the pre-filled example rounds:
- Round 1: Score 85, CR 72.0, SR 125 → Differential = (85 – 72.0) × (113 / 125) = 11.752
- Round 2: Score 82, CR 71.5, SR 120 → Differential = (82 – 71.5) × (113 / 120) = 9.879
- Round 3: Score 88, CR 73.2, SR 130 → Differential = (88 – 73.2) × (113 / 130) = 12.855
- Round 4: Score 80, CR 70.8, SR 118 → Differential = (80 – 70.8) × (113 / 118) = 8.803
- Round 5: Score 84, CR 71.0, SR 122 → Differential = (84 – 71.0) × (113 / 122) = 12.008
The differentials are: 11.752, 9.879, 12.855, 8.803, 12.008.
Sorted: 8.803, 9.879, 11.752, 12.008, 12.855.
With 5 valid scores, the WHS uses the lowest 1 differential.
Lowest Differential = 8.803
Estimated Handicap Index = 8.8 (rounded to one decimal place).
If you were to enter more scores, the calculator would adjust the number of differentials averaged accordingly.