How to Figure Out My Handicap

Figure out your handicap so you can compete with other golfers.

The handicap system allows golfers of all levels to compete with each other. Each golfer's raw score is adjusted according to his handicap, then the adjusted scores are compared to determine the winner. An official handicap can only be obtained from the United States Golf Association, but you can estimate your handicap as long as you have at least five recorded scores on USGA-rated golf courses.

Things You'll Need

• Scorecards
• Calculator
• Paper
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Record the scores for the last five to 20 rounds of golf that you have played. Make sure the scorecards have the course rating and slope rating for each golf course. If you do not have this information, you can call the golf course to find out or look online to see if the course has a website that lists the rating.

2. Subtract the course rating from each of your recorded scores. Multiply this number by 113 and divide the result by the golf course's slope. This is the handicap differential for that round of golf.

3. Find the lowest differential if you are only using five or six scores. The number of differentials to include in your average depends on how many recorded scores you are including in your handicap calculation. If you are using seven or eight scores, use the average of the two lowest differentials. Use the average of the lowest three differentials if you have nine or 10 recorded scores. The number of differentials to use increases with the number of recorded scores until you reach the maximum of 20 scores. If you have the full 20 scores, use the average of the lowest 10 differentials. Consult the handicap calculation table at PGAProfessional.com for the proper number if you fall somewhere in between eight and 20 scores.

4. Multiply the number from the previous step by 0.96 to determine your handicap.

References

• Golf Handicap Information

Resources

• Handicap Calculation Table