Free tool
Course handicap calculator
Your course handicap is the number of strokes you receive on one set of tees: handicap times slope divided by 113, plus course rating minus par, rounded once. This calculator does that for 9 or 18 holes, applies an optional format allowance, and shows the strokes you get on each hole.
Enter a league handicap or the official handicap from your club. Gimme is not affiliated with the USGA, GHIN or the PGA, and a league handicap is for league play only.
Your strokes
14.485course handicap, before rounding
14course handicap, rounded
13playing handicap at 90% (13 strokes)
- Handicap: 14.2. Times slope 128 divided by 113 is 16.085.
- Course rating 70.4 minus par 72 is -1.600.
- Add them: 14.485. Rounded once, a half rounds up, that is 14.
- Allowance: 14.485 times 90% is 13.036, rounded once to 13.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke index | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Strokes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke index | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
| Strokes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
The playing handicap is 13 strokes, one on each of the hardest holes by stroke index. Each dot is a stroke received.
How it works
A handicap says how good a golfer is in general. A course handicap says how many strokes that golfer gets on a particular course and tees. The slope part scales the handicap to the difficulty of the tees: a slope of 113 is the standard, a higher slope means a harder course for a weaker golfer, and the strokes go up. The rating part corrects for the gap between the course rating, which is what a scratch golfer is expected to shoot, and par.
For a nine-hole round, halve the handicap and use the rating, slope and par for that nine, not the 18-hole numbers. A format allowance then takes a percentage of the result. Four-ball stroke play, for example, is often played at 85% so that a team does not get more strokes than a single golfer. The presets here are common league defaults, not official rules, so use whatever your league has agreed.
- Course handicap = handicap x slope / 113 + (course rating - par).
- For nine holes, use half the handicap and the nine’s own slope, rating and par.
- Playing handicap = course handicap x allowance percent. The allowance is applied before rounding.
- Round once at the end. A half rounds up, so 13.5 becomes 14, and a plus handicap of -1.5 becomes -1.
- Strokes land on holes in stroke index order. Stroke index 1 is the hardest hole, so a playing handicap of 13 gets a stroke on holes with index 1 to 13.
If your playing handicap is larger than the number of holes, you get a second stroke on the hardest holes again. A plus handicap works in reverse: the golfer gives strokes back on the easiest holes first.
Worked example: a 14.2 on an 18-hole course
A golfer with a handicap of 14.2 plays tees with a slope of 128, a course rating of 70.4 and a par of 72, in a match play league that uses a 90% allowance. 14.2 times 128 divided by 113 is 16.085. The course rating minus par is -1.6. Add them and the unrounded course handicap is 14.485, which rounds to 14.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke index | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Strokes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke index | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
| Strokes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Now the allowance. 14.485 times 90% is 13.036, which rounds once to a playing handicap of 13. With the default stroke index of 1 to 18 in hole order, the golfer gets one stroke on each of the first 13 holes and none on the last 5, as the table shows.
For a nine-hole example, take a league handicap of 13.3 on a back nine with a rating of 34.9, a slope of 123 and a par of 36. Half of 13.3 is 6.65. Times 123 divided by 113 is 7.238, and rating minus par is -1.1, so the unrounded number is 6.138 and the course handicap is 6.
When to use it
- Before a league round, to see how many strokes each golfer receives on the night’s tees.
- When a golfer brings an official handicap from their club and your league needs strokes for its own tees.
- To set up skins or a net game: the table shows which holes carry strokes.
- To compare allowances before the league votes: try 100%, 90% and 85% and see the difference.
Questions
What is the course handicap formula?
Handicap times slope divided by 113, plus course rating minus par, rounded once. For nine holes, halve the handicap and use the nine’s own slope, rating and par.
What is the difference between a course handicap and a playing handicap?
The course handicap is the strokes you get on a set of tees at the full handicap. The playing handicap is the strokes you actually receive in a particular format, after the allowance. At 100% they are the same number.
How is a nine-hole course handicap different?
Use half the handicap and the slope, rating and par for the nine you play. With a handicap of 13.3 on a nine rated 34.9, slope 123, par 36, the course handicap is 6, not half of an 18-hole answer.
What allowance should my league use?
There is no single rule for league play. Many leagues use 100% for individual net scoring, 95% for individual stroke play, 90% for match play and 85% for four-ball stroke play. Those are common league defaults, not official rules. Pick one, write it down, and use it all season.
How does the rounding work?
The calculation rounds once, at the end, and a half rounds up. The allowance is applied before the rounding, so the result is never rounded twice. A plus handicap rounds the same way: -1.5 becomes -1.
Which holes do I get strokes on?
The hardest ones first. Every hole has a stroke index, 1 for the hardest through 18 for the easiest. A playing handicap of 13 gets one stroke on the holes with index 1 to 13. Above 18, you start a second lap on the hardest holes.
Can I use a plus handicap?
Yes. Type it with a plus sign, for example +2.1. The result is a negative number of strokes, and the table shows the strokes the golfer gives back on the easiest holes.
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Keep this running all season
Gimme figures out the strokes for every golfer on the night’s tees, applies your league’s allowance, and keeps handicaps current after each round. Your first 3 league rounds are free, no card. After that it is $199 per season for the whole league, with unlimited golfers.