How do I calculate my Course Handicap™ and Playing Handicap™?

A Course Handicap™ is a number that represents your playing ability on a specific golf course, calculated from your Handicap Index® and the course's ratings. Each golf course has a Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™, both of which can be found on the course's scorecard or through the USGA National Course Rating Database. The Course Rating™ represents the expected score for a scratch golfer, while the Slope Rating™ measures the relative difficulty for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer.

Your Course Handicap™ is calculated using the formula below. You can also use a mobile app, the Course Handicap™ table posted at your course, or the USGA Course Handicap™ Calculator:

Course Handicap™ = Handicap Index® × (Slope Rating™ ÷ 113) + (Course Rating™ − Par) Note: 113 is the Slope Rating of a course of standard difficulty, as defined by the USGA.

This result is rounded to the nearest whole number only when applying net double bogey adjustments. For all other purposes — including calculating your Playing Handicap — the unrounded value is used.

Playing Handicap = Course Handicap™ × Handicap Allowance The handicap allowance is a percentage set by the format of play (e.g., 95% for individual stroke play). It adjusts the Course Handicap to reflect the specific competition format.

The final Playing Handicap is then rounded to the nearest whole number. (Per Rules 6.1 and 6.2 of the Rules of Handicapping)

The system will automatically calculate your Course Handicap™ when you post scores for competitions.