Club glossary
What Is a Handicap Index®?
The USGA's measure of a golfer's demonstrated ability, calculated from the best 8 of their latest 20 Score Differentials and portable between courses.
A Handicap Index® is the USGA's measure of a golfer's demonstrated ability. It is calculated from the player's recent scores, adjusted for the difficulty of the courses they were played on, and it travels with the player: the same Handicap Index® is converted into a Course Handicap™ for any rated set of tees anywhere. In the United States it is issued under the Rules of Handicapping through the USGA and its allied golf associations, usually via the player's club.
How it is calculated
- Adjust each score. Hole scores are capped at net double bogey for handicap purposes, giving an adjusted gross score.
- Calculate a Score Differential. Each round becomes a Score Differential: (113 ÷ Slope Rating®) × (adjusted gross score − Course Rating™ − any playing conditions adjustment).
- Average the best 8 of the last 20. The Handicap Index® is the average of the lowest eight Score Differentials among the player's 20 most recent, rounded to one decimal place. Players with fewer than 20 scores use a smaller number of differentials, with an adjustment.
- Apply safeguards. A soft cap and hard cap limit how fast a Handicap Index® can rise above the player's low point over the past year, and an exceptional score reduction lowers it after an unusually good round.
The maximum Handicap Index® is 54.0, and it updates daily when new scores are posted.
Example
A player's eight lowest differentials among their last 20 are 8.9, 9.6, 9.8, 10.1, 10.4, 10.7, 11.0 and 11.4. Their average is 10.24, so the player's Handicap Index® is 10.2. From tees with a Slope Rating® of 128, a Course Rating™ of 71.4 and a par of 72, their Course Handicap™ would be 10.2 × 128 ÷ 113 − 0.6 = 10.95, rounded to 11.
Handicap Index® vs. Course Handicap™ vs. Playing Handicap™
- Handicap Index® — portable; describes the player.
- Course Handicap™ — strokes from a specific set of tees.
- Playing Handicap™ — strokes used in a specific format, after any handicap allowance.
Why it matters at a private club
Private clubs are where most members maintain their Handicap Index®: the golf shop posts scores, runs the handicap committee and uses Handicap Index® values to flight events and set pairings. Scores must be posted promptly and accurately for the system to work, and members expect to see their current Handicap Index® wherever they book or score.
Related terms
For posting rules and the committee's role, see USGA handicap posting at private clubs.
In Bubs: as an official USGA partner, Bubs shows each member's Handicap Index® from the USGA and posts scores to the USGA from the club app and live scoring. See handicaps.