What Handicap Is a 105 Golfer?

Shooting a 105 on the golf course means you’re on the cusp of a major milestone: breaking 100. This article will translate your 105 score into a concrete handicap number and, more importantly, give you a coach’s perspective on what it reveals about your game. We'll then lay out a clear, actionable plan to help you shave off those few extra strokes and consistently post scores in the double digits.

What Exactly Is a Golf Handicap? A Simple Breakdown

Before we can figure out what handicap a 105 score translates to, it’s important to understand that your handicap isn’t based on just one score. It’s a measure of your potential, calculated from the best 8 of your most recent 20 rounds. This system is designed so golfers of different abilities can compete fairly.

Three main ingredients determine your handicap:

• Adjusted Gross Score (AGS): This is not your raw score (105). The system sets a maximum score you can take on any hole for handicap purposes, called Net Double Bogey. For example, if on a par 4 your “par” with handicap strokes is a 5, your maximum score for that hole would be a 7 (a double bogey). This prevents one disastrous hole (we all have them!) from blowing up your handicap calculation. So, that 10 you made on the par 5 might only count as an 8 or 9 on your handicap record.
• Course Rating: This number estimates what a "scratch" golfer (-0 handicap) would be expected to shoot on a course from a specific set of tees. A 72.1 rating means a scratch golfer is expected to shoot just over 72. It’s the baseline for a course’s difficulty.
• Slope Rating: This number reflects the relative difficulty of a course for a "bogey" golfer compared to a scratch golfer. A higher slope number (the scale is 55 to 155) means the course gets much harder for higher handicappers. An "average" slope is considered 113.

These elements are used in a formula to produce a Handicap Differential for each round. The average of your best 8 differentials becomes your official Handicap Index.

So, What Handicap Is a 105 Golfer?

A golfer who consistently shoots around 105 will typically have a Handicap Index somewhere between 28 and 33. Why the range? It all depends on the difficulty of the courses you play.

Let's look at two quick examples to see how shooting the exact same score can produce a different handicap result. We'll assume your Adjusted Gross Score for a 105 round comes out to be 103 after accounting for the max score per hole rule.

Example 1: Playing an 'Easier' Course

Imagine you shot 105 on your local municipal course. It's relatively forgiving.

• Your Adjusted Gross Score: 103
• Course Rating: 70.5
• Slope Rating: 118

The Handicap Differential formula is: (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating

Let's plug in the numbers:

(103 - 70.5) x 113 / 118 = 31.0

For this round, your differential would be 31.0.

Example 2: Playing a 'Harder' Course

Now, let's say you shot that same 105 at a tougher, more challenging course known for its difficult greens and narrow fairways.

• Your Adjusted Gross Score: 103
• Course Rating: 73.8
• Slope Rating: 138

Using the same formula:

(103 - 73.8) x 113 / 138 = 23.9

At the tougher course, your differential for the same score is much lower at 23.9 because the system acknowledges the course was significantly harder. Your Handicap Index will be an average of your 8 best differentials from your last 20 rounds, but generally, if 105 is your typical score, you can feel confident telling people you're playing off a handicap in the high 20s or low 30s.

A Coach's Eye: The Common Traits of a 105 Golfer

A number is just a number. As a coach, what I see in a player shooting 105 isn’t a lack of ability, but a lack of consistency and strategy. Here is what that score usually tells me about your game. See if any of these feel familiar.

• Off the Tee: The driver can be a source of frustration. A recurring big miss - a slice into the woods or a hook into the water - often leads to penalty strokes before you've even really started the hole. Your good drives are great, but the bad ones put you in recovery mode immediately.
• Approach Shots: Consistent, solid contact is the main challenge. You likely struggle with "fat" shots (hitting the ground first) and "thin" shots (hitting the ball too high on the face), resulting in a huge variation in distance. A 7-iron might go 130 yards one time and 90 yards the next.
• Around the Green: This area accounts for a significant chunk of your strokes. The delicate shots–chips and pitches–can be nerve-wracking. You might skull a chip across the green or duff one just a few feet in front of you. This is where a 5 on the scorecard can quickly become an 8.
• On the Green: Three-putts are common, not because you misread the break, but because of poor speed control. The first putt often ends up either way short or well past the hole, leaving a tricky second putt that adds pressure and strokes.
• Overall Strategy: Your primary focus is likely just advancing the ball. There's little thought given to "missing" in the right spot or playing away from trouble. This often leads you to take on risky shots, like trying to clear a bunker from a bad lie, which leads to those scorecard-wrecking "blow-up" holes.

The 3-Step Path to Breaking 100 For Good

The great news is that getting from 105 down to the 90s doesn't require a total swing overhaul. It's about playing smarter and tightening up a few key areas. Here is my simple, step-by-step plan for you.

Step 1: End the Blow-Up Holes with Smarter Decisions

The fastest way to lower your score isn't by making more birdies, it's by making fewer 8s, 9s, and 10s. The goal is damage control. A player who makes nothing worse than a double bogey all day will shoot a 108 on a par 72 course. You are already beating that!

Your Action Plan:

• Embrace "Boring" Golf: When you’re in trouble (in the trees, deep rough, or a fairway bunker), just get the ball back in play. Trying to be a hero and thread a 5-iron through a gap in the branches is how a 6 becomes a 9. Take your medicine, punch it out sideways to the fairway, and live to fight another day.
• Play to the "Fat" Part of the Green: Stop aiming at flags tucked behind bunkers. Aim for the center of the green every single time. This gives you the largest margin for error. A 30-foot putt from the middle of the green is always better than having to make a delicate chip over a sand trap.

Step 2: Become a Master from 50 Yards and In

More than half your strokes happen within 50 yards of the hole. Improving your chipping and pitching is the single fastest way to see your scores drop. The a "get it on the green" mentality is not good enough, you need a reliable shot that you can turn to under pressure.

Your Action Plan: The Go-To Chip Shot

• Set up with your feet close together, with slightly more weight on your lead foot (your left foot for a right-handed player).
• Position the ball in the middle or slightly back in your stance. Lean the handle of the club slightly forward toward the target.
• Make a short, simple stroke using your shoulders and torso to turn back and through, almost like a putting stroke. Don't use your wrists.
• Commit to this one shot. Spend 70% of your practice time from within 50 yards, hitting balls to a specific target. This will build immense confidence.

Step 3: Find a "Fairway Finder" Off the Tee

If your driver is consistently putting you in trouble and adding penalty strokes to your card, then put it in a timeout. Your top priority off the tee is to get the ball in play, nothing more.

Your Action Plan:

• Identify a "go-to" club you can trust to find the fairway. This could be your 3-wood, a hybrid, or even a 6 or 7-iron. Yes, you will sacrifice distance, but you will save yourself penalty strokes and the frustration of being constantly out of position.
• Play your next two rounds without using your driver on any hole with tight trouble. Hitting your 170-yard hybrid down the middle is infinitely better than a 220-yard slice into the trees. It’s the secret to setting up easier, less stressful second shots.

Final Thoughts

A golfer who shoots 105 has a handicap in the high-20s to low-30s and is on the verge of a huge breakthrough. Moving from 105 to breaking 100 is less about perfecting your swing and more about mastering course strategy, managing anistakes, and developing a reliable short game.

Improving from a 105-shooter into a bogey golfer is all about making smarter, more confident decisions in the moments that matter. As your personal AI golf coach, I can help you with exactly that. Instead of guessing on club selection or the best strategy for a tough hole, you can get an instant recommendation right on the course. You can even snap a photo of a tricky lie in the rough, and I'll give you a simple plan to navigate the situation, turning a potential disaster into a managed recovery. That's the key to eliminating blow-up holes and finally breaking 100. Feel free to ask me anything about your game, anytime by checking out Caddie AI.