Calculate Score Differential per round, Handicap Index from 3–20 scores (average of the 8 lowest differentials, Rule 5.2a sliding scale), Course Handicap, Playing Handicap with Appendix C allowance, and check net double bogey per hole — per the World Handicap System 2020+ (no outdated 0.96 multiplier). All calculations run 100% in your browser.
1Score Differential per Round
Gross score after net double bogey adjustment.
Example: 71.5.
55–155.
Playing Conditions Calculation.
2Handicap Index (3–20 Scores)
#
Score
Rating
Slope
PCC
Differential
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
Uses at most the last 20 rounds. Minimum 3 scores (54 holes) for a Handicap Index.
Separate with newlines or commas. Use a dot for decimals.
3Course Handicap
Can be auto-filled from card 2.
4Playing Handicap
Important: use the pre-rounding value (see card 3).
Recommended Appendix C allowance, Rules of Handicapping.
For different-tee adjustment (Rule 6.2b).
5Net Double Bogey Checker
Whole number from card 3. May be negative for a plus handicap.
Hole
Par
Stroke Index
Stroke
Max Score
1
-
-
2
-
-
3
-
-
4
-
-
5
-
-
6
-
-
7
-
-
8
-
-
9
-
-
10
-
-
11
-
-
12
-
-
13
-
-
14
-
-
15
-
-
16
-
-
17
-
-
18
-
-
How to read: maximum per-hole score = par + 2 + the stroke handicap received on that hole. Plus-handicap players give back strokes starting from stroke index 18 downward. For initial scores (no Handicap Index yet), the limit is par + 5. (Rule 3.1)
Formulas used (World Handicap System)
Score Differential — (113 / Slope Rating) x (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating - PCC), rounded to the nearest tenth. (Rule 5.1)
Handicap Index — average of the 8 lowest differentials from the last 20 scores, rounded to the nearest tenth, maximum 54.0. With fewer than 20 scores, the Rule 5.2a sliding scale applies: 3 scores = lowest 1 minus 2.0; 4 scores = lowest 1 minus 1.0; 5 scores = lowest 1; 6 scores = average of lowest 2 minus 1.0; 7–8 scores = average of lowest 2; 9–11 = lowest 3; 12–14 = lowest 4; 15–16 = lowest 5; 17–18 = lowest 6; 19 = lowest 7. (Rules 5.2, 5.3)
Course Handicap — Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - par), rounded to a whole number for net double bogey; the unrounded value feeds Playing Handicap. (Rule 6.1)
Playing Handicap — Course Handicap (unrounded) x handicap allowance, rounded to a whole number. Allowance follows the Appendix C recommended table. (Rule 6.2)
Net double bogey — par + 2 + stroke handicap on that hole; per-hole score limit for handicap posting. (Rule 3.1)
Not computed here: official-system safeguards like exceptional score reduction (Rule 5.9) and the soft/hard cap (Rule 5.8) need 365 days of history and a Low Handicap Index, so they are only applied by official handicap systems/club committees.
Score Differential is computed with the WHS formula: (113 / Slope Rating) x (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating - PCC adjustment), then rounded to the nearest tenth. Example: a score of 85 on a course with course rating 71.5 and slope 125, PCC 0 gives (113 / 125) x (85 - 71.5 - 0) = 12.204, rounded to 12.2. See Rule 5.1, Rules of Handicapping.
Take the 8 lowest Score Differentials from the last 20 scores, average them, then round to the nearest tenth. No 0.96 multiplier — that is the old pre-2020 formula. Example: the eight lowest differentials 8.7; 9.1; 9.8; 10.1; 10.5; 11.0; 11.7; 12.2 average 10.3875, giving a Handicap Index of 10.4. See Rule 5.2, Rules of Handicapping.
A total of 54 holes played and posted, e.g. three 18-hole rounds. With fewer than 20 scores, WHS uses a sliding scale: 3 scores use the lowest differential minus 2.0; 4 scores use the lowest minus 1.0; 6 scores use the average of the 2 lowest minus 1.0; and so on up to 20 scores. Example: differentials 15.3; 15.2; 16.6 give 15.2 - 2.0 = a Handicap Index of 13.2. See Rule 5.2a, Rules of Handicapping.
Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - par), rounded to a whole number. Example: index 26.2, slope 126, rating 72.1, par 72 gives 29.31, rounded to 29. Playing Handicap = unrounded Course Handicap x handicap allowance, then rounded. E.g. a 95 percent allowance for individual stroke play: 29.31 x 95 percent = 27.85, rounded to 28. See Rules 6.1, 6.2, and Appendix C, Rules of Handicapping.
Net double bogey is the maximum per-hole score for handicap posting: par + 2 + the stroke handicap received on that hole, based on Course Handicap and stroke index. USGA example: a player with Course Handicap 15 receives 1 stroke on a par-4 hole with stroke index 10, so the maximum score is double bogey (6) + 1 = 7. Players still building initial scores without a Handicap Index use a par + 5 limit. See Rule 3.1, Rules of Handicapping.
A maximum of 54.0 for all players, per Rule 5.3 of the Rules of Handicapping. A competition committee may set a lower maximum Course Handicap or Playing Handicap specifically for that tournament.
The 0.96 multiplier known as the “bonus for excellence” belongs to the old pre-2020 USGA handicap system formula — the average of the best 10 differentials of 20 times 0.96. Since the World Handicap System took effect in 2020, Handicap Index is the average of the 8 lowest Score Differentials from the last 20 scores, with no multiplier at all. Calculators still using x 0.96 rely on an outdated formula.
Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) is an automatic adjustment from -1 to +3 applied when course or weather conditions that day make players’ scores much easier or harder than usual. PCC is subtracted inside the differential formula: e.g. a 12.2 differential with PCC +1 becomes 11.3, while with PCC -1 it becomes 13.1. A value of 0 means normal conditions, which is the most common. See Rule 5.6, Rules of Handicapping.
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