Calculate your USGA-compliant Handicap Index in seconds. Enter your recent scores, course ratings, and slope to track your progress and compete fairly.
Enter your last 3 rounds to calculate your index
Your Handicap Index
Average golfer
Rounds Used
1 of 3
Best Diff
17.0
Avg Diff
17.0
Your Course Handicap
17
Strokes you receive at this course
The World Handicap System (WHS) provides golfers with a portable handicap index that can be universally applied on any rated golf course worldwide. This equitable system allows players of differing abilities to compete fairly against one another. Your official Handicap Index is a benchmark measure of your demonstrated playing ability, calculated using the average of your best 8 score differentials from your most recent 20 rounds of golf. If you have fewer than 20 rounds, the system applies a sliding scale to determine how many differentials to average.
Simply averaging your gross scores isn't an accurate measure of your ability because golf courses vary wildly in difficulty. A 90 on a championship course is far more impressive than a 90 on a local municipal track. To account for this, the WHS converts every round you play into a Score Differential using a standardized formula:
Score Differential = (113 / Course Slope Rating) × (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating)
The Course Rating represents the expected score for a scratch (zero handicap) golfer under normal playing conditions. The Slope Rating represents the relative difficulty of a course for bogey golfers compared to scratch golfers (ranging from 55 to 155, with 113 being standard average difficulty).
While your Handicap Index travels with you, your Course Handicap will fluctuate depending on the specific tees you choose to play that day. A Course Handicap represents the exact number of strokes you receive on a given course to play exactly to your handicap potential. Before teeing off, always convert your Index into a Course Handicap using the course handicap tables typically posted near the first tee box or inside the pro shop.
Tracking your golf handicap is the most reliable way to monitor your improvement over time. It is also a strict requirement for entering legitimate amateur golf tournaments, participating in local club leagues, or entering our weekly BookMoreTeeTimes giveaways. By logging your rounds consistently, you unlock the true competitive spirit of the game.