Golf Course Handicap and Score Differential Calculator
Enter your Handicap Index and the Course Rating, Slope Rating and par for the tees you're playing (they're on the scorecard or the course's rating listing) to get your Course Handicap and Playing Handicap. Add an adjusted gross score to see that round's Score Differential, or paste a list of differentials to see how the Handicap Index average works. The formulas are the ones in the USGA's Rules of Handicapping.
Your official Handicap Index comes from your handicapping authority. This calculator doesn't apply the soft and hard caps or exceptional score reductions, uses your own adjusted gross score (net double bogey limits are not applied for you), and handles 18-hole rounds only. Use it to check the math, not to replace your club's figures.
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Results
| Course Handicap (unrounded) | — |
|---|---|
| Course Handicap (rounded) | — |
| Playing Handicap (allowance applied to the unrounded Course Handicap) | — |
| Score Differential for the round | — |
| Differentials counted (most recent 20) | — |
| Handicap Index average (before caps and exceptional score reductions) | — |
Formulas used
- Course Handicap = Handicap Index × (Slope Rating ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − Par), rounded to the nearest whole number with .5 rounded up (Rule 6.1).
- Playing Handicap = unrounded Course Handicap × handicap allowance, rounded to the nearest whole number (Rule 6.2 and the USGA FAQ).
- Score Differential = (113 ÷ Slope Rating) × (adjusted gross score − Course Rating − PCC adjustment), rounded to the nearest tenth with .5 rounded up (Rule 5.1).
- Handicap Index = average of the lowest 8 of the most recent 20 Score Differentials. With fewer than 20, the Rule 5.2 table applies: 3 scores, lowest 1 − 2.0; 4, lowest 1 − 1.0; 5, lowest 1; 6, average of lowest 2 − 1.0; 7–8, lowest 2; 9–11, lowest 3; 12–14, lowest 4; 15–16, lowest 5; 17–18, lowest 6; 19, lowest 7. Rounded to the nearest tenth; maximum 54.0.
Worked example (from the Rules of Handicapping)
- Course Rating 71.0, Slope Rating 125, par 71, four-ball stroke play (85% allowance). A player with a 10.3 Handicap Index has an unrounded Course Handicap of 10.3 × 125 ÷ 113 = 11.39 and a Playing Handicap of 11.39 × 0.85 = 9.68, rounded to 10. A player with an 8.6 Handicap Index gets 9.51 × 0.85 = 8.09, rounded to 8.
For the full explanation, including caps and exceptional scores, read our World Handicap System guide.
Sources
- USGA: 2024 Rules of Handicapping (PDF), Rules 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 and 6.2
- USGA FAQ: Calculate Course Handicap and Playing Handicap
- USGA: Handicap Index Calculation
Sources checked October 29, 2026.