Handicap
How do you get an official golf handicap?
An official Handicap Index comes from scores accepted by a handicap service, not from declaring one yourself. Join an affiliated club or, in England, use England Golf iGolf, then submit acceptable rounds on rated courses.
The route depends on where you play. A golf club affiliated to your national association can give you a Handicap Index through its handicap committee. If you are not a club member, each national body has its own scheme: iGolf from England Golf, OpenPlay from Scottish Golf, Flexi Club from Wales Golf and iGolf from Golf Ireland. Both put your scores into the World Handicap System, which is the system used in Great Britain and Ireland. You do not need to wait for twenty rounds before an index can be issued.
Choose the route that fits
| Route | Who it suits | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliated golf club | You expect to play or compete at one club | Join the club, then submit acceptable scores as its handicap committee requires |
| England Golf iGolf | You live in England and are not a club member | Subscribe, then enter acceptable scores digitally from licensed courses |
| OpenPlay, Flexi Club or Golf Ireland iGolf | You play in Scotland, Wales or Ireland and are not a club member | Sign up with that national body and check its current terms |
iGolf is a paid annual subscription, so check the current price and terms on England Golf's iGolf page. Club membership and iGolf are different products, but both lead to an official index under the same World Handicap System.
Which scores count
The course has to be rated, with an up-to-date Course Rating and Slope Rating, and the round played by the Rules of Golf. Rule 2 of the Rules of Handicapping makes both points central to an acceptable round. A casual round with a mulligan does not qualify, because the Rules do not permit that replay. Keep the card or the digital record: it needs the date, course, tees and score that the handicap service can verify.
Your first index comes once 54 holes are on record, which England Golf says can be any combination of 9 and 18-hole rounds. There's no need to wait for a full history of twenty scores. As you add rounds, the system uses your most recent twenty and takes the lowest eight Score Differentials into the calculation, so the index becomes more representative of your current game.
What happens after you submit
The handicap service turns each accepted round into a Score Differential. That figure accounts for the course and tees, so a good round on a hard course can count differently from the same score on an easier one. The service also handles adjustments such as playing conditions and any cap that depends on your Low Handicap Index. Your index is the result of that record, not just an average of your gross scores. The steps are set out in how a handicap is calculated.
Once you have an index, keep submitting acceptable rounds. You can then ask for the Course Handicap for the tees you are playing, and the competition organiser can apply the allowance for the format.
Where our calculator fits
Our free handicap calculator shows the Rule 5.2 arithmetic on the Score Differentials you enter. It is useful for checking the sum, but it does not register you with a handicap service, verify a round or issue an official index. It also leaves out adjustments that only the official record can apply.
If you already have differentials in your club app or England Golf record, try the handicap calculator. If you need the official index itself, start with your club or England Golf iGolf.
Written by Craig Fearn, The Golf Gift Co. Last updated .