How to Handicap a Golf Score
The golf handicap system was created in the 20th century to help level the playing field between advanced and beginner golfers. A handicap measures how you would match up against a scratch golfer in order to have a fair competition. For example, if your handicap is 5 and play against a scratch golfer, you have a 5 stroke lead at the start of the round.
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Things You'll Need
- 5 of your most recent golf scores
- Rating and slope of each course you played
- Calculator
Instructions
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How to Handicap a Golf Score
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1
Play at least five full rounds of golf and record the score for each round.
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2
Locate the rating and slope for each of the golf courses you played at. Most golf courses have the rating and slope written on the score card.
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3
Subtract each score you earned by the rating of the specific course. For example, if you shot an 82 and the course rating is 69.3, then you would get a score of 12.7
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4
Multiply the number you got in Step 3 by 113. For example, 12.7 multiplied by 113 gets you 1435.1.
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5
Divide the number you got in step 4 by the slope of the course. For example, if the slope of the course is 116, then you would divide 1435.1 by 116 to get a differential score of 12.37.
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6
Determine which of your five differential scores is the lowest. Multiply that number by .96. For example, if 12.37 was the lowest of your differential scores, you would multiple 12.37 by .96 to get a handicap of 11.87. As a result, your handicap would be 12.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have more than five scores, the formula changes slightly. For example, if you have 8 scores, you take average of your lowest two differentials before multiplying by .96. If you have 14 scores, you take the average of your lowest 5 differential scores. This method works up until 20 scores. At 20 scores, you use the average of your lowest 10 differentials.
This method of handicapping your score is not your official handicap, but rather an estimate of it. If you are interested in getting your official handicap, you must do it through the Official United States Golf Association at a USGA authorized club.
References
Resources
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