By the TC Golf Center Editorial Team · Updated
Enter at least 3 rounds below to estimate your Handicap Index. The calculator uses the same World Handicap System (WHS) formulas the USGA and R&A use. Each round needs your adjusted gross score plus the Course Rating and Slope Rating of the tees you played, which are printed on the scorecard.
| # | Score | Course Rating | Slope | Differential |
|---|
How to Calculate Your Golf Handicap
Under the World Handicap System, which took effect in the United States in 2020, a handicap is calculated in three steps:
- Turn each round into a Score Differential.
- Average your best differentials to get your Handicap Index.
- Convert your Handicap Index into a Course Handicap for the tees you're playing that day.
Step 1: Score Differential
A Score Differential measures how well you played relative to the difficulty of the course:
Score Differential = (113 ÷ Slope Rating) × (Adjusted Gross Score − Course Rating − PCC adjustment)
113 is the Slope Rating of a course of standard difficulty. The PCC (Playing Conditions Calculation) is a daily adjustment of up to −1 to +3 strokes when weather or course setup makes scoring unusually hard or easy. It is usually 0, and this calculator assumes 0. Each differential is rounded to the nearest tenth.
Example: You shoot 90 on tees with a 71.5 Course Rating and a 128 Slope. (113 ÷ 128) × (90 − 71.5) = 0.883 × 18.5 = 16.3.
Step 2: Handicap Index
Your Handicap Index is the average of your best 8 Score Differentials from your most recent 20 rounds, rounded to the nearest tenth. With fewer than 20 rounds, the USGA uses this table instead:
| Rounds in record | Differentials used | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lowest 1 | -2.0 |
| 4 | Lowest 1 | -1.0 |
| 5 | Lowest 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Average of lowest 2 | -1.0 |
| 7 or 8 | Average of lowest 2 | 0 |
| 9 to 11 | Average of lowest 3 | 0 |
| 12 to 14 | Average of lowest 4 | 0 |
| 15 or 16 | Average of lowest 5 | 0 |
| 17 or 18 | Average of lowest 6 | 0 |
| 19 | Average of lowest 7 | 0 |
| 20 | Average of lowest 8 | 0 |
Source: USGA Rules of Handicapping, Rule 5.2a.
The maximum Handicap Index is 54.0.
Step 3: Course Handicap
Your Course Handicap is the number of strokes you receive on a specific set of tees:
Course Handicap = Handicap Index × (Slope Rating ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − Par)
The result is rounded to the nearest whole number. Example: A 16.3 Handicap Index on tees with a 128 Slope, 71.5 Course Rating, and par 72 gives 16.3 × (128 ÷ 113) + (71.5 − 72) = 18.46 − 0.5 = 17.96, which rounds to a Course Handicap of 18.
Playing Handicap
In competitions, the Course Handicap is multiplied by a handicap allowance to get a Playing Handicap. The USGA recommends 95% for individual stroke play, 85% for four-ball stroke play, 90% for four-ball match play, and 100% for individual match play. In casual rounds, your Playing Handicap is usually the same as your Course Handicap.
What Is an Adjusted Gross Score?
Enter your adjusted gross score, not your raw score. Under the WHS, the most you can count on any hole is net double bogey: par of the hole + 2 + any handicap strokes you receive on that hole. If you made a 9 on a par 4 where you get one stroke, you count 7 (4 + 2 + 1). This keeps one blow-up hole from inflating your handicap.
What This Calculator Doesn't Do
An official Handicap Index from your club or state golf association includes a few extra safeguards that this estimate leaves out:
- Soft and hard caps: Your index can't rise more than 5.0 strokes above your lowest index of the past 12 months, and increases beyond 3.0 are slowed.
- Exceptional score reduction: A Score Differential 7.0 or more below your current index triggers an extra reduction.
- 9-hole scores: Official records combine or convert 9-hole rounds. Enter 18-hole scores only.
- Daily PCC: Assumed to be 0 here.
What's a Good Handicap?
A scratch golfer has a Handicap Index of 0.0. See what it takes to become a scratch golfer. For context on where your scores rank, see what percentage of golfers break 100, break 90, and break 80.