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Course handicap calculator
Your Handicap Index says how good you are; your course handicap says how many strokes you get on these particular tees. Enter your index and the tees' ratings to see both your course and playing handicap.
Filled in with the official example of a 15.0 index on a course rated 72.0 with slope 129 and par 71. Change any number to use your own.
The formula
Course handicap = Handicap Index × (slope rating ÷ 113) + (course rating − par)
A slope rating of 113 is the standard. The higher the slope, the harder the course plays for a bogey golfer compared with a scratch golfer, so the more strokes you get. The (course rating − par) part adjusts for tees whose rating is above or below par; Great Britain and Ireland added it in April 2024. The answer is rounded to a whole number.
Same golfer, two courses
The rules' own example has two golfers, both with a 15.0 index and par 71, on two different courses:
- Course rated 72.0, slope 129: course handicap 18.
- Course rated 67.2, slope 113: course handicap 11.
A difference of 7 strokes from the same index. That's the point of slope and rating: the harder course gives you more.
Playing handicap and allowances
Most competitions then apply a handicap allowance to make the format fair. The playing handicap is your unrounded course handicap times the allowance, rounded at the end. The recommended allowances:
| Format | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Singles match play | 100% |
| Individual stroke play, Stableford and par/bogey | 95% |
| Four-ball match play (then strokes off the lowest) | 90% |
| Four-ball stroke play and Stableford | 85% |
| Foursomes | 50% of the partners' combined course handicaps |
Allowances can differ by country and competition, so check the terms of the competition you're entering.
Where your strokes fall
Strokes go on holes in stroke-index order: a playing handicap of 10 gets one stroke on stroke index 1 to 10; 20 gets two strokes on stroke index 1 and 2 and one on every other hole. A plus handicap gives strokes back, starting on stroke index 18. On 9 holes the 9-hole course handicap uses half your index (to one decimal) with the 9-hole ratings.
Next: score the round with the Stableford calculator, or see how the index itself is calculated.