Golf calculators, kept simple
Work out the round before you tee off.
Eight small tools for friendly games and league fun: handicaps, an index estimate from your recent rounds, Stableford points, skins, net scores, payout splits, and how far your ball should fly when you travel. No account, no sign up, and nothing leaves your device.
Imperial shows distances in yards and elevation in feet. Metric shows distances in metres and elevation in metres. Switching converts the altitude numbers for you, so nobody has to convert a unit in their head.
Calculator 1
Course handicap calculator
UnofficialEstimate how many strokes you would get at a course, for friendly games and league fun.
Unofficial, for friendly play only.
Formula: course handicap = index x (slope / 113) + (course rating - par), rounded to the nearest whole number.
Calculator 2
Score differential calculator
UnofficialSee what a single round is worth after the course difficulty is taken into account.
Unofficial, for friendly play only.
Formula: differential = (adjusted gross score - course rating) x 113 / slope, shown to one decimal place.
Calculator 3
Stableford points calculator
Enter par, the strokes you receive, and your gross score for each hole. Points update as you type. The table starts filled with a sample round, so you can see how it works right away.
| Hole | Par | Strokes received | Gross score | Net score | Points |
|---|
Front nine 17 points, back nine 18 points.
Scoring, based on net score against par: net double bogey or worse 0 points, net bogey 1, net par 2, net birdie 3, net eagle 4, net albatross 5. Net score = gross score minus strokes received on that hole.
Calculator 4
Skins pot splitter
Split a friendly pot your group has already agreed on, based on the skins each player actually won. Carried over skins are handled automatically, because the pot is divided across the skins that were won.
Formula: value per skin = total pot / total skins won. Each payout = value per skin x that player skins won. If no skins are won, the pot carries over or is returned, whichever your group agreed.
Your group, your rules: Groups are responsible for their own local rules, and for checking that any game they play is allowed where they live. This tool only does the arithmetic on a pot a group has already agreed on.
Calculator 5
Altitude translator
Your ball flies farther in thinner air. Estimate a club carry at a new elevation, using the carry you already know at home.
Rule of thumb used, labelled as an approximation: about 2 percent distance change per 1,000 feet of elevation change. If the temperature toggle is on, add about 1 yard per 10 degrees F away from a 70 degree F baseline (about 0.9 metres per 5.6 degrees C away from 21 degrees C), also approximate. Wind, humidity, ball, and swing all change the real result.
Calculator 6
Handicap index estimator
UnofficialType or paste your recent score differentials, most recent first, separated by commas or spaces. You can work them out with the score differential calculator above. The estimator follows the usual counting table: with 20 differentials it averages the lowest 8, and with fewer rounds it uses fewer differentials, with a small adjustment on the smallest samples.
Unofficial, for friendly play only.
Formula: sort the differentials, average the lowest ones (the count depends on how many rounds you entered: 1 of 3 to 5, 2 of 6 to 8, 3 of 9 to 11, 4 of 12 to 14, 5 of 15 to 16, 6 of 17 to 18, 7 of 19, 8 of 20), apply the small-sample adjustment where the table calls for one, and show the result to one decimal. If you enter more than 20, only the first 20, your most recent, are used. This is an unofficial estimate for friendly games, never an official handicap.
Calculator 7
Net score and match strokes calculator
UnofficialWork out your net score, and how many strokes change hands in a friendly match, from unofficial course handicaps.
Unofficial, for friendly play only.
Formula: net score = gross score minus your unofficial course handicap. Match strokes = the gap between the two unofficial course handicaps, times the allowance percent, rounded to the nearest whole stroke, given to the higher handicap player. Every handicap figure here is unofficial.
Calculator 8
Tournament payout splitter
Split a friendly tournament purse across the paid places, using a standard descending share pattern. Your group agrees the purse and the pattern before anyone tees off.
Shares by place count: 1 place takes 100 percent. 2 places split 60 and 40. 3 places split 50, 30, and 20. 4 places split 40, 30, 20, and 10. 5 places split 34, 26, 18, 12, and 10.
Formula: each place payout = total purse x that place share percent, divided by 100. This tool only does arithmetic on a purse a group has already agreed on among themselves.
Maple Fairways: Golf Planning Tools and Programs in Development
Maple Fairways is a unit of Mississippi Maple built around one simple idea: golf is easier to enjoy when the planning is done before you get to the first tee. The numbers behind a round, the format your group is playing, the strokes each player receives, and the way distance changes when you travel to higher ground should not require a spreadsheet, a rulebook search, or an argument in the parking lot. This hub collects the free tools we are building for that job, explains how each one works in plain language, and introduces the programs now in development around them.
Everything on this page is free to use. There is no account to create and no score to submit. The tools are planning aids for casual rounds, group trips, league nights, and friendly formats. Where a tool touches handicaps, its result is unofficial, and we label it that way every time. That label matters, and we explain why below.
The four legs of Maple Fairways, all in development
Maple Fairways is being built on four legs. Each one is in development, and each one shapes the tools and guides in this hub.
The first leg is simulator venue league operations. Indoor golf keeps the game going through a Canadian winter, and it gives leagues a controlled setting with reliable scheduling, consistent conditions, and scoring that is easy to track week to week. We are developing league formats, scheduling patterns, and scoring workflows for simulator venues, with an emphasis on formats that welcome mixed abilities in the same group. The calculators in this hub, especially the Stableford points calculator and the skins pot splitter, come directly out of that work. They are the same simple tools a league organizer needs on a busy night.
The second leg is women and girls in golf. Growing the game means lowering the barriers that keep new players out: unclear formats, intimidating scoring, and groups where a beginner feels like a burden. We are developing introductory programming, welcoming group formats, and plain language guides that explain strokes, points, and scoring without jargon. A new player who understands how Stableford rewards a net par, and why picking up a ball can be the correct and considerate play, is a player who comes back next week.
The third leg is adaptive golf. Golf can be adapted in many ways: different formats, different tees, modified equipment, shorter rounds, and scoring systems that value participation and personal progress over a single gross score. We are developing programming and resources with accessibility at the centre, not as an afterthought. That influences how we write, too. Clear headings, step by step examples, and tools that do the arithmetic for you are accessibility features, and they help every golfer, not only adaptive players.
The fourth leg is buddy trip groups. A golf trip with friends runs on small decisions made well in advance: which format each day, how strokes are allocated, how a shared pot is split, and how far the ball will actually fly at a mountain course none of you have played. We are developing trip planning resources that cover formats, handicaps for the group (unofficial, for planning only), and destination adjustments such as altitude. The tools below are the working core of that leg.
None of these four legs is presented as finished. They are in development, and this hub will grow with them. What is ready now, and free now, is the calculator set.
The five free calculators
1. Course handicap calculator (unofficial)
Anchor text suggestion: unofficial course handicap calculator
Your handicap index travels with you, but your course handicap changes with the course and the tees you play. The unofficial course handicap calculator takes your handicap index, the slope rating, the course rating, and par, and returns an unofficial course handicap using the standard World Handicap System formula. Use it to plan matches, set up a league night, or check what a published figure means before a trip. The result is unofficial. Official handicaps come only through Golf Canada and its member clubs.
2. Score differential calculator
Anchor text suggestion: score differential calculator
A score differential is the number that connects one round to your handicap index. It adjusts your adjusted gross score for the difficulty of the course and tees you played, using course rating and slope rating. The score differential calculator does that arithmetic for a single round so you can see what a round was worth in handicap terms. Like every handicap figure on this site, the result is unofficial and is provided for learning and planning only. Official handicaps come only through Golf Canada and its member clubs.
3. Stableford points calculator
Anchor text suggestion: Stableford points calculator
Stableford scores points hole by hole based on your net score, which makes it forgiving for beginners, fast for groups, and ideal for leagues and trips. Bogey is worth playing for, a bad hole costs you points rather than ruining a card, and you pick up when the points are gone. The Stableford points calculator takes gross scores, par, stroke index, and the strokes a player receives, and totals the points for you. It pairs naturally with an unofficial course handicap figure when you are setting up a casual game.
4. Skins pot splitter
Anchor text suggestion: skins pot splitter
A skins game awards each hole to the lowest unique score, with tied holes often carried over to the next hole. At the end of the round, someone has to divide the group pot according to the skins each player won, and that arithmetic is where friendly games get awkward. The skins pot splitter is simple arithmetic only: enter the total pot, the skins won, and any carryover handling your group agreed to, and it splits the pot cleanly. It does not place bets, hold money, or facilitate gambling. It just divides numbers your group already decided on.
5. Altitude translator
Anchor text suggestion: altitude carry distance calculator
The ball flies farther at elevation because thinner air produces less drag and less lift. The altitude translator converts a carry distance you know, usually from sea level or your home course, to an expected carry at a higher elevation using the approximation this site uses: about 2 percent of carry per 1,000 feet of elevation. That figure is an approximation, not a promise, and temperature is a smaller secondary factor. Use the translator before a mountain trip so your club selection on the first few holes is a plan, not a guess.
How to use this hub
Start with the explainer that matches the question you have. The course handicap guide walks through the formula step by step with a worked example. The Stableford guide explains net scoring, where handicap strokes fall, and when to pick up. The altitude guide explains why carry changes, how the approximation works, and how to plan club selection for a trip to higher ground, including a Canadian example. The frequently asked questions page answers the short versions of all of these, including how skins pots split and why every handicap figure here is unofficial.
A practical order for a group trip looks like this. First, get each player's unofficial course handicap for the course and tees you will play. Second, choose the format: Stableford for a forgiving points game, skins for a hole by hole contest, or a mix across days. Third, if you are travelling to elevation, run known carry distances through the altitude translator and share the results with the group before you leave. Fourth, after the round, use the differential calculator to see what the scores were worth, unofficially, and the pot splitter to settle the skins arithmetic without a debate.
Sources and figures note
Handicap methods on this site follow the World Handicap System, governed by the USGA and The R&A. Golf Canada is the authorized administrator of the World Handicap System in Canada. Official handicaps come only through Golf Canada and its member clubs. Every handicap output from Maple Fairways tools is unofficial, is labelled unofficial, and is intended for education, casual planning, and friendly formats only. The Stableford points table used here is the standard table: net double bogey or worse scores 0 points, net bogey scores 1, net par scores 2, net birdie scores 3, net eagle scores 4, and net albatross scores 5. The altitude figure is the approximation this site uses, about 2 percent of carry per 1,000 feet of elevation, labelled as an approximation wherever it appears.
Maple Fairways is part of Mississippi Maple. This hub is a starting point, and the four program legs described above are in development. The calculators are live, free, and ready for your next round.
Guides and answers in this hub
Frequently asked questions
Is any handicap number from this site official?
No. Every handicap output on Maple Fairways is unofficial, and each one is labelled that way. These tools are for friendly games and league fun only. For an official handicap, go through your club or golf association.
How does the handicap index estimator choose which differentials to use?
It sorts your differentials and averages the lowest ones, using the usual counting table: the lowest 8 of 20 rounds, and fewer differentials, with a small adjustment, when you enter fewer rounds. The result is an unofficial estimate to one decimal place.
Do the calculators collect or send my scores?
No. Every calculation runs locally in your browser, on your device. Nothing you type is sent to a server, stored, or shared. Only your metric or imperial choice is remembered, on your own device.
Simple by design
Every calculation runs locally in your browser. Nothing is collected, stored on a server, or shared. Switch units at the top of the page and the altitude tool converts for you. Clamp note for keen eyes: typing a value outside a sensible range brings it back inside that range when the result updates.