Disclaimer: BirdieTracker.com has absolutely no interest in infringing on the intellectual rights of the USGA, therefore, if you're looking for official explanations of Rules, Handicap calculations, and other Terms, please visit the USGA's website at http://www.usga.com/playing or by clicking here.

Is the Handicap Index (HCI) official?
I played a course from a set of tees that has no information entered for it. What do I do?
How is this Handicap Index calculated?
I don't know the yardage for a set of tees. What should I do?
Can I enter 9 hole scores?
I only know my total score, how do I enter this?
What's the difference between my best round and my lowest round?


Is the Handicap Index official?
No, not exactly. If you need an official handicap please visit the USGA's website. The formula we use is very close to what the USGA has, if not exactly the same, but since everything related to the USGA is copyright protected, who knows for sure.

I played a course from a set of tees that has no information entered for it. What do I do?
Edit the course details and enter the data for that set of tees. Please enter as much of the course details as possible to help other members. Be sure to go to the My Account page and click on 'Recalculate My Handicap Index'.

How is this Handicap Index calculated?
The formula is bit complicated, but it's essentially 96% of the difference of your score to the rating, with slope factored in. Par doesn't have any direct affect on your HCI. To have an accurate HCI, you need to have 20 rounds played, but if you have less, we use a little less than half of your total rounds played until you reach 20 rounds. After 20 rounds are reached, we always use the 10 best scores from among your last 20 rounds played. Here's the table:

Rounds Played	Rounds Used
0	0
1	1
2	1
3	1
4	1
5	1
6	1
7	2
8	2
9	3
10	3
11	4
12	4
13	5
14	5
15	6
16	6
17	7
18	8
19	9
20	10

I don't know the yardage for a set of tees. What should I do?
Enter 9999 for the yardage value. This will allow it to be modified at a later date.

Can I enter 9 hole scores?
Yes, and they will be included in a separate 9-hole Handicap Index!

I only know my total score, how do I enter this?
Enter your total score into Hole #1. All handicaps calculations will still be accurate.

What's the difference between my best round and my lowest round?
Your best round is based on the HCI for that round, which means the course's slope and rating are factored in. Your lowest round is simply the lowest number you've put up.