Golf ScoutHow many rounds do you need for a handicap?
You need scores for 54 holes, in any mix of 9-hole and 18-hole rounds: three 18-hole rounds, six 9-hole rounds, or anything in between. Until then every hole is capped at par plus 5. With three 18-hole scores, your first Handicap Index is your lowest score differential less 2 strokes.
The short answer: 54 holes
Under the World Handicap System you get your first Handicap Index once you've submitted 54 holes of acceptable scores, made up of 9-hole or 18-hole rounds. Any combination works:
| 18-hole rounds | 9-hole rounds | Holes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 54 |
| 2 | 2 | 54 |
| 1 | 4 | 54 |
| 0 | 6 | 54 |
A 9-hole round only counts when you've played all nine holes from tees that have a 9-hole course rating and slope. Our guide to 9-hole handicap scores covers how they're converted once you have an index.
Which rounds count?
- Competitions at your club that count for handicap.
- General play rounds, as long as you register your intent to submit the score before you tee off. In England you do that in the MyEG app, which checks you're at the course, and a golfer who played with you attests the card.
- The course has to have a current course rating and slope rating for the tees you played.
To hold an official index you also need to be registered with your national body, usually by joining an affiliated club. See how to check your golf handicap for each country's app and the options without a club.
Your first 54 holes: every hole capped at par plus 5
Without an index you have no handicap strokes, so the usual net double bogey cap can't be worked out. Instead, the most any hole can count for is par plus 5: 8 on a par 3, 9 on a par 4 and 10 on a par 5. Take an 11 on a par 4 and it goes down as 9. So a disaster hole costs you less than you'd think, and it's worth finishing every hole you can.
How your first index is worked out
Each round becomes a score differential. With fewer than 20 scores, fewer differentials count, and with very few there's an extra adjustment downwards:
| Scores on 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 |
From England Golf's iGolf guide to the Handicap Index.
Say your three 18-hole cards, after the par-plus-5 cap, are 101, 96, 104, giving differentials of 27.9, 23.3, 29.0. The lowest, 23.3, counts, less 2, so your first Handicap Index is 21.3. The highest index anyone can have is 54.0.
Why it moves so much at first
With only a handful of scores, one round can swing your index a long way. Play a fourth round with a differential of 21.5 and, with four scores on record, the lowest counts less 1: your index becomes 20.5. That's normal. It settles as your record fills up towards 20 scores, when the best 8 count.
Your index is updated the day after each score is submitted, so after your third card it should appear the next day.
How quickly can I get one?
As quickly as you can play 54 holes, and 9-hole rounds count as much as 18-hole ones. It's worth playing your normal game rather than saving rounds for good days: a handicap that's too low only makes competitions harder.
To see where you're likely to start, enter your rounds in the handicap calculator. The basics of the system are in our guide to working out your golf handicap.
Estimate your first Handicap Index
Related guides
- How do I check my golf handicap?
- Do 9-hole scores count for your handicap?
- Course rating and slope rating explained
Sources
- England Golf: World Handicap System player guide (April 2024)
- England Golf iGolf: your Handicap Index and the World Handicap System
- USGA: treatment of 9-hole scores FAQ
- The R&A: Rules of Handicapping, Rule 3, maximum hole score
- The R&A: Rules of Handicapping, Rule 5
- England Golf: the My England Golf (MyEG) app
Golf Scout keeps your scorecards and works out a handicap estimate from your rated rounds as you play. Get Golf Scout on the App Store, free for iPhone and Apple Watch.