Club glossary
What Is a Course Handicap in Golf?
The number of strokes a player receives from a set of tees, calculated from their Handicap Index® with that tee's Slope Rating®, Course Rating™ and par.
A Course Handicap™ is the number of strokes a player receives from a specific set of tees on a specific course. It converts a player's portable Handicap Index® into strokes for the tees they are about to play, using that tee's Slope Rating®, Course Rating™ and par. It represents the strokes a player needs to play to par from those tees.
How it is calculated
Under the USGA's Rules of Handicapping, the 18-hole Course Handicap is:
Course Handicap = Handicap Index® × (Slope Rating® ÷ 113) + (Course Rating™ − par)
The result is rounded to the nearest whole number. The Slope Rating® scales the Handicap Index® up or down for how hard the tees play for a higher-handicap player relative to a scratch player; the Course Rating™ minus par term adjusts for tees that play harder or easier than par for everyone. For a 9-hole round, the calculation uses the 9-hole ratings and half the Handicap Index®.
Example
A player with a Handicap Index® of 12.4 plays two sets of tees at the same club:
| Tees | Slope Rating® | Course Rating™ | Par | Calculation | Course Handicap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 131 | 71.8 | 72 | 12.4 × 131 ÷ 113 − 0.2 = 14.18 | 14 |
| Blue | 138 | 73.6 | 72 | 12.4 × 138 ÷ 113 + 1.6 = 16.74 | 17 |
The same golfer gets three more strokes from the blue tees because they play longer and harder.
Course Handicap vs. Playing Handicap
The Course Handicap is not always the number of strokes used in a competition. When a format calls for a handicap allowance — 95% in individual stroke play, 85% in four-ball stroke play — the Course Handicap is multiplied by that allowance to give the Playing Handicap™. The USGA explains both on its Course Handicap and Playing Handicap page.
Why it matters at a private club
Members play from different tees on different days, and many clubs host mixed-tee events. Course Handicaps must be computed from the correct ratings for each tee and gender, current as of that day's Handicap Index®, or pairings and net results are wrong. Posting cards and handicap tables in the golf shop are how clubs traditionally show this; an app can show each player their number before they tee off.
Related terms
In Bubs: as an official USGA partner, Bubs reads each member's Handicap Index® from the USGA and computes Course Handicaps from the club's rated tees. See handicaps.