How to Post Golf Scores for Your Handicap: GHIN, TheGrint, and Kiosk

Score Differential: The value the WHS system assigns to each round. Formula: (Adjusted Gross Score − Course Rating) × 113 ÷ Slope Rating. Your handicap index is based on the best 8 of your 20 most recent differentials.

Exceptional Score: A round whose differential is 7.0 or more below your current handicap index. The system automatically reviews and may apply an immediate downward handicap adjustment.

Net Double Bogey: The maximum score you can post on any individual hole for handicap purposes. Calculated as par + 2 + any handicap strokes you receive on that hole. Scores above this are automatically reduced to Net Double Bogey before calculating your differential.

Posting your golf score correctly is one of those things no one explains to new golfers but everyone expects you to know. The process is straightforward once you understand what the system is actually doing.

What You Are Actually Submitting

When you post a score, you are not submitting a total raw score. You are submitting an adjusted gross score — your actual score after applying the Net Double Bogey maximum on each hole.

If you pick up the ball mid-hole because you are already eight over on a par-4, you post the Net Double Bogey for that hole rather than whatever you might have scored. The app calculates this for you when you post hole by hole.

The Three Posting Methods

GHIN app: Most golfers with GHIN access use the app. Tap “Post a Score,” select course and tees, enter hole-by-hole or total score, submit.

TheGrint: If you are a TheGrint subscriber, post through their app. For USGA-licensed TheGrint users, scores sync to the GHIN system automatically.

Course kiosk: The backup option. Most public and private courses have a GHIN posting terminal in or near the pro shop. Requires your GHIN ID. Useful when your phone is dead after a summer afternoon round.

Score Differentials and What They Mean

Each round generates a score differential. This is the number the system uses, not your raw score. A differential accounts for the course’s difficulty:

Playing a Course Rating 72.1 / Slope 131 course and shooting 88 generates a smaller differential than shooting 88 on a Course Rating 69.0 / Slope 113 course — the harder course gives you credit for playing in more difficult conditions.

Your handicap index is the average of your best 8 differentials from your most recent 20 rounds.

The Exceptional Score Rule

If you post a round that is 7.0 or more differentials better than your current handicap index, the system flags it as an exceptional score and may reduce your handicap index immediately — even before the standard daily update cycle. This prevents someone from artificially inflating their handicap and then posting one very good tournament round.

The Habit That Matters

Post every round. Same day, before midnight. The habit takes 2 minutes per round and keeps your index current. Golfers who skip posting “bad rounds” create inaccurate indexes that cause problems in competition.

What is an adjusted gross score?

Your adjusted gross score is your actual score for the round after applying the Net Double Bogey maximum on any individual hole. If you made a 9 on a par-4 hole and your Net Double Bogey on that hole was 7 (par 4 + 2 + 1 handicap stroke), you post 7 for that hole rather than 9. This is calculated automatically by GHIN and TheGrint when you post hole-by-hole scores.

When is the deadline to post a golf score?

Scores must be posted by midnight on the day you played. If you forget to post before midnight, you can still post the score on the following day, but the system will mark it as a 'late posting.' Late-posted scores count but may be reviewed differently in some tournament situations.

What happens if I do not post a round?

Not posting rounds when you should is called a 'no-post' violation. Under the World Handicap System, if a golfer consistently fails to post rounds, their club or the system can issue a penalty score — typically a score equivalent to their expected performance — which may increase their handicap. Posting all rounds is required for handicap integrity.

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Do I post 9-hole rounds to GHIN?

Yes. 9-hole rounds post as 9-hole differentials. Two 9-hole rounds can be combined into an 18-hole differential. Most apps handle this automatically. Post each 9-hole round as soon as you finish and the system manages the combination.

What course and tee should I select when posting?

Select the course and tee you actually played. Different tees have different Course Ratings and Slope Ratings, which affect your differential calculation. Posting from the wrong tees skews your handicap. If you played the back tees, select the back tee rating, not the senior or front tees.

Can I post a score from a casual round, not a tournament?

Yes — in fact, most of your posted scores should come from casual rounds. The World Handicap System requires posting all rounds played under acceptable conditions, whether casual or competitive. The exception is practice rounds, simulator sessions, and rounds played on non-rated courses.

Do I need to post scores from every course I play?

Yes. The portability of the handicap system requires posting from wherever you play. If you play at five different courses during the season, all rounds count. The differential formula adjusts for each course's difficulty, so a round on a hard course does not count the same as the same score on an easy course.

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