Golf ScoutHow to work out your golf handicap
Your Handicap Index is the average of your best 8 score differentials from your last 20 rounds. A score differential is 113 ÷ slope rating × (adjusted gross score − course rating). You need 54 holes of scores, such as three 18-hole cards, to get your first one.
Since November 2020, golfers in Great Britain and Ireland have been handicapped under the World Handicap System (WHS), the same system used across most of the golfing world. It works in four steps.
1. Turn each round into an adjusted gross score
Your adjusted gross score is your score with any disaster holes trimmed, so one bad hole can't ruin your handicap. The most a hole can count for is net double bogey: par, plus two, plus any handicap strokes you get on that hole. Take a triple-bogey 7 on a par 4 where you get one stroke, and it counts as 7 anyway (4 + 2 + 1). Take a 9 there and it counts as 7.
Until you have a Handicap Index, the cap is par plus five on every hole.
2. Work out the score differential
A score differential measures how well you played against how hard the course was, so a round on a tough course counts for more than the same score on an easy one:
Score differential = 113 ÷ slope rating × (adjusted gross score − course rating − PCC)
The course rating and slope rating are on the scorecard for each set of tees. 113 is the slope of a course of average difficulty. PCC is the playing conditions calculation, an adjustment of −1 to +3 your national union applies when everyone scores much better or worse than expected on a day; most days it's 0.
Say you shoot an adjusted 92 off tees with a course rating of 71.2 and a slope of 128: 113 ÷ 128 × (92 − 71.2) = 18.4.
3. Average your best 8 of your last 20
Your Handicap Index is the average of the lowest 8 differentials among your 20 most recent scores. Each new score pushes the oldest one out, which is why a good round can sometimes make your index go up: the score dropping off the end was one of your best 8.
With fewer than 20 scores, fewer count. With 3 scores, only the lowest counts, and 2 strokes come off it. With 20, the best 8 count.
4. Get your first Handicap Index
You need to hand in 54 holes of scores, in any mix of 9 and 18 holes. That could be three 18-hole rounds. Suppose they give differentials of 18.4, 16.3, 21. With three scores, the lowest, 16.3, counts and 2 come off, so your first Handicap Index would be 14.3. The highest Handicap Index is 54.0.
How fast can my handicap go up or down?
Down: one exceptional round, 7 or more strokes better than your index, takes an extra 1 or 2 strokes off. Up: if your index climbs more than 3 strokes above your lowest in the last year, the rest of the rise is halved (the soft cap), and it can't rise more than 5 strokes above that low at all (the hard cap).
Is a calculated handicap official?
No. Your official Handicap Index comes from your club and your national body: England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf or Golf Ireland. You need to be a member of an affiliated club, and your scores have to be submitted through them. Working it out yourself, or with an app, gives you an estimate, which is handy for knowing where you stand or for a friendly game.
Related guides
- Course handicap and Handicap Index: what's the difference?
- Course rating and slope rating explained
- How do I check my golf handicap?
Sources
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.