Handicap
Course Handicap Calculator
How many strokes you get today, on this course, in this format.
Unofficial estimate. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the USGA, The R&A, or GHIN.
The short answer
An index of 18.4 on a course rated 71.2 with slope 128, par 72, is a playing handicap of 19 in individual stroke play.You get 2 strokes on the hardest hole and 1 stroke on every other hole.
How it’s calculated
Course handicap = index × (slope ÷ 113) + (course rating − par)
Playing handicap = unrounded course handicap × allowance, then round
Worked example, loaded above: 18.4 × (128 ÷ 113) + (71.2 − 72) = 20.04, which rounds to a course handicap of 20. Stroke play uses 95%, so 20.04 × 0.95 = 19.04, which rounds to a playing handicap of 19.You get 2 strokes on the hardest hole and 1 stroke on every other hole.
The allowance is applied to the unrounded course handicap so the figure is not rounded twice. Halves round upward. Strokes start on stroke index 1. A plus handicap gives strokes back starting at the highest stroke index. Net double bogey, the cap when you post a score, uses the rounded course handicap: par + 2 + strokes on that hole. Nine-hole rounds use half the index, the nine-hole slope, and the nine-hole rating minus par.
Not applied here: a licensed course database, so rating and slope are typed from the card. The sample stroke indexes are a layout, not your course’s card, until you edit them. This is not an official card from a club, the USGA, The R&A, or GHIN.
Questions golfers ask
What is the difference between a course handicap and a playing handicap?
Course handicap is the full number of strokes the course owes you before a competition format is applied. Playing handicap multiplies that unrounded figure by the allowance for the format, then rounds. In an individual stroke-play event the allowance is 95%. In match play or a casual round it is often 100%, so the two numbers match.
Where do I find slope and course rating?
Both are printed on the scorecard for each set of tees, and on the course website. Course rating looks like 71.2. Slope is a whole number from 55 to 155. Par is on the card too. Use the tees you will actually play, including the correct men’s or women’s rating.
Why is my course handicap different from my index?
The index is portable. The course handicap stretches it for a slope above or below 113, then adds the gap between course rating and par. A harder course, or a rating above par, gives you more strokes than your index.
Which holes do I get strokes on?
Stroke index 1 is the hardest hole and gets a stroke first, then 2, and so on. If you get 16 strokes, you receive one on stroke indexes 1 through 16 and none on the two easiest. A plus handicap gives strokes back starting at the easiest hole.
What allowance should a weekend game use?
The Rules of Handicapping recommend 95% for individual stroke play, Stableford, and par or bogey, and 100% for individual match play. A friendly four-ball is often 85% in stroke play and 90% in match play. The card on this page uses the allowance you pick, and it says so.
What is net double bogey?
For a score you post, the most you can take on a hole is par plus 2 plus the strokes your course handicap gives you on that hole. A par 4 where you get one stroke caps at 7. Playing handicap is for the game. Net double bogey uses course handicap.
Does this work for 9 holes?
Yes. A nine-hole course handicap uses half your index, times the nine-hole slope over 113, plus the nine-hole rating minus par. Enter the nine-hole rating and slope from the card, not half of the 18-hole numbers, unless the card tells you they are exactly half.