Golf handicap calculator
- Rules 5.1 and 5.2, Rules of Handicapping (2024 edition)
- Last checked Nov 1, 2026
- By Julien Levadoux
Enter your adjusted gross score, Course Rating and Slope Rating for each round. The calculator works out each Score Differential and your estimated Handicap Index the way the World Handicap System does.
Have hole-by-hole scores? Work out the adjusted gross score
Each hole counts at most a net double bogey: par + 2 + the strokes you receive on it. Before you have a Handicap Index, the most a hole can count is par + 5.
Enter a score for every hole.
How the number is worked out
Each round becomes a Score Differential: how many strokes above the course’s difficulty you played, scaled to a course of average difficulty.
Score Differential = 113 ÷ Slope Rating × (adjusted gross score − Course Rating − PCC)
It is rounded to one decimal. Your Handicap Index is then the average of your lowest differentials, and how many count depends on how many rounds you have:
| Rounds | Lowest differentials used | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | −2.0 |
| 4 | 1 | −1.0 |
| 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | 2 (averaged) | −1.0 |
| 7 or 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 to 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 to 14 | 4 | 0 |
| 15 or 16 | 5 | 0 |
| 17 or 18 | 6 | 0 |
| 19 | 7 | 0 |
| 20 | 8 | 0 |
The result is rounded to one decimal, and no Handicap Index goes above 54.0.
A worked example
Three rounds give Score Differentials of 15.3, 15.2 and 16.6. With three rounds, only the lowest counts and 2.0 comes off it: 15.2 − 2.0 = 13.2. This is the example the Rules of Handicapping use themselves.
What “adjusted gross score” means
It is your score after capping any bad hole. With a Handicap Index, a hole counts at most a net double bogey: par + 2 + the handicap strokes you receive on that hole. Before you have one, a hole counts at most par + 5. The hole-by-hole helper under the calculator does this for you.
What this calculator leaves out
Your official Handicap Index can differ from this estimate, because some parts of the system depend on your full record and on your golf association:
- 9-hole scores, which since 2024 are combined with an expected score based on your Handicap Index
- exceptional score reductions after a very low round
- the soft and hard caps, which slow how fast an index can rise above your lowest of the last 12 months
- the daily playing conditions calculation (PCC); you can enter it if your association published one
- adjustments by a handicap committee
Common questions
Is this my official handicap? No. Only a golf club or association can issue a Handicap Index®. In the US that is done through your club and your state or regional golf association. This calculator gives the number the same math would produce from the rounds you enter.
Where do I find the Course Rating and Slope Rating? On the scorecard, for the tees you played, or on the course’s own website. They differ for each set of tees.
Which rounds should I enter? Your most recent 18-hole rounds, newest first. Only the 20 most recent count.
Can my Handicap Index go below zero? Yes. A negative number is written as a plus handicap, like +1.2.
Explained in our own words, not an official ruling: in a competition, the committee, league or umpire decides, and local rules apply.
Sources
- Rules of Handicapping, USGA and R&A (2024 edition)