What handicap would YOU be off from the US Open tees at Shinnecock Hills?

They used to say you could rely on two things: death and taxes. Well, when a golf major comes to town there is a third. A player will always get asked the question, ‘what would an average golfer shoot round here?’

The tour player will chuckle slightly, give the questioner a knowing look, and then reply with a number that has three digits in it.

But if you are familiar with this tournament, and even more familiar with the venues that hold it, such as this year’s monstrous host Shinnecock Hills, this will not be a surprise.

Just how difficult is the Long Island course for those of us who don’t earn a living playing golf? Thanks to the USGA, you can have a go at predicting your score.

By visiting their Course Rating and Slope database, you can find out the essential numbers for this masterpiece from each tee set.

And by popping onto their course calculator page you can also discover what your target score would be if you were playing the Par 70, 7,440-yard beast during the US Open.

With a Course Rating of 77.2 and Slope Rating of 148 (the maximum is 155) for men, you already know you’re going to be adding plenty onto your World Handicap System index when you pop a tee peg in the ground on the 1st.

But just how many?

What would you score at Shinnecock Hills?

My WHS index is 10.4. That would give me a mammoth Course Handicap of 21 shots at Shinnecock. The USGA says my target score is 91. But, if I’m honest with you, I think that’s probably a little on the short side. I reckon it would still be a battle to break 100, when you throw in wind and some firm and fast conditions.

A woman with the same handicap index as me would be looking at a Course Rating of 83.9, a Slope of 154, and a par of 78. That would equate to a Course Handicap of 20 and a target score of 98.

Want more? Let’s go through some more numbers.

A male scratch handicapper – 0.0 for our purposes – would have seven shots to play with; an 18 handicapper would receive a Course Handicap of 31! Their target score wouldn’t break three figures.

A male 28 handicapper would be toting a massive Course Handicap of 44. They’d be aiming to get around in 114 shots.

What if a player were toting the maximum handicap allowed – 54.0? A male player would get an enormous Course Handicap of 78 and might be lucky to make it round this ordeal in 148 strokes. A female player would get 79 shots and be expected to hit 157.

Just to give you a hint of just how hard Shinnecock Hills is for even the very best players, to achieve a Course Handicap of 0 – and to have a target score of par off the US Open tees – a male player would be expected to have a World Handicap System index of +5.2

For women, a scratch handicapper would be toting six shots on their course handicap. A female playing off 28.0, would be looking at a Course Handicap of 42. Their target score would be 112.

Just for a bit of fun, we’ve worked out the Course Handicaps for many of the possible WHS index combinations for male players, and their target scores – right from scratch to 54.

How many shots would you get at Shinnecock Hills? (male players)

Table shows WHS Index, Course Handicap and Target Score

So what does the target score mean? An explanation from Golf Journal says it’s what you’ll shoot if you play to your handicap.

It argues players will manage that up to 20 per cent of the time – firing two to four strokes higher in most rounds.

So even though the target is set, most of the time you’d still come up disappointed if you took on the same tees as Rory McIlroy and company at the US Open.

But look at it this way. If you ever got the chance to tee it up at Shinnecock Hills, at least you’d get your money’s worth!

Now have your say?

Let me know how it all stacks up for you by dropping your vitals into the comments, by getting touch on X, or by emailing me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com

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