Calculate your World Handicap System index from your scores and your course handicap for any course.
Each round gives a differential: (113 ÷ slope) × (score − course rating − PCC). Your index averages the best differentials. Scores 85, 88 and 90 on a 71.5/125 course give differentials 12.2, 14.9 and 16.7 — an index of 10.2.
A handicap measures a golfer's potential ability so players of different skill can compete fairly. This page has two tools based on the World Handicap System (WHS): a course handicap calculator that tells you how many strokes you receive on a specific course, and a handicap index calculator that works out your index from 3 to 20 recent scores.
Enter the course rating and slope rating for the tees you played, your adjusted gross score and, optionally, the playing conditions adjustment (PCC) for each round. Official handicaps are issued by your national association or golf club; this tool gives an estimate. See also the Speed Calculator for other sports pace maths.
The calculator follows the World Handicap System.
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Index 10.2, rating 71.5, slope 125, par 72 | 11 strokes |
| Index 18.4, rating 70.2, slope 120, par 71 | 19 strokes |
| Index 0 on a neutral course | 0 strokes |
| Scores 85, 88, 90 on rating 71.5 / slope 125 | 10.2 index |
| Scores available | Lowest used | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | −2.0 |
| 4 | 1 | −1.0 |
| 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | 2 | −1.0 |
| 7–8 | 2 | 0 |
| 9–11 | 3 | 0 |
| 12–14 | 4 | 0 |
| 15–16 | 5 | 0 |
| 17–18 | 6 | 0 |
| 19 | 7 | 0 |
| 20 | 8 | 0 |
Course rating is the score a scratch golfer is expected to make (typically 67–77). Slope rating (55–155) measures how much harder the course plays for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer; 113 is average. PCC adjusts for conditions that made the course unusually easy (−1) or hard (up to +3). A scratch golfer has a handicap of zero, and a bogey golfer is about 18.
Work out a score differential for each round, average the lowest ones as the WHS table specifies (best 8 of 20), and round to one decimal.
A round's score adjusted for course difficulty: (113 ÷ slope) × (adjusted gross score − course rating − PCC).
The number of strokes you receive on a particular course: index × slope ÷ 113 + (course rating − par), rounded.
At least three rounds (54 holes). The index is based on your most recent 20.
A number from 55 to 155 that shows how hard a course is for an average golfer compared with a scratch golfer; 113 is the standard.
The Playing Conditions Calculation adjusts scores for the day's conditions, from −1 (easier) to +3 (harder).
A better-than-scratch player, shown as a negative index or “+2.0”. A plus-handicap golfer gives strokes back to the course.
This tool doubles a 9-hole differential as an approximation. Official systems use an expected-score method.
No. Official handicaps come from your national golf association or club.
No. Everything runs in your browser.
