U.S. National Development Program (USNDP) Handicap Index Overview

What is a Handicap Index?

A Handicap Index provides you with a portable measure of your playing ability that’s consistent with how golfers are measured worldwide.
It can be used to track your progress and play across casual and/or competitive rounds with any other player.
Your scoring record is one of the tools the USNDP will be using to evaluate and identify individuals for the program.

How do I get one?

The Allied Golf Association (AGA) in your area can provide options for juniors to obtain a Handicap ID (e.g., GHIN #). Find my AGA and Get a Handicap Index
Think of your Handicap ID as a golf Social Security number. You should only have a single lifetime Handicap ID which is tied to your scores and membership affiliations. If a Handicap ID goes inactive, when the golfer reengages with a membership or club, the previous Handicap ID should be referenced regardless of how long the account has been inactive.

I am set up, now what?

Play your round, post your score, then check your H.I. the next day.
- How do I post my scores?
  - Scores are highly encouraged to be posted hole-by-hole so that any adjustments are applied appropriately.
  - The more information a junior adds to their scoring record the better; including posting hole-by-hole with stats: keeping track of GIR (greens in regulation), fairways hit and putts.
  - Once a Handicap ID account is set up, instructions will be provided on where to post scores.
- Why do I need to post my round the same day as I play?
  - Your Handicap Index will be updated overnight.
  - After you have established a Handicap Index your score will be eligible for the daily playing conditions calculation (PCC).
What scores to post:
- Scores from both competitive and casual rounds where you play your own ball are acceptable to be posted – as long as you:
  - Play by the Rules of Golf.
  - In an authorized format of play (ex. Match play, stroke play and team formats where you play your own ball) over at least the minimum number of holes required for either a 9-hole or an 18-hole score to be acceptable.
  - Play in the company of at least one other person.
  - On a golf course with a current Course Rating and Slope Rating, where length and normal playing difficulty is maintained at a consistent level.
  - On a golf course during its active season.

What Handicapping Terms would be helpful to know?

Score Differential
- A Score Differential measures the performance of a round in relation to the relative difficulty of the course that was played, measured by the Course Rating™ and Slope Rating®.
Score Type
- A designation that identifies the type of acceptable score that appears within a player’s scoring record.
- H-Home, A-Away, C-Competition
Target Score
- A target score is the score you’ll shoot if you “play to your handicap”.
Course Rating and Slope Rating
- Course Rating is an indication of the difficulty of a golf course for the scratch player under normal course and weather conditions, while the Slope Rating is an indication of the relative difficulty of a golf course for players who are not scratch players compared to players who are scratch players.
Adjusted Gross Score
- A player’s gross score, including any penalty strokes, adjusted for when:
- The player exceeds their maximum hole score.
- A hole is not played.
- A hole is started but the player does not hole out.
  - (Adjustment of Hole Scores.)
- If an Adjusted Gross Score is applied during tournament play, your scoring record may be different from the tournament results.
Most Likely Score
- The number of strokes already taken to reach a position on a hole, plus the number of strokes the player would most likely require to complete the hole from that position, plus any penalty strokes incurred during play of the hole.
- Net Double Bogey= Double Bogey +/- any Handicap Strokes received on a hole (minus applies to plus Handicap players).