How to Calculate Handicap – Loan calculator

Understanding your golf handicap is crucial for fair play and tracking your improvement. The World Handicap System (WHS) provides a standardized method for calculating a Handicap Index, allowing golfers of all skill levels to compete equitably. This calculator helps you determine your Handicap Index based on your recent scores, Course Ratings, and Slope Ratings.

What is a Golf Handicap?

A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's demonstrated ability. It represents the number of strokes above par a player is expected to take on a course of standard difficulty. The lower your handicap, the better your golfing ability.

Key Terms Explained

Adjusted Gross Score (AGS): This is your raw score for a round, adjusted according to the WHS rule of "Net Double Bogey." This rule caps the maximum score you can take on any hole, preventing one or two bad holes from disproportionately affecting your handicap. For this calculator, please enter your score *after* applying Net Double Bogey.
Course Rating: This is an evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer (a golfer with a Handicap Index of 0.0). It's expressed in strokes to one decimal place (e.g., 72.0).
Slope Rating: This indicates the relative difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer (a golfer with a Handicap Index of approximately 20-24) compared to a scratch golfer. It ranges from 55 to 155, with 113 being the standard difficulty. The higher the Slope Rating, the more difficult the course is for a bogey golfer.
Handicap Differential: This is a measure of your performance in a single round, relative to the course's difficulty. It's calculated using your Adjusted Gross Score, Course Rating, and Slope Rating.
Handicap Index: This is your overall handicap, calculated by averaging your best Handicap Differentials from your most recent 20 scores. It's expressed to one decimal place.

How the World Handicap System (WHS) Works

The WHS calculates your Handicap Index by taking the average of your best Handicap Differentials from your most recent 20 scores. If you have fewer than 20 scores, a specific number of differentials are used, and sometimes an adjustment is applied. This system ensures your Handicap Index reflects your current demonstrated ability.

Using the Golf Handicap Calculator

To use this calculator, enter your Adjusted Gross Score, the Course Rating, and the Slope Rating for each of your recent rounds. You can enter up to 20 rounds. The calculator will then determine your Handicap Index according to WHS principles. Remember to use your *Adjusted Gross Score* for each round.

Please note: This calculator does not include the Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) adjustment, which may slightly modify differentials based on daily course conditions.

Golf Handicap Index Calculator (WHS)

Enter your Adjusted Gross Score, Course Rating, and Slope Rating for each of your recent rounds. You can enter up to 20 rounds. Only valid entries will be used.

// Generate input fields dynamically var roundInputsDiv = document.getElementById('roundInputs'); for (var i = 1; i <= 20; i++) { var roundDiv = document.createElement('div'); roundDiv.innerHTML = `

Round ${i}

Adjusted Gross Score: Course Rating: Slope Rating: `; roundInputsDiv.appendChild(roundDiv); } function calculateHandicap() { var differentials = []; for (var i = 1; i 0 && courseRating > 0 && slopeRating > 0) { // Handicap Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating) * (113 / Slope Rating) var differential = (grossScore – courseRating) * (113 / slopeRating); differentials.push(differential); } } var resultDiv = document.getElementById('handicapResult'); if (differentials.length = 5 && differentials.length = 7 && differentials.length = 9 && differentials.length = 11 && differentials.length = 13 && differentials.length = 15 && differentials.length = 17 && differentials.length = 19) { // 19 or 20 numDifferentialsToUse = 8; } else { resultDiv.innerHTML = "Not enough valid rounds to calculate a Handicap Index."; return; } var selectedDifferentials = differentials.slice(0, numDifferentialsToUse); var sumOfSelectedDifferentials = selectedDifferentials.reduce(function(sum, current) { return sum + current; }, 0); var handicapIndex = (sumOfSelectedDifferentials / numDifferentialsToUse) + adjustment; // Truncate to one decimal place (WHS standard) handicapIndex = Math.floor(handicapIndex * 10) / 10; resultDiv.innerHTML = "Your calculated Handicap Index is: " + handicapIndex.toFixed(1) + ""; resultDiv.innerHTML += "(Based on " + differentials.length + " valid rounds, using " + numDifferentialsToUse + " best differentials" + (adjustment !== 0 ? " with a " + adjustment.toFixed(1) + " adjustment" : "") + ")"; resultDiv.innerHTML += "Selected Differentials: " + selectedDifferentials.map(function(d) { return d.toFixed(2); }).join(', '); }