Calculate your WHS Handicap Index and Course Handicap from your score differentials
The World Handicap System (WHS), introduced in 2020, unified six different handicap systems into a single global standard. Whether you play at a local municipal course or a championship links, your Handicap Index is calculated the same way and is portable across every course in the world. Your Handicap Index is derived from your best score differentials. The system selects a number of your best rounds (from your most recent 20), averages them, and applies a 0.96 multiplier. The result is a measure of your playing ability that you can convert into a Course Handicap for any specific course by factoring in its Slope Rating and Course Rating. In the UK, the WHS is administered by England Golf, Scottish Golf, Golf Ireland, and the Golf Union of Wales. All affiliated clubs use the same calculation methodology, making handicaps directly comparable. This calculator lets you compute your Handicap Index from your score differentials and convert it to a Course Handicap for a given course. It supports 3 to 10 differentials directly, with the "best N" selection following the official WHS table.
To calculate your WHS Handicap Index: 1. Enter the number of rounds you have played (minimum 3, maximum 20). The calculator currently supports entering up to 10 differentials directly. 2. Enter your score differentials for each round. A score differential is calculated as: (113 / Slope Rating) x (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating). Your club or golf app will usually provide this number. Enter 0 for any unused slots. 3. Enter the Course Rating, Slope Rating, and Par for the course where you want to calculate your Course Handicap. These values are printed on the course scorecard or available from the club. 4. The calculator shows your Handicap Index (truncated to 1 decimal place, not rounded), the Course Handicap for your specified course, and details of which rounds were used. 5. The "Best Rounds Used" tells you how many of your best differentials were selected. With 3-5 rounds, only your single best is used. With 10 rounds, your best 3 are averaged.
The WHS Handicap Index calculation follows these steps: 1. Collect all valid (non-zero) score differentials from recent rounds. 2. Determine how many "best" differentials to use based on the total count: - 3-5 rounds: use best 1 - 6-8 rounds: use best 2 - 9-11 rounds: use best 3 - 12-14 rounds: use best 4 - 15-16 rounds: use best 5 - 17-18 rounds: use best 6 - 19 rounds: use best 7 - 20 rounds: use best 8 3. Sort all differentials in ascending order and take the required number of lowest (best) scores. 4. Calculate the average of the selected differentials. 5. Multiply by 0.96 (the "bonus for excellence" adjustment). 6. Truncate (not round) to 1 decimal place. For example, 10.08 becomes 10.0, not 10.1. 7. Cap the result at a maximum of 54.0. Course Handicap = Round(Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating - Par)) The Slope Rating (55-155, standard 113) measures how much harder the course plays for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer. The Course Rating represents the expected score for a scratch golfer.
Inputs: Score differentials: 5.2, 8.1, 3.4, 6.7, 9.2, 4.1, 7.3, 2.8, 6.5, 5.9. Course Rating: 72, Slope Rating: 125, Par: 72.
Inputs: Score differentials: 10.0, 15.0, 12.0. Course Rating: 70, Slope Rating: 130, Par: 72.
Inputs: Score differentials: 1.2, 0.5, 2.1, -0.3, 1.8, 0.8, 2.5, 1.1, 0.2, 1.5. Course Rating: 73, Slope Rating: 140, Par: 72.