How Do I Determine a USGA Handicap Differential?

The United States Golf Association created a handicap system with the goal of allowing players of differing skill levels to compete and determine which player had the best score. The handicap differential measures your score on a particular round of golf adjusted for the difficulty of the course as measured by the slope rating. The slope rating scale runs from 55 to 155, with the average course having a slope rating of 113. A USGA handicap differential is always rounded to the nearest 10th.

Instructions

    • 1

      Subtract the course rating from your adjusted gross score for the round. The course rating measures what the USGA believes a scratch golfer would be able to score during a normal round. Your adjusted gross score includes your most probable score for holes not completed. For example, if you scored a 98 and the course rating is 76, the difference equals 22.

    • 2

      Multiply the result by 113, the average slope rating. In this example, multiply 22 by 113 to get 2,486.

    • 3

      Divide the result by the slope rating for the particular course. In this example, if the slope rating equals 123, divide 2,486 by 123 to get 20.21138.

    • 4

      Round the result to the nearest 10th. In this example, round 20.21138 to the nearest 10th to find the USGA handicap differential for the round equals 20.2.