What Is a Handicap Index in Golf?
Handicap Index: A portable measure of your playing ability that travels with you from course to course.
Handicap Index — full definition
A portable measure of a golfer’s demonstrated ability, calculated from the best 8 of the last 20 score differentials. Your Handicap Index® travels with you from course to course and is converted to a Course Handicap using the Slope Rating of the tees you play. Administered by the USGA through local allied golf associations.
Handicap Index — frequently asked
Handicap Index — how is it calculated?
- Average of your best 8 score differentials out of the last 20 rounds
- Administered by the USGA through local allied golf associations
Handicap Index — how do you use it?
- Convert to a Course Handicap using the Slope Rating of the tees you play
- Allows fair competition between golfers of different abilities on any course
More on Handicap Index
Your Index is portable; everything Stymie does with it is about converting it for a specific course.
- Handicap calculatorIndex to Course Handicap, using real rating and slope values.
- Score differential calculatorThe per-round math your Index is averaged from.
- Tee recommendation toolOne Index, a different stroke count from every tee box.
- US golf associations directoryThe allied association that actually issues and maintains your Index.
Other course rating terms
Course Rating
A USGA-assigned number representing the expected score for a scratch golfer under normal conditions.
Slope Rating
A number from 55 to 155 that measures how much harder a course plays for bogey golfers versus scratch golfers.
Bogey Rating
The expected score for a bogey golfer — roughly a 20-handicap (men) or 24-handicap (women).
Course Handicap
The number of strokes you receive on a specific course from a specific set of tees.
Playing Handicap
Your Course Handicap adjusted for the specific format of play.
Score Differential
A score that measures how well you played relative to the difficulty of the course.
Equitable Stroke Control
A rule that caps the maximum score on any hole for handicap purposes, preventing blow-up holes from wrecking your index.