Using the Golf Handicap Calculator
Enter score differentials, not raw stroke totals. The list must contain twenty entries; the calculator sorts a copy to select the lowest eight. It does not calculate the differentials from course ratings or decide which rounds belong in an official record.
Worked example
Use the example inputs below to reproduce this result. These are the form's starting values, not recommended targets. Changing your inputs updates your result above; this worked example stays fixed for comparison. Results are rounded for display.
Example inputs
- Exactly 20 recent score differentials
- 10, 12, 11, 14, 13, 9, 15, 12, 10, 11, 8, 13, 12, 10, 9, 14, 11, 12, 10, 13
Example result
- Unadjusted handicap index estimate
- 9.6
Method and assumptions
Averages the lowest 8 of 20 score differentials. Excludes caps, exceptional-score adjustments and committee adjustments; not an official WHS handicap.
Reference: usga.org — method and further reading
Use differentials rather than stroke totals
A score differential and a raw round score are different inputs. Before calculating, check that the recorded values are already the differentials required by the method. This page performs the stated averaging step only. An official handicap record may apply additional rules, so a matching arithmetic average is not the same as official certification.
Common question
Why does my official index differ from this average?
The official process can apply adjustments and other rules that this tool does not implement. Also check that the twenty entries are the correct score differentials rather than raw scores. The output is explicitly an unadjusted estimate.
Guide updated .