Golf handicap calculator
Type one round per line - adjusted gross score, course rating and slope rating, plus an optional PCC adjustment. The calculator shows each score differential and your Handicap Index under the World Handicap System.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Enter one round per line, oldest first: adjusted gross score, course rating, slope rating. Separate the numbers with spaces or commas.
- Add a fourth number if the playing conditions calculation (PCC) applied that day.
- Read the differentials. The ones marked with * are the best ones that count toward your index.
How the index is built
Each round gives a differential: (113 ÷ slope) × (adjusted gross − course rating − PCC). Only the latest 20 rounds count. The table below says how many of the lowest differentials are averaged.
| Rounds |
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 |
The result is rounded to one decimal and capped at 54.0.
Worked example
On a course with rating 71.2 and slope 130, a gross 85 gives (113 ÷ 130) × (85 − 71.2) = 0.869 × 13.8 = 12.0. With eight rounds of differentials 18, 16, 13, 20, 15, 23, 12 and 17, the two lowest are 12 and 13, so the index is 12.5.
Limits
This is a calculator, not an official handicap: your Handicap Index is issued by your golf association or club, which also applies soft and hard caps and exceptional scoring reductions that are not included here.
Frequently asked questions
How is a score differential calculated?
Differential = (113 ÷ slope rating) × (adjusted gross score − course rating − PCC), rounded to one decimal. 113 is the slope of a course of average difficulty.
How many rounds does the Handicap Index use?
The average of the lowest 8 of your latest 20 differentials. With fewer than 20 rounds a smaller number counts - for example the lowest 1 of 5 and the lowest 3 of 9 - and with 3, 4 or 6 rounds a small adjustment is applied. This calculator follows that table and needs at least 3 rounds.
What is an adjusted gross score?
It is your gross score with each hole capped at net double bogey (par + 2 + handicap strokes received on the hole). Enter the adjusted figure, not the raw one.
What does a plus handicap mean?
A plus sign, such as +2.1, means a Handicap Index better than scratch: the player is expected to score below the course rating.