According to the United States Golf Association (USGA), the handicap system allows golfers of all levels to compete equally. In 1987, the USGA replaced the handicap with the handicap index, a complicated calculation that allows you to adjust your your handicap to the course you play. Your handicap is meant to measure how you compare to a scratch golfer on any course, Golf North Carolina notes. You must know your handicap index number for most tournaments you enter.
Step 1
Join a golf club licensed by the USGA, which may offer a handicap program recognized by the USGA for a small annual fee.
Step 2
Post or report to your golf club your first five 18-hole scores, along with the course and slope ratings for each golf course you played. The course rating is based on yardage, green contours, nature of hazards and the difficulty level for a scratch golfer. The slope rating represents how difficult the course plays and takes into account certain aspects of the course layout. The USGA regulates both the course and the slope ratings; these numbers are usually found on the scorecard or the course's pro shop.
Step 3
Play a total of 20 rounds of golf and calculate your handicap index using the 10 best scores from the 20 rounds. Once you know your handicap index, you can use this number on any course you play. Continue to report your scores; your handicap index should decrease if you improve.
Step 4
To calculate an estimated handicap index yourself, without getting the USGA involved, record the scores from your five most recent rounds of golf. Subtract the course rating from your final score. For example, you shoot a 78 on a course with a rating of 68.5, your final score would be 9.5. Repeat this for the other four rounds.
Step 5
Take the lowest final score from those five rounds, here the 9.5, and multiply that score by 113, the USGA's standard slope rating for an 18-hole course. Divide your tour total of 1,073.5 by the slope rating --- in this example, 112 --- for the course on which you scored 9.5. This equals 9.5848; multiply by .96 to find your estimated handicap index --- 9.2, in this example.
Step 6
Repeat this calculation when you reach seven rounds, taking an average of the two lowest scores. Repeat again once you reach nine total rounds of golf, taking an average of the three lowest scores. Once you reach 20 rounds, take the average of the lowest 10 scores and recalculate your estimated handicap index.
Tips and Warnings
- A scratch golfer can play to the course handicap of 0 on any rated golf course. He should also average a 250-yard tee shot and reach a 470-yard hole in two shots at sea level.
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