Calculate your course handicap.

Turn your index into strokes

Your course handicap is your index × (slope ÷ 113) + (course rating − par), rounded to the nearest whole number. Play off 14.2 on a course with a slope of 128, a rating of 71.2 and a par of 72: 14.2 × 128 ÷ 113 = 16.08, minus 0.8 gives 15.28, so you get 15 strokes.

Find the holes where you get a stroke

Every hole carries a stroke index from 1, the hardest, to 18, the easiest. With a course handicap of 15, you get one stroke on the holes with stroke index 1 to 15. Past 18, you get a second stroke on the hardest holes: a course handicap of 22 gives you two strokes on stroke index 1 to 4 and one on the rest.

Know the most you post on each hole

For your handicap record, cap every hole at net double bogey: par plus 2 plus your strokes on that hole. With one stroke on a par 4, you post 7 at most. The calculator shows that cap for each par with the strokes your course handicap gives you.

Play off your playing handicap in competitions

Competitions apply a handicap allowance to your course handicap: 85% in four-ball stroke play, for example. Your committee sets the allowance for each format; read how it works in Rule 6 of the Rules of Handicapping.