
Here is the process you need to follow to figure out your handicap:
- Calculate Your Score Differential The first step to learning your handicap requires you to subtract your Adjusted Gross Score from the Course Rating. ...
- Calculate Your Average Score Differential The next step in determining your golf handicap is discovering your average score differential. ...
- Multiply Your Average By .96
How do you calculate golf handicap index?
The formula requires the following:
- Your scores: a minimum of five and up to 20. And these are your adjusted gross scores (meaning they follow the equitable stroke contro l per-hole maximums).
- The USGA course ratings of the golf courses you've played.
- The USGA slope ratings of the courses you've played.
How to calculate golf handicap in 3 Easy Steps?
The steps for calculating a Course Handicap are:
- Convert gross scores to Adjusted Gross Scores
- Calculate Handicap Differential for each score
- Select lowest Handicap Differentials
- Average lowest Handicap Differentials
- Multiply the average Handicap Differential by 96%
- Arrive at Handicap Index by truncating - deleting - the number (s) to the right of tenths
- Calculate Course Handicap
How to calculate your golf handicap?
- Calculate your standard score for each hole. For example, if you shoot two over par, your score would be +2. …
- Adjust your score for each hole based on your handicap. …
- Convert your score for each hole to the Stableford system. …
- Add up your total points for the course.
How do you calculate a golf handicap?
How to Calculate the Golf Handicap
- Change the original gross scores into the adjusted total score. ...
- Calculate your handicap differential for each score and select your lowest handicap differential. ...
- Calculate the average of the smallest value from the differentials. ...
- Multiply the average of handicap differentials by 96% or 0.96. ...
- Truncate, or Delete, Numbers to the Right of Tenths. ...

How do I figure my handicap for golf?
The formula for your Handicap Index is the sum of your differentials divided by the number of differentials, multiplied by 0.96, or (Sum of Differentials / Number of Differentials) x 0.96.
How do I calculate my 2021 course handicap?
Use the following formula to compute the Handicap Differential: Handicap differential = (The Adjusted Gross Score -The Course Rating) X 113 / The Course slope ratings. The course rating refers to the score of a new golf player on a course under standard playing conditions.
What is your handicap index in golf?
A handicap index is a number taken to one decimal point (12.7) that indicates a golfer's skill level. Here's the official explanation from the USGA Handicap System Manual: “A Handicap Index compares a player's scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty.
Is handicap index the same as handicap?
The main difference between a golf handicap and index is that a handicap index is the official rating of a golfer's handicap, while a handicap is a generic term used by golfers to refer to their average score in relation to par.
How do you use a handicap index?
If you prefer the old-school method of calculating by hand, take your Handicap Index, multiply it by the Slope Rating divided by 113, and round to the nearest whole number. Then, subtract par for the course from the Course Rating.
What is a good golf index?
What Is A Good Golf Handicap? A good golf handicap is ten or less. With a handicap index of ten or less, you will generally shoot somewhere around 82.
What is a 1.4 handicap index?
1.4a Joining a Golf Club A member of a golf club that is affiliated with an Authorized Association, or. A direct member of an Authorized Association which has assumed the responsibility of a golf club (see Rule 1.3 Responsibilities of Player, Handicap Committee and Authorized Association).
What is my golf handicap if I shoot 100?
a 28What is your handicap if you shoot 100? If you shoot around 100 for 18 holes, your handicap is roughly a 28 (100-72 = 28).
What is my golf handicap if I shoot 90?
Golf Handicap If You Shoot 90 Over time, the handicaps will decrease as the player improves. In simple terms, a person playing on a par 72 golf course and shooting 90 is said to have a handicap of 18.
How to calculate handicap index?
After determining your Average Score Differential, the third and final step to calculating your actual handicap index is multiplying your average by .96. This fixed number is often used in statistical mathematics, which accounts for the frequency distribution of various outcomes.
How to figure out your handicap?
To quickly figure out what your handicap should be, you need to subtract your number of strokes with the overall Course Rating. For example, on an average par-72 course, if you were finished with 100 strokes, you would subtract 72 from 100 and receive a handicap of 28.
What information is needed to calculate handicap?
Your course scorecard should include some vital information you’ll need to calculate your handicap, such as the Course Rating, the Slope Rating, and your Adjusted Gross Score (AGS ). Calculating your handicap through an app will save you a lot of time, though variations exist in course handicap calculator formulas.
How many strokes per round is the average golf score?
According to the National Golf Foundation, the average score factoring in all golfers is a little more than 100 strokes per round. If you can make contact with the ball, have a decent amount of athleticism, and understand the physics of the game, you could expect to score right around this average.
What is adjusted gross score?
Your Adjusted Gross Score is the number of strokes it takes for you to complete any given course as interpreted by the World Handicap System. This procedure accounts for any unfinished or unplayed holes, conceded strokes, the maximum hole score, or the course’s net double bogey.
What is the average handicap for golf?
The average golf handicap for men is 16.1. For women, that number is 28.9. This average includes golfers from across the globe, so if you wanted a more specific breakdown of average handicaps, for English males, that number is 17.2, in Australia: 16.9, and in America: 14.4.
What is a golf handicap?
Your golf handicap is something that is calculated, either on your own or by a club official. If you are just playing among friends and there are little to no stakes in your game, then there is no reason to go all out and run your official score and handicap by the club.
What is golf handicap?
Updated November 04, 2019. The golf handicap calculation is something that most golfers never have to worry about. If you carry an official USGA Handicap Index, the calculation is performed for you by other people (or, far more likely, by a computer).
How to get average of differentials?
Get an average of the differentials used by adding them together and dividing by the number used (i.e., if five differentials are used, add them up and divide by five).
How to determine your handicap?
To determine your Course Handicap, you must first start with your Handicap Index, which is a number taken to one decimal place (like 10.4) that expresses your potential ability on a course of standard playing difficulty. For those who don’t get out and play too much, here is a quick scale to see how your Handicap Index aligns with your playing ...
What is a course handicap?
A “Course Handicap” is the USGA ’s (United States Golf Association) mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played to adjust the player’s scoring ability to the level of scratch or zero-handicap golf.
What is the average score for 20-29?
You may run into a few players that have an overstated handicap. 20-29: Average score is 91 to 100 ; These golfers are always trying to hit the ball farther. They need to spend 80% of their time practicing from 100 yards and in.
How many rounds down is the course handicap?
The answer will be your Course Handicap (round to the nearest whole number: .4 rounds down, .5 rounds up). If you’d like, you can use a Course Handicap Calculator to help you determine your Course Handicap.
Can you use your handicap index to play golf?
You never actually play using your Handicap Index (it is more of a “raw” number). Instead, you must convert it to a whole number to get your Course Handicap by using the Slope Rating of the specific set of tees you are playing.
What is the USGA handicap index?
The golf index - USGA Handicap Index - is official when issued by an authorized golf club or association which is licensed to use the USGA Handicap System. According to the USGA Handicap Manual, an authorized golf association "is a golf association that has jurisdiction and has been licensed by the USGA to utilize the USGA Handicap System ...
Why do we have an index in golf?
The main reason is to provide a way for golfers of different abilities to play and compete on a relatively even basis at any course. A secondary reason is to provide a rating system that indicates a golfer's ability relative to other golfers.
What is the slope rating of a golf course?
The slope rating is an indication of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers. A course with a standard difficulty has a slope rating of 113.
How many members are in a golf club?
A golf club is an "organization of at least ten individual members that operates under bylaws with committees (especially a handicap committee) to supervise golf activities, provide peer review, and maintain the integrity of the USGA HandicapSystem .
When did golf index change?
With the change in 1987, golfers no longer had a "handicap," but a Handicap Index or just "Index.". Calculating a USGA Handicap Index is a bit more complex than things used to be before 1987, but it's still not "rocket science.". The golf index took into account the difficulty of the course. Since 1987 there has been a course rating ...
When did the USGA start using one handicap?
From 1912 to 1987 the USGA had a "one-handicap-fits-all-courses" method of calculating a golfer's handicap. What this meant in practice was that whether you were at your 5,800 yard municipal course or the 6,800 yard championship tees at Pebble Beach, you received the same number of handicap strokes. In this way of calculating a handicap, ...
What is a course rating?
Each set of tees at a course are rated for both a scratch golfer and a bogey golfer. The course rating - really a rating for a specific tee on a specific course - is what a scratch golfer would be expected to score on average. It is the measure of the difficulty of a course (and tee) for a scratch golfer under normal conditions.
What is a golf handicap?
A golf handicap is intended as a measure of a golfer's potential playing ability. The higher the handicap of a golfer, the poorer the golfer's ability relative to that of a person with a lower handicap.
What is a golf handicap adjustment?
It is the number of strokes that should be deducted from a golfer's gross score to determine net score.
What is a scratch golfer?
"Scratch golfers" and "bogey golfers" are terms that are often used in relation to golf handicaps. A scratch golfer is a golfer whose handicap is zero, while a bogey golfer is one whose handicap is ...
What is a rating of slope?
A rating of slope in contrast, is a number (typically between 55 and 155) describing the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer. A handicap of course indicates the number of strokes that a golfer receives at a particular golf course. It can be thought of as an adjustment to a golfer's handicap ...
How does weather affect golf scores?
Since golf is a game that is played outdoors, weather or other conditions can significantly affect a player's scores. As such, in an effort to more accurately represent a player's scores, an adjustment, referred to as the Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC), based on playing conditions for the course is included. This involves factoring in a number, ranging from -1 (when conditions make the course easier) to 3 (when conditions make the course more difficult), into the score differential calculation, depending on the conditions of the course for the given day.
What is the rating of a golf course?
In the United States, officially rated golf courses are described by course and rating of slope. Rating of course is a number (typically between 67 and 77) that is used to measure the average "good" score that a scratch golfer may attain on the course.
Why is it important that players submit their scores on the actual day of play?
Because this adjustment is dependent on a given day, and since it is calculated automatically , it is important that players submit their scores on the actual day of play so that the PCC will be applied to their score on the correct day.
What is a handicap on a golf course?
The course handicap is really a handicap for a specific set of tees on a specific course or what someone might call a "playing handicap.". The USGA defines a course handicap in its Handicap Manual as... A " Course Handicap" is the USGA's mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set ...
When will the USGA add the playing handicap?
Note: Beginning on January 1, 2020, with the introduction of the World Handicap System, the USGA has added the Playing Handicap. It.
What is the USGA index?
The USGA provides a formula with which you first can calculate a number that is the same no matter what course you play. This number is called the "Index.". Using this Index, you can calculate a second number - your golf "course handicap" - for any specific course.
What is a plus handicap?
A " Course Handicap" is the USGA's mark that indicates the number of handicap strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees at the course being played to adjust the player's scoring ability to the level of scratch or zero-handicap golf. For a player with a plus Course Handicap, it is the number of handicap strokes a player gives ...
Does the USGA have a handicap calculator?
The USGA has a handy golf course handicap calculator so you don't have to do the calculation . But you will have to know your Index in order to use it. Alternatively, you can use the following formula to calculate your course handicap:
