Post every score from a round you play under the Rules of Golf, at a course with a current course and slope rating, alone or with others, as long as you play at least 7 holes. That is the short answer. The single most useful takeaway: your handicap only works if you post honestly and promptly, because the World Handicap System uses your 8 best score differentials from your most recent 20 rounds. Skip the bad ones and your index drifts low; post everything and it reflects what you actually shoot. Most golfers post within a day, usually right after the round or that evening.

Which Rounds Actually Count

You post scores from any authorized format: stroke play, match play, stableford, par/bogey, and team events where you played your own ball. You do not post a scramble, a shamble, or a four-ball where you only counted the team score. Practice rounds on your own? Post them if you played by the rules. A solo round played strictly by the Rules of Golf is acceptable for handicap purposes in the US under the current WHS, though many other countries require a marker.

Nine-hole rounds count. Play 7 to 13 holes and you post a 9-hole score. Play 14 or more and you post an 18-hole score, with the unplayed holes recorded as par plus any handicap strokes you would receive on those holes. That last part trips people up, so here it is plainly: if you walk off after 14 holes and you get one stroke on the 15th, you write down a net par there, not a bogey.

You need a course rating and slope rating to post. A casual loop at a par-3 pitch-and-putt with no rating does not go in. A round at a rated course does, even if you shot 104 and lost five balls.

What Happens After You Post

Each score becomes a score differential. The formula is (adjusted gross score minus course rating) multiplied by 113, divided by slope rating, rounded to one decimal. Your adjusted gross score is your gross score with net double bogey as the maximum on any hole, which is where most of the confusion lives.

Here is a worked example. You shoot 92 at a course with a course rating of 71.4 and a slope of 128. Your course handicap is 14, so you get strokes on the 14 hardest holes. On the par-4 7th, the number one handicap hole, you make a 9. Net double bogey there is par plus two plus your stroke, so 4 + 2 + 1 = 7. You record 7, not 9. Your adjusted gross score drops to 90.

Differential: (90 − 71.4) × 113 ÷ 128 = 18.6 × 113 ÷ 128 = 2101.8 ÷ 128 = 16.4. Say your other 19 differentials range from 9.1 to 22.8. The system takes your 8 lowest, averages them, and multiplies by 0.96. If those eight average 13.2, your index is 12.7. If you had posted only your good rounds, you would be carrying a number you cannot play to. That is the whole point of posting everything.

Your course handicap for a given tee is index × (slope ÷ 113) + (course rating − par). With a 12.7 index on a 128-slope course rated 71.4 with par 72: 12.7 × 1.133 = 14.4, plus (71.4 − 72) = −0.6, giving 13.8, rounded to 14. You can run those numbers yourself with our free golf handicap calculator and see how a single bad round moves the needle.

How Often, In Practice

Post the same day, or the next morning at the latest. The WHS expects prompt posting so your index reflects current form. If you belong to a club that handles it for you, scores from competitions go in automatically, but casual rounds are still yours to enter.

  • 18-hole round, rated course: post as an 18-hole score
  • 7 to 13 holes played: post as a 9-hole score
  • 14 or more holes: post as 18 holes, filling unplayed holes at par plus handicap strokes
  • Scramble or shamble: do not post
  • Unrated course or a round not played under the Rules: do not post

A new golfer needs three 18-hole scores, or a combination that adds up to 54 holes, before an index appears. From 3 scores the system uses your lowest one minus 2.0; at 4 scores it uses the lowest minus 1.0; at 5 scores the lowest; at 6 scores the lowest two; and it scales up until 20 scores, when the 8-of-20 rule takes over. Post a score every time you tee it up and that progression happens on its own.

One more thing worth knowing: you can post a score from a round played in another country if the course is rated under an approved system, and your handicap committee can review suspicious patterns. Posting a 78 at your home course and a 96 at the same course two weeks later is normal golf. Posting only the 78 is not.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many scores do I need for a handicap?

You need a minimum of three 18-hole scores, or 54 holes total, to get a handicap index under the WHS. At three scores the system uses your lowest differential minus 2.0, and the adjustment shrinks as you add rounds.

Do I have to post every round of golf?

Yes, if you played under the Rules of Golf at a course with a course rating and slope rating. Post 18-hole scores, 9-hole scores from 7 to 13 holes, and combined rounds of 14 or more holes. Scrambles and unrated rounds do not count.

What is net double bogey and why does it cap my score?

Net double bogey is par plus two strokes plus any handicap strokes you receive on that hole. It is the maximum score you can record for handicap purposes, so a 9 on a hole where you get one stroke becomes a 7.

How often is my handicap index updated?

Your index recalculates each time you post a score, and most associations refresh daily. It uses your 8 best differentials from your most recent 20 scores, multiplied by 0.96, so one bad round rarely changes it much.