Handicap Calculator Free

Golf Handicap Index Calculator

Enter your recent adjusted gross scores, along with the Course Rating and Slope Rating for each round, to estimate your Handicap Index.

Adjusted Gross Score Course Rating Slope Rating

function calculateHandicap() { var differentials = []; var numRounds = 5; for (var i = 1; i 0 && !isNaN(courseRating) && courseRating > 0 && !isNaN(slopeRating) && slopeRating > 0) { var differential = (grossScore – courseRating) * (113 / slopeRating); differentials.push(differential); } } var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); resultDiv.style.backgroundColor = '#e9f7ef'; resultDiv.style.borderColor = '#d4edda'; resultDiv.style.color = '#155724'; if (differentials.length === 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid scores, course ratings, and slope ratings for at least one round."; resultDiv.style.backgroundColor = '#f8d7da'; resultDiv.style.borderColor = '#f5c6cb'; resultDiv.style.color = '#721c24'; return; } differentials.sort(function(a, b) { return a – b; }); // Sort ascending var numDifferentialsToUse; if (differentials.length <= 2) { numDifferentialsToUse = differentials.length; } else if (differentials.length <= 4) { numDifferentialsToUse = 2; // Use best 2 for 3-4 scores } else { // 5 or more scores numDifferentialsToUse = 3; // Use best 3 for 5 scores (simplified WHS for this calculator) } var bestDifferentials = differentials.slice(0, numDifferentialsToUse); var sumBestDifferentials = bestDifferentials.reduce(function(a, b) { return a + b; }, 0); var averageBestDifferentials = sumBestDifferentials / bestDifferentials.length; var handicapIndex = averageBestDifferentials * 0.96; // WHS adjustment factor var differentialsList = differentials.map(function(d) { return d.toFixed(2); }).join(", "); var bestDifferentialsList = bestDifferentials.map(function(d) { return d.toFixed(2); }).join(", "); resultDiv.innerHTML = "

Your Estimated Handicap Index: " + handicapIndex.toFixed(1) + "

" + "(This is an estimate based on the provided data and a simplified calculation method.)" + "Calculated Differentials: [" + differentialsList + "]" + "Best " + numDifferentialsToUse + " Differentials Used: [" + bestDifferentialsList + "]" + "Average of Best Differentials: " + averageBestDifferentials.toFixed(2) + "" + "Handicap Index Calculation: " + averageBestDifferentials.toFixed(2) + " × 0.96 = " + handicapIndex.toFixed(1) + ""; }

Understanding Your Golf Handicap Index

A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's ability, allowing players of different skill levels to compete fairly against each other. It's essentially a way to level the playing field, making golf more enjoyable and competitive for everyone, regardless of their experience.

The World Handicap System (WHS)

Since 2020, the World Handicap System (WHS) has provided a unified method for calculating handicaps globally. This system aims to make handicaps more consistent and portable, allowing golfers to use their Handicap Index anywhere in the world. The WHS uses a player's best 8 scores from their most recent 20 rounds to calculate their Handicap Index.

Key Components of Handicap Calculation:

• Adjusted Gross Score: This is your raw score for a round, adjusted for any maximum hole scores (e.g., Net Double Bogey under WHS) to account for unusually high scores on a single hole.
• Course Rating: This is a numerical evaluation of the difficulty of a golf course for a scratch golfer (a player with a handicap of 0). It's expressed in strokes and typically ranges from 67 to 77.
• Slope Rating: This number indicates the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer (a player with a handicap of approximately 20-24) compared to a scratch golfer. Slope Ratings range from 55 to 155, with 113 being the standard average difficulty. The higher the Slope Rating, the more difficult the course is for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch golfer.
• Handicap Differential: This is the core calculation for each round. It converts your adjusted gross score on a specific course into a standardized value that can be compared across different courses. The formula is:
  (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) × (113 / Slope Rating)
• Handicap Index: This is your overall handicap, calculated by averaging your best Handicap Differentials (typically the best 8 out of your last 20 under WHS). This average is then multiplied by a 0.96 adjustment factor to provide a slight bonus for playing. Your Handicap Index is a portable number that reflects your demonstrated ability.
• Course Handicap: When you play a specific course, your Handicap Index is converted into a Course Handicap using the formula:
  Handicap Index × (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - Par)
  This tells you how many strokes you receive for that particular course and set of tees.

How This Calculator Works

Our free Golf Handicap Index Calculator provides an estimate of your Handicap Index based on a simplified version of the WHS. Instead of requiring 20 rounds, it allows you to input up to 5 recent rounds. It then calculates the Handicap Differential for each valid round and averages the best (lowest) differentials to give you an estimated Handicap Index. For 1-2 valid rounds, it averages all available. For 3-4 valid rounds, it averages the best 2. For 5 valid rounds, it averages the best 3.

Please note: While this calculator provides a good estimate, it is not an official handicap. To obtain an official Handicap Index, you must register with an authorized golf association in your region and submit your scores according to their guidelines.

Example Calculation:

Let's use the default values provided in the calculator:

• Round 1: Score 90, Course Rating 71.0, Slope Rating 125
• Round 2: Score 85, Course Rating 70.5, Slope Rating 120
• Round 3: Score 92, Course Rating 71.2, Slope Rating 128
• Round 4: Score 88, Course Rating 70.8, Slope Rating 122
• Round 5: Score 87, Course Rating 70.9, Slope Rating 123

Handicap Differentials:

• Round 1: (90 – 71.0) × (113 / 125) = 19 × 0.904 = 17.18
• Round 2: (85 – 70.5) × (113 / 120) = 14.5 × 0.9417 = 13.65
• Round 3: (92 – 71.2) × (113 / 128) = 20.8 × 0.8828 = 18.36
• Round 4: (88 – 70.8) × (113 / 122) = 17.2 × 0.9262 = 15.93
• Round 5: (87 – 70.9) × (113 / 123) = 16.1 × 0.9187 = 14.79

The differentials are: [17.18, 13.65, 18.36, 15.93, 14.79].

Sorted (lowest first): [13.65, 14.79, 15.93, 17.18, 18.36].

Using the best 3 differentials (for 5 rounds): 13.65, 14.79, 15.93.

Average of best 3: (13.65 + 14.79 + 15.93) / 3 = 44.37 / 3 = 14.79.

Estimated Handicap Index: 14.79 × 0.96 = 14.2.