The Workshop · Tool № 15
WHS Course Handicap Calculator
Your Handicap Index is only half the story. Here's how many strokes you actually get off the tees in front of you.
Fill in the four numbers above to see your Course Handicap.
What this does
Your Handicap Index travels with you, but it isn't the number you play off on the day. Every set of tees on every course has its own difficulty — measured as a slope rating and a course rating — and the World Handicap System converts your Index into a Course Handicap for those specific tees. That's the number of strokes you receive.
You'll find the slope rating, course rating and par printed on the scorecard or on the tee markers, listed for each set of tees. Enter your Index, pick out those three numbers for the tees you're playing, and the calculator does the rest. Nothing is stored, nothing is sent anywhere — it's pure arithmetic in your browser.
How it's calculated
The current World Handicap System formula is:
Course Handicap = Handicap Index × (Slope Rating ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − Par)
The Slope Rating ÷ 113 part stretches or shrinks your Index to match how punishing the tees are for a mid-handicapper — 113 is the neutral standard, so a slope above it gives you more shots and below it gives you fewer. The (Course Rating − Par) term was added when the 2020 Rules of Handicapping brought in the World Handicap System and is used by Scottish Golf; it accounts for the gap between what a scratch golfer is expected to shoot and the card's par. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number.
Your Playing Handicap then applies the competition allowance to that Course Handicap — 95% for individual strokeplay, 100% for singles match play, 85% for fourball, each rounded to the nearest whole. The tool shows all three; your club's competition terms tell you which one applies on the day.
Common questions
What's the difference between a Handicap Index and a Course Handicap?
Your Handicap Index is a single portable number that travels with you — it reflects your demonstrated ability, not any one course. A Course Handicap is that Index translated into the actual number of strokes you get on a specific course from a specific set of tees, once the difficulty of those tees (the slope and course rating) is taken into account. You carry one Index; you get a different Course Handicap at every set of tees you play.
Why does slope rating matter?
Slope rating measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer — in other words, how quickly the trouble punishes a mid-handicapper. The neutral standard is 113. A higher slope means the tees give more strokes back to higher handicaps, so your Course Handicap goes up; a lower slope pulls it down. That's why the same Index can produce a different Course Handicap on two courses with the same par.
Which allowance should I use?
The allowance depends on the format, and your club sets it in the competition terms. Common defaults under the World Handicap System are 95% for individual strokeplay, 100% for singles match play and 85% for fourball better-ball. Always check the specific competition's terms before you tee off — the tool shows all three so you can match whatever the sheet says.
Do I round up or down?
Round to the nearest whole number. A Course Handicap of 18.4 becomes 18; 18.6 becomes 19. Exactly 0.5 rounds away from zero, so 18.5 becomes 19. For a plus handicap the same rule applies in the other direction — −2.6 becomes −3, −2.4 becomes −2. This tool does the rounding for you and shows the unrounded figure in the working, so you can see exactly where you landed.
A planning aid, not an official ruling. Your handicap of record is held by your club and national association — for a counting score or a competition entry, use their figures. Slope and course ratings vary by set of tees; take them from the card for the tees you're actually playing.