The WHS handicap allowance table, with examples
If you've ever played a society scramble where the team handicap looked suspiciously low, this article is the reason. A handicap allowance is the percentage of your Course Handicap you actually play off in a competition. The number depends on the format. The full table is Appendix C of the WHS Rules of Handicapping. The values below are the WHS defaults — clubs sometimes vary them.
The table
| Format | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Singles stroke play | 95% |
| Singles Stableford / par / bogey | 95% |
| Singles match play | 100% |
| Four-ball stroke play (better ball) | 85% |
| Four-ball match play | 90% |
| Four-ball Stableford | 85% |
| Foursomes (alternate shot) stroke play | 50% of combined |
| Foursomes match play | 50% of combined |
| Greensomes stroke play | 60% lower / 40% higher |
| Scramble — 2 players | 35% / 15% |
| Scramble — 3 players | 30% / 20% / 10% |
| Scramble — 4 players | 25% / 20% / 15% / 10% |
Apply the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap and round the result to the nearest whole number. Halves round up.
Worked examples
Singles Stableford
Course Handicap 14. Playing Handicap = round(14 × 0.95) = 13. You get 13 strokes across 18 holes, one on each of the holes with stroke index 1 through 13.
Four-ball stroke play
Two players with Course Handicaps of 8 and 22. Playing Handicaps = round(8 × 0.85) = 7 and round(22 × 0.85) = 19. The 85% allowance is the WHS default, down from 90% for men under the older USGA system.
Foursomes (alternate shot)
Pair with Course Handicaps of 6 and 18. Combined = 24. Playing Handicap for the pair = round(24 × 0.50) = 12. That's the shared total across the round.
Greensomes
Two players with Course Handicaps of 10 and 24. The lower handicap takes 60%, the higher takes 40%. Combined Playing Handicap = round((10 × 0.60) + (24 × 0.40)) = round(6 + 9.6) = round(15.6) = 16. The team plays off 16.
Four-player scramble
Course Handicaps 8, 14, 19, 28. Allowances 25 / 20 / 15 / 10. Team Playing Handicap = round(8 × 0.25 + 14 × 0.20 + 19 × 0.15 + 28 × 0.10) = round(2 + 2.8 + 2.85 + 2.8) = round(10.45) = 10. The team plays off 10.
Why the percentages look the way they do
The allowances came out of millions of rounds of historical data and simulation by the USGA and R&A. The problem they solve is fairness — making sure the expected net score of a high-handicap pair in a four-ball is close to the expected net score of a low-handicap pair.
Higher handicaps are more variable in their scoring. In a four-ball, that variance helps, because the team takes the better of two balls. The 85% allowance pulls a bit of that advantage back.
Foursomes works the opposite way. Both players contribute to every shot, so variance compounds instead of helping. Hence the 50% combined allowance.
Scrambles take the best shot of the team, which compounds variance even more. The descending allowances in a four-player scramble (25 / 20 / 15 / 10) reflect the fact that the team rarely needs the strokes from its highest-handicap player. The lowest handicap on the team is the one whose tee shot or putt is going to be selected most often.
Match play vs stroke play
Match play allowances tend to be higher than stroke play. Singles match play is 100%. Four-ball match play is 90% versus 85% for stroke play. The reason: in match play a blow-up costs you a single hole rather than the round, so there's less variance for the allowance to compress.
Where clubs differ
Some clubs run singles stroke play at 100% in their own competitions because their membership is broadly close in handicap. Others apply non-standard scramble allowances out of tradition. The table above is the WHS recommendation. The competition committee at your club can vary it.
Try it
The playing handicap calculator covers every format above. Type your Course Handicap, pick a format, read the answer.
Sources
- USGA Rules of Handicapping 2024, Appendix C — Handicap Allowances.
- FORE Magazine — Handicap Allowances explainer (USGA channel).
- England Golf — WHS Format Guidance.