My Golf Handicap

A golf handicap index measures the relative abilities of golfers. The handicap indicates how many strokes over par a golfer can expect to shoot when playing his or her best golf. It is not an average, as is commonly thought, but rather an indication of a golfer's potential since it is based on a player's best (or lowest) previous rounds.

A golfer with a handicap of zero has shown the potential to make par and is often referred to as a "scratch golfer." A male player with a handicap of approximately 20 or a female player with a handicap of approximately 24 is a "bogey golfer." A bogey golfer is defined as someone who has shown the potential to golf a round of one-over-par per hole.

A golf handicap makes it possible for amateur golfers of varying abilities to play the same round and determine a winner. Tour professionals score as if golfing from scratch but do not use handicaps.

Every golf course that has been measured and certified by an overseeing golf association, such as the United States Golf Association, has two statistics that play a role in calculating handicaps. A golf course's official course rating is a number usually between 67 and 77. It indicates the average score scratch golfers could expect to get on a course when playing their best golf. A golf course's official slope rating is a number usually between 105 and 155. This number measures the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer, though not by stroke like the course rating.

These steps can be followed to calculate your handicap using five rounds of golf. See the tips section below for additional information about figuring handicaps for six or more rounds.

1. Take the scores from the last five rounds you played. Note that these rounds must be 18 holes each in length. Rounds on 9-hole courses do not count toward your handicap.
2. Find the course rating and slope rating for each of the courses you played. This information is often printed on the scorecard or can be obtained by calling the course. This data is already built in to GolfLink's Round Recorder where available, so you do not need to gather this information.
3. Subtract each course's rating from the score you earned on each course.
4. Multiply that number by 113 for each course.
5. Divide that number by each course's slope rating. This will produce a number known as the differential for each of your five rounds.
6. Take the lowest of your five differentials and multiply it by 0.96. Drop any decimals after the tenth and you have your handicap, also known as a handicap index. GolfLink calculates this for you for free. Sign up today to see just how easy it is!

1. If you have more than five scores, you will need to use a slightly different calculation. If you have seven scores, average your two lowest differentials and multiply the result by 0.96. If you have eight scores, average your two lowest differentials and multiply by 0.96. If you have nine scores, average your three lowest differentials and multiply by 0.96 to get your handicap.
2. Once you have 20 or more scores, use the most recent 20 scores and average the 10 lowest differentials, multiplying the result by 0.96 to calculate your handicap.
3. This handicap calculation is an estimate. Official USGA handicaps are calculated the same way but can only be given out by authorized USGA clubs. No online services offer official USGA handicaps.

1. Find the slope rating for the golf course on which you played your round. This information is available on GolfLink within both the Golf Course Directory and My Rounds section.
2. Multiply the golf course's slope rating by your handicap index.
3. Divide this number by 113 and round to the nearest whole number. This number is your course handicap for that course.
4. Subtract your course handicap from your gross score (that is, the total number of strokes you took in the round).
5. Repeat the last three steps for all golfers. The lowest adjusted score wins the round!