Quick answers to common questions about Handicalc™ and WHS™-style handicap and shot allowance calculations.
Handicalc™ covers common formats such as singles stroke play, singles match play, fourball betterball, foursomes, greensomes and team events like Texas Scramble and best-of formats. You can see a full list on the Formats page.
Your Playing Handicap depends on your Handicap Index®, the Course Rating™, Slope Rating® and par for the tees you are using, plus the allowance for the format being played. When you move to a course or tee with a different rating or slope, your Playing Handicap can legitimately change even if your Handicap Index® stays the same.
Yes. Handicalc™ supports mixed tees.
In the calculator you select the course and scoring tee. For each player that is not playing from the scoring tee, click the tee selector to the right of the golfer’s details and choose the appropriate tee.
Handicalc™ automatically applies the correct Course Rating™ and Slope Rating® for the selected tee, so groups playing from different tees can be entered quickly and accurately.
If a player has a plus Handicap Index®, it should be entered as a negative number. For example, a Handicap Index® of +1.8 should be entered as -1.8.
This reflects how plus handicaps work under the World Handicap System™ and ensures Course Handicap and Playing Handicap calculations are applied correctly.
For fourball and other team formats, Handicalc™ first works out each player’s Course Handicap and then applies the appropriate WHS™-style allowance for that format (for example 85% for many fourball betterball competitions). For formats like Texas Scramble, it combines percentages from each player’s Course Handicap to create a single team Playing Handicap.
Handicalc™ uses typical WHS™ allowance percentages for each format, but Committees may set different figures in their Terms of Competition. If your club or organiser specifies a different allowance for a particular event, that should always take precedence.
Handicalc™ is based on WHS™-style logic and terminology. In non-WHS™ regions with similar handicap structures, the approach may still be helpful as a guide, but you must follow any local rules and guidance issued by your national association or club for official events.
No. Handicalc™ is an independent tool created to help golfers and organisers apply WHS™-style calculations. It does not replace the Rules of Handicapping or decisions made by any national association or WHS™ governing body.
Handicalc™ is free for personal, individual use. Golfers are welcome to use the calculator directly on the Handicalc™ website for their own rounds and casual games.
If you want to embed Handicalc™ within another website, app or member system, this requires a licence. This includes use by clubs, societies, organisations or commercial sites.
You can access and use the calculator without creating an account for basic functionality. If additional features that require sign-in are introduced in future, they will be clearly described along with how any data is used.
Handicalc™ is focused on providing shot allowances rather than storing full scoring histories. Any data that is collected or stored is covered in the site’s Privacy policy. You should review that policy if you have questions about how information is handled.
Handicalc™ can be linked to from club and society websites for general use.
Embedding Handicalc™ within another website, app or member system requires a licence. Licensed versions can be configured to suit your organisation, including:
• showing a single course (for example, your home course only), or
• limiting the calculator to a specific set of courses or tees.
If you’re interested in embedding or configuring Handicalc™ for your club, society or organisation, please get in touch to discuss licensing options.
Some clubs or national associations adopt alternative allowances or extra guidance for certain formats. Handicalc™ uses common WHS™-style allowances, but the Committee’s Terms of Competition always override the tool where there is any difference.
Handicalc™ uses structured course and tee data that is sourced from established golf data providers and maintained datasets. This includes Course Rating™, Slope Rating®, par, tee names and gender where available.
Data is reviewed and refreshed regularly, and updates are applied when changes are identified, such as course re-ratings, new tees, renamed tees or corrections to existing information. Handicalc™ is being trialled with UK data only at present. The rest of the world will follow shortly.
While every effort is made to keep the data accurate and current, course details can change at short notice. If you spot something that looks incorrect or out of date, please get in touch so it can be checked and updated.
If something doesn’t look right, or you have an idea for a new format or feature, please use the contact page to get in touch. Feedback from golfers, clubs and organisers helps make Handicalc™ more accurate and useful.
