Logo


How to obtain a Handicap Index


Well, to be honest, the procedure is pretty much as it is today. The requirement is that a golfer who wishes to gain a handicap index who has no prior playing record, goes out, plays, and submits scores for 54 holes of golf. Now this can be 3 x 18 hole rounds or 6 x 9 hole rounds, or a combination thereof to make up the 54 holes. To save confusion we will just talk about the 3 x 18 hole scenarios.

For the purposes of initial allocation of handicap index, a bad score at any hole is adjusted downwards to PAR + 5 strokes. So effectively a maximum score of 8 on a par 3, 9 on a par 4 etc.

The best of these adjusted three scores, relative to the Course Rating and adjusted to represent a score round a standard difficulty course is used to determine the initial Handicap Index. The formula is remarkably simple, it is simply the lowest score differential of the three scores minus 2 strokes.

For example:

Now previously you will have noticed that a player’s handicap index was supposed to be based on the average of the best 8 of the last 20 scores. How does this work for a new golfer who doesn’t have 20 scores?

Well...here is a table that shows how the calculation progresses from 3 cards, up until the point when 20 cards have been submitted. Once a player has 20 cards in their record they are considered to have a “full playing record” and the “best 8 from the last 20” becomes the effective calculation.



Number of Score Differentials in Record Basis For Calculation Number of Score Differentials in Record Basis For Calculation
3 Lowest score, minus 2 strokes 12 – 14 Average of Lowest 4 scores
4 Lowest score, minus 1 stroke> 15 - 16 Average of Lowest 5 scores
5 Lowest score 17 – 18 Average of Lowest 6 scores
6 Average of Lowest 2 scored, minus 1 stroke 19 Average of Lowest 7 scores
7 – 8 Average of Lowest 2 scores 20 Average of Lowest 8 scores
9 – 11 Average of Lowest 3 scores
No. Diffs Basis For Calculation
3 Lowest score, minus 2 strokes
4 Lowest score, minus 1 stroke>
5 Lowest score
6 Average of Lowest 2 scored, minus 1 stroke
7 – 8 Average of Lowest 2 scores
9 – 11 Average of Lowest 3 scores
12 – 14 Average of Lowest 4 scores
15 - 16 Average of Lowest 5 scores
17 – 18 Average of Lowest 6 scores
19 Average of Lowest 7 scores
20 Average of Lowest 8 scores

So you can see that, as time goes by more and more scores are taken into account in the calculation, until 20 scores are reached. When a player submits his 21st score then the oldest score (ie. his 1st one) drops off, no longer part of the calculation basis...even if it was one of the best scores, it no longer counts towards a player’s index.