What is Trackman Handicap?

Your Trackman Handicap is a measure of your playing ability in Virtual Golf. The Trackman Handicap is inspired by the World Handicap System (WHS) and allows players to compete fairly and promote inclusivity in the game. To find out more about the World Handicap System, please visit RandA.org/worldhandicapsystem/a.

If you are logged in with a Trackman account, you will receive a Trackman Handicap after your first round of Virtual Golf. From that point, your Trackman Handicap is automatically updated after each round of Virtual Golf.

How is my Trackman Handicap obtained (new golfer)?

To obtain a Trackman Handicap, you must complete one full round of either 9 or 18 holes. Partial rounds do not count. Once this round is completed and uploaded while logged into your Trackman account, your initial Trackman Handicap will be generated.

• If your first round is 9 holes, your initial Trackman Handicap is calculated by doubling your gross score (i.e., gross score × 2).
• From that point on, 9-hole rounds will be adjusted using net par scoring for the remaining 9 holes, based on your current handicap

Important Requirements:

• No mulligans can be taken in any round that counts toward your Trackman Handicap.
• Rounds must be played with a gimme distance of 12ft / 3.7m or less, including rounds using auto-putt settings.
• Only rounds played in single-player stroke play on non-Par-3 courses count.
• Team formats (except Better ball), manually edited scores, or manually entered rounds do not count toward your handicap.

Your Trackman Handicap is calculated from the best 8 score differentials out of your most recent 20 rounds. As new rounds are completed and uploaded, your handicap is automatically updated using this rolling window. For new players who haven’t played 20 rounds yet, a temporary calculation method is used to ensure fairness until a full scoring record is established.

This early adjustment protects the integrity of the system, as fewer rounds provide less data to gauge true playing ability. Since players typically only perform to their ability one out of every five rounds, it’s possible a new player hasn't yet posted a representative score.
 

The reason the early rounds are adjusted is because there is less data to calculate the player's Trackman Handicap, so this safeguard protects other players whose handicaps are calculated using a more robust scoring record. Additionally, a player typically plays to their ability one of every five rounds. When only three or four scores exist, it's possible that the player hasn't yet played to their potential.

When "scores" are mentioned, it doesn't refer to gross score from the player's round. The score in the handicap record is termed a "score differential".

What is a score differential?

A score differential is the difference between a player's adjusted gross score and the course rating, incorporating the slope rating. Score differential is the numerical value attributed to a score achieved on a virtual golf course that is posted to a player's scoring record.

To calculate a score differential from a round, we take the adjusted gross score and convert it for use in the handicap calculation. We do this by taking away the course rating to give a gross differential, and adjusting back to a standard slope rating, effectively de-sloping the course for a standard difficulty.

The calculation for score differential is then:

(Adjusted Gross Score−Course Rating)×(113÷Slope Rating)=Score Differential)

Note: Some holes may have different pars depending on the tee (e.g., Par 5 from the back tee, Par 4 from the front tee). For consistency in tournament scoring and handicap calculation, the system automatically assigns the lowest par as the default.

What is Trackman Handicap Adjusted?

Once 20 scores are available, a "fully developed" Trackman Handicap can be calculated. The below example shows a player's handicap record containing their last 20 scores. The best scores are identified (highlighted below) and the total is divided by 8. This gives a Trackman Handicap of 4.2:

Add together the best 8 scores of the last 20:"
+ 5.0
+ 3.5
+ 3.7
+ 5.4
+ 5.9
+ 1.3
+ 4.6
+ 3.8
And averaging the total:" 33.2 / 8

Gives a Trackman Handicap of 4.2.
 

When a new score is added to the record the 20th score drops out of the calculation. The data is re-calculated as previous, and the new Trackman Handicap is generated.

How is Trackman Handicap Adjust in the case of strong upward movement?

Safeguards have been introduced to prevent handicap manipulations. Trackman calculates handicap in line with WHS, where a Soft Cap and a Large Cap prevent large upward movements.

• Soft Cap: reduces the rate of handicap increases by 50%, after a player's Handicap Index improves with more than 3.0 strokes in a year.
• Hard Cap: Restricts handicap increases of more than 5.0 strokes within a year completely.

The illustration below demonstrates how the caps are tied to a player's Low Handicap Index - which is used as a reference point.
 

Note that a Low Handicap Index is not established until the player has 20 scores in their scoring record.

Example Calculation Adjusted Handicap Index with Soft Cap

Imagine a Player has a Low Handicap Index of 4 and at least 20 scoring records. The players 8 best score in the last 20 rounds are: 5, 6, 6, 7, 9, 9, 9, 13.

1. Average Lowest 8 SDs
   • Total of SDs: 5+6+6+7+9+9+9+13= 64 Average SD= 8
2. Apply the Soft Cap
   • Since the Calculated Handicap Index of 8 is more than 3 strokes different from the Low Handicap Index of 4, a Soft Cap sets in. The Soft Cap adjustment is calculated over the handicap increase that is more than 3 strokes. In this case 8-3-4 = 1
   • Soft Cap adjustment = 0.5*1 = 0.5
3. Adjust Calculated Handicap Index with Soft Cap
   • Calculated Handicap Index - Soft Cap Adjustment = 8-0.5= 7.5
   • So the Adjusted Handicap Index is 7.5

Where can I find my new Trackman Handicap?

You can find your Trackman Handicap in the Trackman Golf app, or while you are logged into TPS.

Can I change my Trackman Handicap myself?

You cannot make manual changes to the Trackman Handicap. The only way to affect the Handicap is by playing more rounds.

I sometimes use another handicap indoor. Can I override the Trackman Handicap?

In a tournament, the host has the option to select between using a manual-input handicap, or the Trackman handicap, but there is no way to “override” your Trackman handicap.

Exceptional Score Reduction

The primary difference between the Trackman Handicap and the World Handicap System is the downward adjustment of handicap for exceptional scores. With the Trackman Handicap we adjust the handicap significantly more downward if you post an exceptional score in order to ensure that the Trackman Handicap reflects your playing potential.  

What is an Exceptional Score and what happens when I post one?

Any score that produces a Diff. of score that is at least 6.0 strokes better than your Handicap Index at the time the round was played is considered exceptional and is subject to the Exceptional Score Reduction. 
In the Trackman Handicap we reduce previous Score Differentials with X % of the difference between new best and the handicap index. The X percentage can be found in this table: