In golf, a player's handicap indicates the average number of strokes he shoots over or under par. You can easily compare players' skill levels by comparing their handicaps. Handicap tournaments allow golfers of different skill levels to compete more evenly against each other. The United States Golf Association, or USGA, serves as the governing body for the sport of golf in the U.S. and provides standard handicap rules and formulas. You can calculate your handicap index using the USGA handicap formula.
Step 1
Determine the handicap differential for each score using your calculator. The handicap differential indicates the difference between your scores and the course difficulty. Subtract the USGA course rating from your gross score. For example, if you shot 80 on a course with a USGA course rating of 73.5, subtract 73.5 from 80 to get 6.5. Multiply this value by the standard slope rating, or 113. Using the example above, you should get 734.5. Divide this value by the slope rating for the course. If the course has a slope rating of 123, for example, you should get 5.971. Round this value to one decimal place to get 6.0.
Step 2
Determine the number of handicap differentials that you should use to calculate your handicap index. The USGA handicap manual dictates that you should use the lowest differential if you have five or six acceptable scores, the lowest two differentials if you have seven or eight scores, the lowest three differentials if you have nine or 10 scores, the lowest four differentials if you have 11 or 12 scores and so on. If you have 20 scores, you should use the lowest 10 differentials.
Step 3
Average your lowest handicap differentials by adding them all up and then dividing by the number of differentials you used. For example, if you are using the lowest four differentials and these differentials are 6.1, 6.0, 5.8 and 5.7, you should get an average differential of 5.9.
Step 4
Multiply the average of your differentials by .96. Using the example in the previous step, you should get 5.664. Leave one decimal place on the number without rounding up or down. In this example, then, you should truncate the number to 5.6. This value represents your handicap index.
Tips and Warnings
- To obtain an official USGA handicap, you must post at least five scores to the pro shop of a golf club authorized by the USGA to issue handicaps.
- When calculating your handicap or posting scores to a club's handicap committee, you must post honest scores that reflect your true ability. If you post fake scores or purposely play badly to achieve high scores, your handicap will not reflect your true ability and you will get an unfair advantage in handicap tournaments. Such behavior constitutes cheating.
Things You'll Need
- Scores
- Calculator
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