How many strokes do you receive? Index, Slope and Course Rating

1. Your Handicap Index

Your Handicap Index measures your playing ability, independently of the course. It is kept up to date by your federation from your scorecards. The lower it is, the better you are.

2. The course’s Slope and Course Rating

Every set of tees on a course has two official values, shown on the scorecard or at the clubhouse:

• the Course Rating (called SSS in some countries): the score a very good player is expected to shoot on the course, for example 71.3;
• the Slope Rating: how hard the course is for an average player compared with a very good player, from 55 to 155. The reference is 113.

The values change with the tees (white, yellow, blue, red…) and depending on whether you play men’s or ladies’ ratings.

3. Your Course Handicap

Course Handicap = Index × Slope ÷ 113 + (Course Rating − Par)

Example: Index 18.4, Slope 128, Course Rating 71.3, par 72 → 18.4 × 128 ÷ 113 + (71.3 − 72) = 20.1, i.e. 20 strokes.

4. Your Playing Handicap

Depending on the format, a percentage (the handicap allowance) is applied to the Course Handicap, then rounded. The World Handicap System recommends for example 95% for individual stroke play and Stableford competitions, and 100% for individual match play. Among friends, people often play at 100%.

5. Hole-by-hole allocation

Strokes are allocated using the HCP (stroke index) column of the scorecard, from the HCP 1 hole (the hardest) to the HCP 18 hole:

• up to 18: one stroke on holes HCP 1 up to your playing handicap;
• above 18: one stroke on every hole, and a second one starting again from the HCP 1 hole;
• “plus” handicap (negative): you give strokes back, starting with the HCP 18 hole.

BirdiePot does the math for you

Enter your Handicap Index once in your profile, with men’s or ladies’ tees. When it knows them, BirdiePot finds the Slope and Course Rating of your tees; it then calculates your playing handicap, your strokes received hole by hole and your Stableford points.