How to use the course handicap calculator
- Enter your handicap index as your golf association reports it. A plus handicap is entered as a negative number.
- Enter the slope rating, the course rating and the par of the tees you will play. They are printed on the scorecard.
- Set the allowance your event uses. The page starts with 100 percent as an example.
- Read the course handicap, the playing handicap and where the strokes fall on the card by stroke index.
Formula
Course handicap = handicap index x slope rating / 113 + (course rating - par), rounded to a whole number
Playing handicap = course handicap x allowance percent, rounded to a whole number
Rounding takes halves up, toward the larger number (0.5 becomes 1 and -0.5 becomes 0)
Strokes: the whole number of 18s go on every hole, and the rest go on the holes with the lowest stroke index
The number 113 is the slope rating of a course of average difficulty, so a course with a slope of 113 and a course rating equal to par gives a course handicap equal to your index.
An index of 12.4 on a hard course
With an index of 12.4, a slope rating of 130, a course rating of 71.5 and a par of 72, the index part is 12.4 x 130 / 113 = 14.2655 and the course rating minus par is -0.5. The course handicap is 13.7655 before rounding, which becomes 14. A playing handicap of 14 means one stroke on the holes with stroke index 1 to 14.
An index of 28.7 at a slope of 125, a rating of 70.1 and a par of 71 gives 30.8478, so a course handicap of 31, and 95 percent of that is 29.45, so a playing handicap of 29: one stroke on every hole and a second on stroke index 1 to 11. An index of -2.1 (a plus handicap) at slope 135, rating 73.2 and par 72 gives -1.30885, which rounds to -1, shown as +1: one stroke given back on the hole with stroke index 18.
Index, slope and rating
Your index describes your ability on a course of average difficulty. The slope rating measures how much harder a course is for a higher handicap player than for a scratch player, and the course rating is the score a scratch player is expected to make. The formula scales your index by the slope and then adds the difference between course rating and par.
To work out a score on the card use the golf score calculator, and to keep score in other games see the score keeper and the bowling score calculator.
Allowances and local rules
Many events use only part of the course handicap. The allowance field lets you apply the share your event sets, and the page rounds the result as a whole number. Associations and clubs differ in how they handle caps, rounding of the index and special formats, so check the rules that apply to you before you use the number in a competition.
Assumptions and limits
- The index, slope rating, course rating and par come from your association and the scorecard.
- The formula uses 113 as the neutral slope rating, and results are rounded half up to a whole number.
- The allowance is the share of the course handicap that your event uses, and you choose it.
- Stroke index numbers are taken to run from 1 to 18 across the holes of the course.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a course handicap?
Multiply your handicap index by the slope rating and divide by 113, then add the course rating minus par and round to a whole number. An index of 12.4 at slope 130, rating 71.5 and par 72 gives 14.
What is the difference between course handicap and playing handicap?
The course handicap is the number of strokes for the tees you play. The playing handicap applies the allowance of your event to that number.
How is a plus handicap entered?
As a negative index, such as -2.1. The result is shown with a plus sign when strokes are given back.
What does stroke index mean?
It ranks the holes from 1 to 18 by difficulty for handicap purposes. Strokes are received on the holes with the lowest stroke index numbers first.