Guide to calculating Course Handicap under the WHS standard system quickly, easily

Course Handicap or double course helps to create a level playing field for all golfers, regardless of the different qualifications. Learn how to calculate the Course Handicap according to World Handicap System (WHS) standards in detail in the following article.

1. What's a Handicap course?

Course Handicap (or Handicap field) is a handicap that players receive, when playing on a particular golf course, to ensure fairness between players with different qualifications.   The index will adjust the player's Handicap Index to match the difficulty level of the golf course according to the Slope Rating and Course Rating indicators.

2. Why is Course Handicap important?

Course Handicap helps Golfer play fairly, has a more reasonable strategy, creates healthy and interesting competition on the golf course.

• Creating a fair playground: Course Handicap helps judge the results of golfers fairly. It ensures that a golfer with a high Handicap Index is not disadvantaged compared to a golfer with a low Handicap Index playing on the same course.
• Level comparison between golfers: Help players compare their level with other players on the field.
• Motivating players to improve their skills: Because they know that their Handicap will more accurately reflect their abilities on each particular golf course.

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3. Course Handicap calculation according to WHS standard system

This method uses Golfer's Handicap Index and converts it into Course Handicap based on the difficulty of the course.  

Launched in January 2020, the World Handicap System (WHS) is the official Handicap Index (acceptance point) calculation system worldwide, recognized by leading golf organizations such as R&A, USGA, Golf Australia, EGA, ....  

To calculate the Course Handicap, players will rely on the Player's Handicap Index and Slope Rating, Course Rating of the Golf Course, specifically:  

In it:

• The Handicap Index is a number that accurately reflects the level of the golfer, based on the results of the best matches in the last 3-20 games.
• Slope Rating refers to the difficulty level of the golf course with the average golfer (Bogey Golfer) and often ranges from 55 to 155. A golf course with average difficulty will have a Slope Rating of 113. The higher the Slope Rating, the harder the golf course will be.
• Course Rating refers to the difficulty of the course with a golfer with Handicap 0 (Scratch Golfer).
• Par is the standard total number of strokes for the entire golf course.

Specific example:

Suppose you have Handicap Index of 17.2 and play on an 18-hole golf course with Slope Rating of 127, Course Rating of 72.1 and Par of 72  

Apply the formula, having Course Handicap = (17.2 x 127/113) + (72.1 – 72) = 19.4  

So, your Course Handicap for Golf Course that's 19.4

4. How to calculate Net Score via Course Handicap

A golfer's Net Score is calculated by taking the actual total score (Gross Score) minus the Course Handicap:

Net Score = Gross Score – Course Handicap

Net Score is used to determine the winner of the game when competing in a stick fighting style. With Net Score, players at different levels can compete fairly with each other.  

For example, a golfer whose Course Handicap is 16, completes 18 holes with a score of 92 (Gross Score). Now, the player's Net Score will be 92-16 = 76.

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