Earlier this week we received a forum post requesting an update to the formulas we use for the handicap tracker (Read the post here). TheLocalGolfer.com strives to be as accurate as possible with the information we provide on our website. As such, we have updated the handicap tracker to reflect the official USGA handicap formula.

For those who do not know the exact science behind the calculation of your handicap, this is how it works:
1] An accurate handicap calculation requires a minimum 20 eligible scores entered in your handicap tracker. An eligible score includes an entry with a score, course rating and course slope.
2] Your handicap differential for each score is calculated as (Score – Course Rating) x (113 / Course Slope).
3] The Average of your lowest 10 handicap differentials are multiplied by 96%. This value is then truncated to the nearest 10th to formulate your handicap index.

Although you need at least 20 eligible scores for your “true” handicap to be calculated, the Handicap Tracker on TheLocalGolfer.com will still generate your handicap even if you have less than 20 scores, but please note the following:

1] If you have less than 20 eligible scores entered into the handicap tracker, your calculated handicap will be based on the last 10 eligible entries.
2] If you have less than 10 entries the handicap tracker will still calculate your handicap index, but it will not be very accurate.

If you are not using the handicap tracker already please try it out and tell us what you think.

Tags: handicap tracker

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 9:37 pm and is filed under Playing the Game. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.