Handicaps
How to calculate your Course and Playing Handicap
By Caddyio · Updated
Your Course Handicap is your Handicap Index adjusted for the course and tees; your Playing Handicap is that number after a competition allowance. Below are the two formulas, a step-by-step, and a worked example.
Course Handicap = Handicap Index × (Slope Rating ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − Par), rounded to the nearest whole number
Playing Handicap = Course Handicap × handicap allowance, rounded once, at the end
Step by step
- Find your Handicap Index For example, 12.4.
- Find the course figures The Slope Rating, Course Rating and Par for the tees you're playing — they're on the scorecard or the first-tee board.
- Plug them in With Slope 125, Course Rating 71.2 and Par 71, a 12.4 index gives 12.4 × (125 ÷ 113) + (71.2 − 71) = 13.7 + 0.2 = 13.9 → Course Handicap 14.
- Apply the allowance Apply the allowance for the format to get your Playing Handicap.
Common allowances (confirm against your competition's terms)
| Format | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Individual stroke play / Stableford (England) | 95% |
| Fourball betterball | 85% |
| Foursomes (combined) | 50% each |
| Texas Scramble | 35% (lower index) + 15% (higher index), added together |
Worked example
So our Course Handicap of 14 in a singles Stableford becomes 14 × 95% = 13.3 → Playing Handicap 13. Those 13 strokes are then spread across the holes by stroke index.
Frequently asked
- What's the difference between Course and Playing Handicap?
- Course Handicap adjusts your index for the course; Playing Handicap then applies the competition's allowance. In casual play they're often the same.
- Which allowance applies to my competition?
- It depends on the format and your national association. In England, singles is 95% and fourball betterball 85%; since April 2026 Scotland, Wales and Ireland may set different singles allowances, so always check the entry terms.
- Why is rounding done only once now?
- The 2024 revision rounds at the end of the calculation rather than twice, which is slightly more accurate — so a manual figure may differ by a stroke from the club software's.
With Caddyio, Course and Playing Handicaps are calculated automatically for every tee and format, so members never do the maths.