Playing handicap calculator
Apply the correct WHS handicap allowance for the format you're playing. Pulls from Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping.
Course handicap
Playing Handicap
17
round(CH × 95%)
WHS handicap allowance table
| Format | Allowance |
|---|---|
| Singles stroke play | 95% |
| Singles Stableford / par / bogey | 95% |
| Four-ball stroke play (better ball) | 85% |
| Four-ball match play | 90% |
| Foursomes (alternate shot) stroke play | 50% (combined) |
| Greensomes stroke play | 60% lower / 40% higher |
| Scramble — 2 players | 35% lower / 15% higher |
| Scramble — 4 players | 25% / 20% / 15% / 10% |
Source: USGA Rules of Handicapping 2024, Appendix C. Some clubs adopt local variations; the figures above are the WHS recommended defaults.
Common questions
- What is a Playing Handicap?
- Playing Handicap is the strokes you actually use in a competition. It's your Course Handicap multiplied by a format-specific allowance, rounded to a whole number. The allowance equalises expected scores across formats and handicap levels.
- Why are there different allowances?
- Different formats give higher-handicap players more or less of an advantage. Stroke play uses 95%, four-ball stroke play uses 85% because two-ball formats reward variance, foursomes uses 50% because both players contribute every shot, scrambles use 25-35% because the team gets to pick the best shot. Source: USGA Rules of Handicapping 2024, Appendix C.
- Where does the 95% singles allowance come from?
- It was set after the USGA and R&A modelled millions of rounds. A 95% allowance gives a player with a high handicap roughly the same expected net score as a low-handicap player over a season.
- Do I round before or after applying the allowance?
- Apply the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap, then round the result to the nearest whole number. (.5 rounds up.)