★ = included in best-N average | shaded = 2025 rounds | gold = best-N selected | carry = using prior-season carryover (<7 rounds) · small figure under HDP = exact index
The Formula
Your index = the average of your best N rounds − 36 (par), shown to one decimal; your course handicap (what you actually play off) is that index rounded to the nearest whole number, USGA-style. Rounds are your gross 9-hole scores from your 20 most-recent rounds (this season plus last, newest first); older rounds age out automatically. The best N are your lowest scores, so a blow-up week never counts against you. A minimum of 7 rounds is required before the formula kicks in — below that you carry your prior-season HDP.
Best-N Scale (USGA schedule)
| Rounds | Best N used |
|---|---|
| 7–8 | 2 |
| 9–11 | 3 |
| 12–14 | 4 |
| 15–16 | 5 |
| 17–18 | 6 |
| 19 | 7 |
| 20 | 8 |
The 20-round window
Only your 20 most-recent rounds count. Early in the year that pulls in last season's scores so your handicap is stable instead of swinging on two or three rounds; as 2026 fills in, the oldest rounds drop off the back and it tracks your current form. Nothing older than your last 20 rounds is ever used.
vs. USGA
This mirrors the USGA/WHS method — best 8 of your last 20, on the same sliding schedule for fewer rounds — so a sub with a real USGA index slots right in. We simplify for a single course: par (36) as a flat baseline instead of Course Rating & Slope, a double-par per-hole cap, and a 7-round minimum (USGA uses 3).