Date Published: 13/05/2025
As the 2025 PGA Championship gets underway at Quail Hollow, we’re using the occasion to explore a fun, hypothetical question: What Handicap Index® would you need to break 100 at Quail Hollow?
Using the official World Handicap System™ formula, we’ve worked out the score differentials for a range of potential scores – from Tour-level numbers to those more familiar to everyday golfers.
This lets us estimate the Handicap Index® the pros would effectively be playing to, and how that compares to what it would take for an amateur to break 100 from the same set of tees.
Of course, Tour rounds aren’t submitted for handicap purposes – but this exercise gives average golfers a relatable way to see how their own game stacks up against a championship course setup.
Score Differential™ is a calculation used to measure how well you played, adjusted for course difficulty. It compares your score to the Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™, helping ensure fair comparisons across different courses.
It’s the number used to calculate your Handicap Index® and gives a clearer picture of your true playing ability.
For our calculations we’ve used an estimated tee set from Quail Hollow, based on reports. This is not an official Course or Slope Rating™, but rather an educated benchmark for comparison.
These ratings reflect just how demanding this setup is, even for the world’s best. Using the formula: Score Differential™ = ((Adjusted Gross Score – Course Rating™) × 113) ÷ Slope Rating™
We can determine what Handicap Index® each score would represent – purely hypothetically – if it were posted for handicap purposes.
Here’s how different scores would translate to a Score Differential™ and Handicap Index® at Quail Hollow:
| Score | Score Differential™ | Playing to a Handicap of: |
| 60 | -13.13 | +13.1 |
| 65 | -9.31 | +9.3 |
| 70 | -5.5 | +5.5 |
| 75 | -1.68 | +1.7 |
| 80 | 2.14 | 2.1 |
| 85 | 5.96 | 6 |
| 90 | 9.77 | 9.8 |
| 95 | 13.59 | 13.6 |
| 100 | 17.41 | 17.4 |
For context, if a professional shoots a 70 at Quail Hollow this week, their Score Differential™ would be -5.5 – meaning they’d be effectively playing to a +5.5 Handicap Index®.
By contrast, if an average golfer managed to break 100 from the same tees, they’d be playing to around a 17.4 Handicap Index®.
While Tour professionals don’t use their scores for handicap purposes, applying this lens shows the true difficulty of championship-level golf – and just how well you need to play to post a solid round at a venue like Quail Hollow.
Whether you’re tracking your own Handicap Index® or just enjoying the action, understanding Score Differential™ and Handicap Index® can give you a deeper appreciation for both your game and the one you’re watching this week.
If you’re a non-club golfer looking to track your progress and get a Handicap Index®, iGolf gives you access to a handicap and game-improving tools – all through the MyEG app.