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Why is my Handicap Index not changing?

You may have posted a few scores recently and expected your Index to move up or down. If it hasn't, there may be an easy answer why.

The magic of the Handicap Index system may also be the reason that every time you post a score, your index doesn't necessarily change. This is because The system doesn't use every score when calculating your Handicap Index. The calculation takes into account your 20 most recent scores, and of those 20, the best 8 scores (lowest differentials) are used to determine your Index. 

This means, that your best 8 scores of the 20 might have been a pretty long time ago, depending on how frequently you play. If that's the case, then any new scores posted will probably affect your Index. This works in the inverse as well. If you post 8 really good scores in a row and then shoot a handful of bad scores, your index won't move up because it's still being calculated from those 8 best scores out of 20.

If you are curious about which scores in your most recent 20 are being used to calculate your index, take a look at your scores in the USGA app or on ghin.com. Also a reminder that your Handicap Index updates every night around midnight.

For more in depth knowledge of handicapping, feel free to read through the USGA Handicap Manual