Course Handicap vs Handicap Index

A Handicap Index is a single number that travels with a golfer across every course they play. It is calculated from a rolling record of their recent scores, adjusted for the difficulty of the courses those scores came from. It is intentionally course-independent — a snapshot of general demonstrated ability rather than a number tied to any specific set of tees.

Course handicap is what that portable Handicap Index becomes once it is applied to one specific course and tee. It factors in that course's slope rating, and sometimes its course rating and par. The result is the actual number of strokes a golfer receives for a round there. Slope rating varies from course to course, and even from tee to tee at the same course. So the same Handicap Index can translate into a noticeably different course handicap depending on where it is played.

This two-step system exists so that one portable ability number, the Handicap Index, can be fairly translated for any course. The course handicap is the right number of strokes for that course's actual difficulty. Without this system, every course would need its own handicap recalculation, or handicaps would ignore how much harder some courses play than others.