FORE Magazine

Top Menu

  • About Me
  • Contact Us
  • Home

Main Menu

  • Current Issue
  • Digital Book
  • Profiles
  • Sustainability
  • Travel
  • 19th Hole
  • Classic Course
  • FORE Her
  • More
    • Know the Rules
    • Handicap Hints
    • SCGA Junior
    • Where Are They Now?
    • News
    • Public Affairs
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login

logo

FORE Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Digital Book
  • Profiles
  • Sustainability
  • Travel
  • 19th Hole
  • Classic Course
  • FORE Her
  • More
    • Know the Rules
    • Handicap Hints
    • SCGA Junior
    • Where Are They Now?
    • News
    • Public Affairs
Handicap HintsSummer 2023
Home›Handicap Hints›Handicap Index Calculation

Handicap Index Calculation

By Kevin O'Connor
July 21, 2023
4869
0
Share:

We receive a fair number of inquiries about the Handicap Index® and why it is not changing/not changing fast enough, not low enough, not high enough, etc., so it feels like a good time to review the calculation.

First off, we’ll start with the formal definition of a Handicap Index:

“The measure of a player’s demonstrated ability calculated against the Slope Rating™ of a golf course of standard playing difficulty (that is, a course with a Slope Rating of 113).” The important point here is this decimal value is not golf course or tee specific. It is converted into a Course Handicap™ to get the right number of strokes needed for a tee on a particular golf course.

The demonstrated ability element is based on a better portion of a player’s Score Differentials™ (scores are converted to Score Differentials that utilize the Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™ to determine which rounds are better) and in the case of a full scoring record this is the best eight of the most recent 20 Score Differentials. If all 20 Score Differentials were utilized, the player with a wider dispersion in scores (statistically higher-handicap players) would have an advantage and equity would not be maximized. Score Differential = (113/Slope Rating of Tees Played) x (adjusted gross score – Course Rating – PCC playing conditions calculation adjustment)

∙ 95 on a 69.8/124 results in a Score Differential of 23.0

∙ 96 on a 71.5/124 results in a Score Differential of 22.3

Two things to point out in comparing the two examples above:

1) The higher score, 96, resulted in a lower/better Score Differential; the 22.3 would be utilized before the 23.0.

2) The Slope Rating was the same for both scores, but the 96 resulted in the lower Score Differential. For those focused (obsessed) on Slope Rating regarding “difficulty,” this shows that Course Rating plays a key role in every Score Differential calculation. It is so exciting to type this point!

When looking at a scoring record and seeing asterisks denoting the “used” rounds, make sure to look at the resulting Score Differential to see that a lower score may not have an asterisk while a higher score does.

The average of the eight best Score Differentials is the baseline in the calculation of the Handicap Index.

If a player posts a poor score, resulting in a not-so-great Score Differential, this does not automatically result in a change in the Handicap Index. The eight best composite of Score Differentials of the most recent 20 scores averaged may remain the same, which normally means the Handicap Index remains the same.

For new golfers a Handicap Index will be calculated after 54 holes (any combination of nine- and 18- hole rounds).

Handicap Index values are calculated shortly after midnight.

There are some other checks and balances in the formula, including the cap procedure that has been discussed previously, where the difference between the average of the lowest eight Score Differentials is at least 3.0 greater than the Low Handicap Index™, yet for a complete 20-score record the eight best of 20 Score Differentials are important in the calculation every single time.

Previous Article

Beached, But Not Trapped: If an Entire ...

Next Article

Only A Game? So Why am I ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Kevin O'Connor

Kevin joined the SCGA in August of 2012, and will oversee utilization of the USGA Handicap System by SCGA members and member clubs, including utilization of the GHIN service. Having worked at the Northern California Golf Association in a similar role, and then more recently in a senior management role with the United States Golf Association, his experience positions him to assist the SCGA and its members in continued successful implementation of these core programs.

Related articles More from author

  • 19th HoleSummer 2023

    Not Your Average 19th Hole: Grab a Slice and Hit One too, at The Golf Bar

    July 21, 2023
    By John Gennaro
  • Core MissionHandicap HintsIn The ClubhouseWinter 2025

    Understanding Handicap

    January 27, 2025
    By Kevin O'Connor
  • Core MissionFall 2024Handicap HintsIn The Clubhouse

    Great Expectations

    October 16, 2024
    By Kevin O'Connor
  • Handicap HintsSummer 2015

    To Post or Not to Post: Is that a Question?

    July 1, 2015
    By Kevin O'Connor
  • At The TurnSummer 2023

    Golf is a Game, Not an Agenda: A Rebuttal

    July 21, 2023
    By Tom Budsman
  • FeaturedHandicap HintsIn The ClubhouseSpring 2025

    Fun & Games

    May 15, 2025
    By Kevin O'Connor

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

  • At The TurnFeaturedSpring 2025

    Paint What You Play

  • At The TurnFeaturedSCGA JuniorSpring 2025

    Mr. & Mrs. Porter

  • CoversFeaturedSpring 2025

    A Unified Response

  • FeaturedIn The ClubhouseSpring 2025

    Original Wonder Woman

  • At The TurnFeaturedSpring 2025Travel

    Irish Ayes

FeaturedIn The ClubhouseSpring 2025

John Henebry

A Personal Remembrance Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. A ballroom at Desert IslandCC in the Coachella Valley pocket of Rancho Mirage. The “Celebration of Life” for my dear friend, my colleague, ...
  • Fun & Games

    By Kevin O'Connor
    May 15, 2025
  • Rule 25

    By Jimmy Becker
    May 15, 2025
  • Doing More With Less

    By Kevin Fitzgerald
    May 15, 2025
  • Original Wonder Woman

    By Joe Passov
    May 15, 2025
© 2016 FORE Magazine About Us | Contact Us | Advertise