Understanding Your Golf Handicap
A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's potential playing ability, used to enable players of different skill levels to compete against each other on a level playing field. A lower handicap indicates a better golfer. This calculator uses the official World Handicap System (WHS) formula to give you an unofficial Handicap Index.
Key Terminology Explained
- Adjusted Gross Score (AGS): This is not necessarily your total score for a round. The WHS sets a maximum score per hole for handicap purposes to prevent one bad hole from inflating your handicap. The maximum is a Net Double Bogey, which is Double Bogey + any handicap strokes you receive on that hole.
- Course Rating: This number indicates the expected score for a "scratch golfer" (a player with a 0 handicap) on a particular course. A higher rating means a more difficult course.
- Slope Rating: This measures the relative difficulty of a course for a "bogey golfer" compared to a "scratch golfer." It ranges from 55 to 155, with 113 being the average. A higher slope means the course is significantly harder for a bogey golfer.
- Handicap Differential: This is a calculated value for a single round that compares your score to the course's difficulty. The formula is:
(Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) * 113 / Slope Rating.
How is the Handicap Index Calculated?
The World Handicap System calculates your index based on the average of the best 8 of your most recent 20 score differentials. If you have fewer than 20 scores, a different number of differentials is used, as shown by our calculator. The final step is to multiply this average by 0.96.
- Enter your Adjusted Gross Score, Course Rating, and Slope Rating for at least 3 rounds.
- The calculator computes the Handicap Differential for each round.
- It identifies the required number of lowest differentials (e.g., the lowest 1 for 3-5 scores, lowest 2 for 6-8 scores, etc.).
- It averages these selected differentials.
- The final Handicap Index is the result of that average multiplied by 0.96, truncated to one decimal place.
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How to Get an Official Handicap
While this calculator is great for estimating your index, an official WHS Handicap Index can only be obtained by joining a licensed golf club. This allows you to post scores officially and compete in sanctioned events. Please contact us if you have any questions about our tools.