Are you a casual golfer who loves the game, the socializing, the great walk outdoors, followed by the 19th hole, but you can’t be bothered getting an official handicap from The Golf Handicap and Information Network known as GHIN? You’re not alone. Lots of players just want to enjoy the game and not worry about tracking their scores.

But there are times, even for the casual player, when it’s handy to have a sense of how you stack up against other players. If you play in fundraising tournaments or special events, you may need to submit your handicap so that teams of equal ability are formed. Using a free on-line Golf Handicap Calculator is a great way to keep track of your scores and build a handicap, even if you don’t want to go to the bother and expense of registering with the official GHIN website.

We found an online handicap calculator that is easy to use. Click here to view the calculator page.

Keep in mind, this does not give you an official USGA handicap index, but for the casual golfer, it’s a simple way to track and create an approximate handicap number.

You will need at least 5 scores from your most recent 18-hole rounds. (If you only play 9 holes at a time, you will need to add those together — two 9 hole rounds = one 18 hole round)- to make a minimum of 5 full rounds. (Of course, you can only combine 9-hole rounds played on the same course.) Check for the golf course’s rating and slope. These are usually posted in the pro shop or printed on the golf score card. Save your score cards and note each golf course’s rating* and slope** for the golf tees from which you are playing. You will need those numbers, along with your 18-hole score for each round.

Insert all the scores at the same time. Unfortunately, you are not able to register or keep the calculator for future use. It’s meant as a one-time indicator. But it will do the trick to give you a good approximation of your golf handicap. Keep a copy of the result and track of how you are improving throughout the golf season.

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*The course rating number indicates the number of strokes a scratch golfer (a player who shoots par or better) would average from a certain set of tees. For example a course with a rating of 71.6 from the red tees means that 50% of the time, an average score for a scratch player, playing from the red tees would be 71.6.

**The slope number relates to the difficulty of the course for the typical bogey golfer (a player who usually scores in the low 90s for 18 holes.) The minimum slope is 55, the maximum is 155. A golf course of average difficulty would have a slope rating of 113. If the course you are playing has a slope of 125, it would be considered a more difficult course for the typical bogey golfer.