Handicaps: course handicap, strokes and net score
Handicapping is what lets a 22 and a 6 play a meaningful match. It is also the part of golf betting most groups get slightly wrong.
Written and maintained by the Golf Game Bet Calculator team, who build the scoring engine this site runs on. Last reviewed .
Index vs course handicap
A handicap index is a portable measure of your demonstrated ability, calculated from your recent scores. It is not the number of strokes you receive. To get that, the index is converted to a course handicap for the specific set of tees you are playing, because a hard course from the back tees should give you more strokes than an easy one from the forward tees.
Under the World Handicap System the conversion uses the course's slope rating, its course rating and its par. In practice most golfers get this number from their federation app or the pro shop before teeing off. For a friendly game, using the number your app shows for those tees is entirely sufficient.
Stroke index: where the shots fall
Every scorecard assigns each hole a stroke index from 1 to 18, where 1 is the hole judged hardest for a higher handicapper relative to par. Strokes are allocated in that order:
- A course handicap of 7 means you receive one stroke on the holes with stroke index 1 through 7, and none on the rest.
- A course handicap of 18 means one stroke on every hole.
- A course handicap of 22 means one stroke on every hole plus a second stroke on stroke index 1 through 4.
This matters more than the total. Two players with the same handicap can have wildly different rounds depending on whether their strokes land on holes that suit them. It is also why match play strokes must be allocated hole by hole and cannot be applied to the total at the end.
Gross, net and par relationships
Your gross score is what you actually took. Your net score on a hole is the gross minus any strokes you receive on it. A 20-handicapper making a 6 on a stroke-index-3 par 4 has a gross double bogey and a net bogey; on a hole where they get two strokes it would be a net par.
For the round, net total equals gross total minus course handicap. Displaying both is worth the space: gross tells you how you played, net tells you who won.
Allowances: full, 90 or 85 percent
Full handicap is right for individual stroke play against the field. For head-to-head and team formats, reduced allowances are standard because the format itself already favours the higher handicapper's volatility:
- Singles match play — 100 percent of the difference between the two course handicaps, applied to the higher handicapper.
- Four-ball better ball — commonly 85 to 90 percent of course handicap.
- Informal side games — many groups settle on a flat 80 percent, which is simple and keeps the low handicapper in the game.
| Format | Typical allowance | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Individual stroke play (net) | 100% of course handicap | Compared against a fixed field, not one opponent |
| Singles match play | 100% of the difference | Only the gap between the two players matters |
| Four-ball better ball | 85–90% of course handicap | Team already benefits from taking the better score |
| Informal Nassau / skins | 80–90%, by group preference | Simplicity and to keep low handicappers competitive |
Allowances below 100% are a deliberate handicap into the format, not an error.
Players without a formal handicap
Plenty of social groups include someone who has never posted a score. Two workable approaches: estimate from their typical round — a golfer who usually shoots around 100 on a par-72 course is roughly a 28 — or agree a number by consensus on the first tee and revisit it next time. Neither is exact, and neither needs to be. What matters is that everyone agrees before money is involved rather than after.
For repeat groups, tracking results over several rounds is the most reliable way to arrive at a fair number. Saving your rounds in an account means the group's informal handicaps converge on something defensible instead of being renegotiated every week.
Maximum hole score
For handicap posting, the World Handicap System uses net double bogey as the maximum score on any hole: par, plus two, plus any strokes you receive. Borrowing that cap for betting purposes is a good idea in stroke-based games — it prevents one hole from deciding the round — though games that already settle per hole do not need it.
Common handicap disputes and how to settle them
"That's not my real handicap"
This surfaces most often with an informal or estimated number. The fix is not to argue mid-round but to agree the number before the first tee shot, and if it feels wrong afterwards, adjust it for next time rather than retroactively.
Sandbagging
A player who is quietly better than their posted handicap suggests, and who seems to produce their best golf only when money is on the line, is the most common complaint in long-running money games. Posting every round, not just competition rounds, and reviewing the group's numbers periodically is the only real defence — suspicion without a scoring record rarely gets resolved on the course.
Disagreeing on which holes get strokes
This happens when players are used to a different course's stroke index and misremember it for the one they are playing. Always check the actual card for that course before the round; stroke index is specific to each course and each set of tees, not a general ranking of hole difficulty.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a handicap index and a course handicap?
A handicap index is a portable number representing demonstrated ability, calculated from recent scores. A course handicap converts that index for a specific set of tees using the course's slope and rating, and it is the course handicap — not the index — that tells you how many strokes you actually receive that day.
How do you know which holes get a handicap stroke?
Every scorecard lists a stroke index from 1 to 18 for each hole. A player receives strokes on the lowest-numbered stroke-index holes first, up to their course handicap — so a course handicap of 7 gives one stroke each on stroke index 1 through 7 only.
Should match play use full handicap or a percentage?
Singles match play conventionally uses 100 percent of the difference between the two course handicaps. Team formats like four-ball better ball commonly reduce this to 85-90 percent, and many informal groups simplify further to a flat 80 percent across all their side games.
How do you handicap a player with no official rating?
Estimate from their typical scoring — a golfer who usually shoots around 100 on a par-72 course is roughly a 28 — or agree a number by group consensus on the first tee. Track results over a few rounds together and adjust; the important part is agreeing before money is on the table, not after.
What is net double bogey and why does it matter for betting?
Net double bogey is par plus two plus any strokes a player receives on that hole, and it is the maximum score the World Handicap System counts when posting a round. Borrowing it as a betting cap stops one disastrous hole from deciding an otherwise close stroke-play wager.