Knowing when you should post a golf score for your handicap can feel a little confusing, especially with rules that seem to change or have lots of fine print. But the system is designed to be less complicated and more inclusive than you might think. This guide will walk you through exactly what makes a score postable, how to handle common on-course situations like incomplete rounds, and the simple steps to get your scores recorded correctly.
The entire purpose of a handicap is to have a numerical measure of your demonstrated golfing ability. It levels the playing field so you can have a fair game with any other golfer. For that to work, the scores you post need to be an honest reflection of your game. The World Handicap System (WHS) has established a few foundational principles for what constitutes an acceptable score. Think of these as the primary filter for deciding whether your round counts.
Most of the time you play, your score will be acceptable for handicap purposes as long as you meet these conditions:
If your round checks these boxes, congratulations, it's almost certainly postable!
Once you’ve got the core principles down, the next question is usually about specific game formats. Golf is played in many different ways, and not all of them are suitable for handicap posting. Here’s a simple breakdown of the common formats.
This is a frequent point of confusion. The answer is yes, you can absolutely post a score from a match-play round. However, you need to handle your scoring a little differently. In match play, you often have conceded holes or "pick up" your ball once you're out of the hole. You obviously didn't get a real score on that hole, so what do you write down?
For any hole you start but don’t finish, you record what’s called your "most likely score." Your most likely score is the number of strokes you’ve already taken, plus the number of strokes you would reasonably need to complete the hole. If that sounds too complicated, don't worry - most golfers simply record their "Net Double Bogey" for any unfinished holes (more on what that is in a moment). If a putt is conceded, the rules assume you would have made your next stroke. In short, your match play score can almost always be turned into a valid score for posting.
This one depends entirely on if you are playing your own ball for the entire round.
The simple litmus test is: "Did I play my own golf ball on every single stroke that ended up being my final score?" If the answer is yes, you can probably post it.
Golf doesn't always go according to plan. A pop-up thunderstorm, a backed-up course, or simply running out of daylight can cut your round short. And let's be honest, sometimes you have a blow-up hole and want to just pick up your ball and move on. The handicap system has simple and fair procedures for all these situations.
You don’t need to play all 18 holes to post an 18-hole score. As mentioned, the minimum is 14. If you play between 7 and 13 holes, you can post a 9-hole score. But what do you put down for the holes you missed?
For any holes you didn’t play, you simply take a "net par." That calculation is par for the hole plus any handicap strokes you would have been given on that hole.
Example:Let's say you play 16 holes before it gets dark. You have a 15-handicap. You need to "create" scores for holes 17 and 18.
You'll just add those scores for holes 17 and 18 to your scores from the first 16 holes to get your total for the round. The app or a clubhouse kiosk where you post your score will typically do this calculation for you automatically when you tell it which holes you didn't play.
For handicap purposes, there is a maximum score you can take on any single hole. This is called Net Double Bogey, and it's there to prevent one or two disaster holes from wrecking your handicap and making it unrepresentative of your true ability. It is also the score you should record if you just pick up your ball.
The formula sounds technical, but it's simple enough:
Net Double Bogey = Par + 2 + Any handicap strokes you receive on that hole.
Example: Let's say you're that same 15-handicapper standing on the tee of a difficult par-4 that's the #1 handicap hole. You get a stroke here.
What’s your score? Your Net Double Bogey on this hole is Par (4) + 2 (for the double bogey) + 1 (your handicap stroke) = 7. You simply write down a 7 and move on, no stress. Your phone's handicap app (like GHIN) handles this automatically, it's called Adjusted Gross Score (AGS).
Once your round is complete, the final step is getting it posted. Procrastination is not your friend here. You should post your score as soon as possible after the round, ideally on the same day. This is important because a daily calculation called the Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) is run. This adjust scores based on if the course played significantly harder or easier than normal that day due to weather or tough hole locations. If you wait a day, your score won’t be included in that calculation and might not be adjusted properly.
The most common ways to post your score are:
No matter which method you use, the process is straightforward. You’ll be asked to provide the course you played, the tees you used, the date, and your score (usually hole-by-hole). It takes just a minute or two and is a great habit to get into right after your round.
Ultimately, the handicap system is designed to be fair and inclusive, so the grand majority of rounds you play will be completely fine to post. The foundation is simple: play by the rules with at least one other person, play the minimum required holes, and record your score honestly, using Net Double Bogey to cap any troublesome holes.
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