Course Handicap vs Handicap Index
Two numbers, constantly confused, and only one of them goes on the card. Here is what each is for and how you get from one to the other.
What a Handicap Index is
A Handicap Index is a single number that travels with you. Under the World Handicap System it is calculated from the best 8 of your most recent 20 score differentials, so it reflects your demonstrated ability rather than your average.
Because it is course-independent, it is the number you quote when someone asks what you play off. It is deliberately not the number of shots you get.
What a Course Handicap is
A Course Handicap is your index adjusted for how hard a specific set of tees actually plays. It uses the Slope Rating of those tees and, in the current formula, the difference between Course Rating and par.
The result is the strokes you receive on that course, from those tees, today. Move to a harder set of tees and it goes up. That is the whole point.
How the conversion works
The current formula is: Course Handicap = Index × (Slope ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − Par). 113 is the slope of a course of standard difficulty, so a tee with slope 113 leaves your index essentially unchanged.
A 12.4 index playing tees with a slope of 132 gets 12.4 × 132 ÷ 113 = 14.5, then adjusted by the rating-minus-par term. In practice nobody does this by hand — every card, app and pro shop has a conversion table.
Why the same golfer gets different numbers
A 10 index might play off 9 from the forward tees, 11 from the members’ tees and 13 from the tips at the same course. That is not inconsistency, it is the system working: harder tees warrant more strokes.
It is also why "I’m a 10" is not enough information for a match. Ask what tees, then convert. Two players quoting indexes from different tees are not comparing like with like.
Playing handicap: the third number
For competitions there is one more step. A Playing Handicap applies the format allowance — for example 95% for individual stroke play, 90% for a fourball, or the difference between players in a singles match.
So the chain runs: Handicap Index → Course Handicap → Playing Handicap. The number on the card in a competition is the last of the three.
Which number does an app need?
A scoring app should take your index and the tees, and derive the rest. Go Live Golf stores the handicap you enter for the round and applies strokes by stroke index for whichever tees you selected, so the group is playing off consistent numbers.
If your group plays off different tees, that is exactly when getting the conversion right stops being pedantry and starts deciding who wins.
Where each number is used
Handicap Index — what you quote socially, what transfers between clubs, and what the handicap system maintains for you. It is stored to one decimal place. Course Handicap — what goes on the card. It is a whole number and it is specific to a course and a set of tees. Playing Handicap — the course handicap after the competition allowance. This is the number used to work out strokes received in that event.When someone asks "what do you play off?", they usually want the index. When someone asks "how many shots do you get?", they want the playing handicap. Those are different questions.
Practical checks before a round
Confirm the tees. Everything downstream depends on it, and a set of tees with a slope of 145 gives materially more strokes than one at 118.
Use the pro shop chart or an app rather than doing the arithmetic by hand. Every course has a conversion table, and misremembering slope is the most common error.
If you are playing a match against someone off different tees, convert both first, then subtract. Comparing an index to a course handicap is the mistake that quietly hands somebody two extra shots.
Why the formula changed
Older versions of the course handicap formula were index × slope ÷ 113 and stopped there. The current version adds the difference between course rating and par.
The reason is that a course rated 74.5 with a par of 72 is genuinely harder than the par suggests, and the old formula ignored that entirely. Adding the rating-minus-par term means players competing from different tees end up on a fair footing without a separate adjustment.
The practical consequence: from a tee rated well above par, your course handicap is higher than the old formula would have given you. That is the system working, not an error.
One number in, correct strokes out
Pick your tees, enter your handicap, and the app puts the shots on the right holes for every player in the group.
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Frequently asked questions
Is my handicap index the number of shots I get?
No. Your index is converted to a course handicap for the specific tees you are playing, and that is the number of shots you receive.
What is the course handicap formula?
Index × (Slope ÷ 113) + (Course Rating − Par).
Why does my handicap change between tees?
Harder tees have a higher slope and rating, so the same index converts to more strokes.
What is a playing handicap?
Your course handicap after the competition’s format allowance is applied — for example 90% in a fourball.