How to work out your golf handicap

First things first, you’ll need to play and record scores from at least 54 holes. You can do this by playing any combination of 9- or 18-hole rounds. 

Most golfers aim for a minimum of 5 rounds for a more accurate handicap. If you want to get your handicap faster, you might want to try fitting in a hefty 36 holes in one day.

It’s not just scores you’ll need to take note of. For each round you play you’ll need to record the Slope Rating and Course Rating:

• Course Rating: Normally around 70. Course Ratings give scratch golfers (those that consistently finish a course on par) an indication of the course difficulty under normal conditions.
• Slope Rating: Usually between 55 and 155, the average Slope Rating is 113. This number indicates the difficulty of a course for less experienced golfers compared to scratch golfers. The higher the number, or slope, the greater the range between the best and worst golfers’ scores on the course.

You should find both ratings somewhere near the first tee on a course.

Everyone plays a bad hole from time to time. Luckily, these don’t affect your handicap. That’s because scores are adjusted to reflect your best performances across different holes rather than those times you couldn’t find your stroke.

So, you should adjust the scores on holes where you didn’t finish or took a few too many strokes. For beginners, a simple way to do this is to take your highest-scoring holes and adjust scores to par plus two shots.

For example, if you took 8 shots on a par 3, your score will be adjusted to a 5.
Do this where applicable across every hole in a round and you’ll have your Adjusted Gross Score.

Now things get a bit more complicated. You’ll need to do the following sum each time you play a round.

Divide 113 (the average Slope Rating) by the Slope Rating of the course. Put this number to one side.

Take your Adjusted Gross Score and subtract the Course Rating and Playing Conditions Calculation – this number will come from the golf association or system you submit scores to.

Multiply this number by the earlier figure. The maths looks something like this:

(113 / Slope Rating) x (Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating – Playing Conditions Calculation)

Once you’ve gone through these steps, you’ll have your Score Differential.

Over time, you’ll gather more Score Differentials. By taking your most recent, lowest Score Differentials or the average of your most recent, lowest Score Differentials you’ll get your Handicap Index or Handicap.

If you have 3 to 5 Score Differentials you can take your single lowest differential as your Handicap Index. For anything above 5 Score Differentials, you should use the below guideline from the R&A.

Number of Score Differentials & Score Differentials to be used for Handicap Index

6 to 8 - Average of lowest 2
9 to 11 - Average of lowest 3
12 to 14 - Average of lowest 4
15 or 16 - Average of lowest 5
17 or 18 - Average of lowest 6
19 - Average of lowest 7
20 - Average of lowest 8

Even if you record more Score Differentials, you’ll only need your 20 most recent ones to work out your Handicap Index.

First, find the Slope Rating for your course and divide it by 113.

Multiply this answer by your Handicap Index to find your Course Handicap.

In other words: Course Handicap = Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113)

When you’ve finished playing a round, subtract the Course Handicap from your total score. This will help you to compare your performance with more- or less- experienced golfers for a better idea of how you played.

Want to work on your Handicap on a course you’ve never tried before? With Championship-standard courses scattered across the UK, you’ll find fairways to suit you with The QHotels Collection. Book a tee time today.

One of the easiest ways to keep your handicap up to date is to use an app. 

By submitting scores on an app, you can keep track of your Handicap Index to see how it changes over time. This means you don’t have to worry about working through all the calculations mentioned above.