Golf Handicap Allowances: How Team Strokes Work

A handicap allowance is the percentage of a golfer's Course Handicap^™ used in a specific format of play, so every player or team has a fair chance to win. The USGA^® recommends 95% for individual stroke play, 85% for four-ball stroke play, 100% for singles match play and 35% plus 15% for a two-person scramble.

This guide explains how a handicap allowance turns a Course Handicap into a Playing Handicap^™, lists the recommended allowances for common formats, and works through scrambles, four-ball and match play with real numbers. It also shows how TheGrint sets team handicaps by default when you run a team event in the app.

If you organize trips or club matches, Teams Cup on TheGrint runs multi-session team events and applies default handicaps for each format.

What is a handicap allowance in golf?

A handicap allowance is a percentage applied to a player's Course Handicap to get the Playing Handicap used in a competition. The USGA designs its recommended allowances to provide equity in different formats of play, giving each player or team a similar chance of winning.

Three numbers are involved, and it helps to keep them apart:

• Handicap Index^®: your portable measure of playing ability, calculated from your scoring record (see what a golf handicap is). It doesn't change with the format you play.
• Course Handicap: the number of strokes you receive on a specific course from a specific set of tees. Our guide to how to calculate a golf handicap shows the formula.
• Playing Handicap: the strokes you actually receive in this competition, after the handicap allowance is applied.

The handicap allowance is the step between the second and third numbers. In the Rules of Handicapping, it is the final step in calculating a Playing Handicap. The National Association sets the allowances, or it can delegate that to a Regional Golf Association or a golf club. For an organized event, the Committee should state the allowance in the Terms of the Competition.

How do you calculate your strokes with a handicap allowance?

Multiply your unrounded Course Handicap by the handicap allowance, then round to the nearest whole number, with .5 rounded up. That is the standard calculation in Rule 6.2a of the Rules of Handicapping.

1. Find your Course Handicap for the tees you're playing. Keep the decimal value before it's rounded.
2. Look up the allowance for the format. Use the Terms of the Competition if your event has them, or the recommended table below.
3. Multiply. Course Handicap (unrounded) × handicap allowance.
4. Round once. Round the result to the nearest whole number, with .5 rounded up. That whole number is your Playing Handicap.

Worked example: your unrounded Course Handicap is 18.4 and your four-ball stroke-play event uses the 85% allowance. 18.4 × 0.85 = 15.64, which rounds to a Playing Handicap of 16.

Why the unrounded number? If you round first, 18 × 0.85 = 15.3, which rounds to 15, one stroke fewer. The USGA explains that applying the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap avoids this double-rounding effect, which it says can produce significantly different Playing Handicap results about 25% of the time.

What are the recommended handicap allowances for each format?

The USGA recommends 95% for individual stroke play, 85% for four-ball stroke play, 100% for singles match play and 90% for four-ball match play. Team formats such as foursomes and scrambles use their own splits. The table lists the recommendations published by the USGA in Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping.

Source: USGA, Rules of Handicapping, Appendix C: Handicap Allowances. These are recommendations. Your event's Terms of the Competition can set a different allowance.

How do you handicap a scramble?

In a scramble, each player's Course Handicap is multiplied by a percentage based on where they rank in the team, and the results are added together to make one team handicap. The lowest handicap on the team gets the largest percentage.

• 2-person scramble: 35% of the lower Course Handicap plus 15% of the higher one.
• 3-person scramble: 30% of the lowest, 20% of the middle and 10% of the highest.
• 4-person scramble: 25%, 20%, 15% and 10%, from the lowest Course Handicap to the highest.

2-person example: partners with a Course Handicap of 8 and 20. 35% of 8 is 2.8 and 15% of 20 is 3.0, for a team total of 5.8. Rounded to the nearest whole number, the team plays off 6.

4-person example: a team with Course Handicap values of 4, 10, 16 and 24. That's 1.0 + 2.0 + 2.4 + 2.4 = 7.8, so the team plays off 8 when rounded.

If your event uses a different split, or a different rounding method for team totals, follow its Terms of the Competition.

How do handicap allowances work in four-ball and best-ball formats?

In four-ball stroke play, each player gets 85% of their own Course Handicap and the better net score of the two partners counts on each hole. In four-ball match play, the allowance is 90%, and strokes are based on the difference from the lowest player in the match.

For larger best-ball formats, the allowance depends on how many scores count. Best 1 of 4 uses 75%, best 2 of 4 uses 85%, and best 3 of 4 or all 4 of 4 use 100%. As more scores count toward the team total, the recommended allowance is the same or higher.

Here is the four-player example the USGA gives in Appendix C, using Course Handicap values of 10, 18, 27 and 39:

In the four-ball match play column, player A plays off zero. Player B receives 7 strokes (90% of the 8-stroke difference from A), player C receives 15 (90% of 17) and player D receives 26 (90% of 29). For ease of illustration, the USGA applied the allowance to the rounded Course Handicap in this example.

How are strokes given in match play?

In match play, the player with the lowest Playing Handicap plays off zero, and every other player receives the difference between their own Playing Handicap and that low number. In singles match play the allowance is 100%, so the difference comes straight from the two Course Handicap values.

1. Work out each player's Playing Handicap with the allowance for the format.
2. Subtract the lowest Playing Handicap from each of the others. The low player plays off zero.
3. Give the strokes in stroke index order. Start with the hole ranked 1 on the scorecard (the most difficult handicap hole), then 2, and so on until the strokes run out.

Using the table above, a singles match between player A (10) and player B (18) gives player B 8 strokes, received on the holes with stroke index 1 to 8.

Foursomes (alternate shot) works on team totals. Each team adds its players' Course Handicap values, and the higher team receives 50% of the difference. With A and B (10 + 18 = 28) against C and D (27 + 39 = 66), the difference is 38, so the C and D team receives 19 strokes.

Plus handicaps work the other way. Unless the Committee says otherwise, a player with a plus Playing Handicap gives strokes back to the course, starting at the hole with stroke index 18.

Can the Committee change the handicap allowance?

Yes, the Committee can set a different handicap allowance in the Terms of the Competition, because the USGA percentages are recommendations. A change can suit the size of the field or the spread of handicaps in it.

• Medium fields: the 95% stroke-play recommendation is set for a field of 30 to 100 players.
• Small fields: with fewer than 30 players, the USGA says a 100% allowance could be considered.
• Many higher handicaps: a lower allowance, such as 90% instead of 95%, could be considered.
• Extra holes: the Terms of the Competition should say where strokes fall if a playoff is needed.

For a casual team game with friends, agree on the format and the allowance before the first tee shot, so everyone plays off the same numbers.

How does TheGrint set team handicaps?

TheGrint applies default handicaps for each format when you run a Teams Cup, and organizers or players can edit Team Handicaps during player selection if your event uses a different allowance. Teams Cup is available to Free and Pro members.

• Medal and Four-Ball / Best Ball: each golfer plays off their own Course Handicap by default.
• Foursomes / Alternate Shot: the default Team Handicap is the average of the two players' handicaps.
• 2-person Scramble: the default Team Handicap is 35% of the lower handicap plus 15% of the higher handicap.

Averaging two handicaps gives the same result as taking 50% of the combined team handicap, which matches the USGA recommendation for foursomes. The four-ball default doesn't apply the 85% or 90% four-ball allowance, so if your event uses one, agree on everyone's handicap with the organizer before you tee off.

For games inside your own group, TheGrint calculates strokes from each player's Course Handicap. Depending on the game, you can play net or gross. By default, the app's handicap setting (labeled USGA Format) has the best player play off scratch and gives everyone else the full difference, not a reduced allowance such as 90%. Modified Format gives every player their full Course Handicap, no matter who they play against.

See golf games on TheGrint and our guide to how skins work in golf for examples.

Your handicap matters as much as the format. TheGrint gives you an estimated handicap for free, and in the US you can link your GHIN^® number or get an official Handicap ID in the app, because TheGrint is a licensed data affiliate of the USGA. Learn more about handicaps on TheGrint. For more advanced features, try TheGrint Pro free for 7 days: compare Free and Pro.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the handicap allowance for a 2-person scramble?

The USGA recommends 35% of the lower Course Handicap plus 15% of the higher one for a 2-person scramble. For partners with Course Handicap values of 8 and 20, that is 2.8 plus 3.0, or 5.8, so the team plays off 6. Your event's Terms of the Competition can set a different split.

Why is the stroke play handicap allowance 95% and not 100%?

The 95% recommendation is designed so that, in a medium-sized individual stroke-play net event, every player has a similar chance of finishing in the top 10% when playing well. For fields under 30 players, the USGA says a 100% allowance could be considered instead.

Do you apply the handicap allowance before or after rounding?

Apply it before rounding. Under Rule 6.2a, you multiply the unrounded Course Handicap by the allowance and round only the result, with .5 rounded up. Rounding twice can change the answer by a stroke. For example, 18.4 × 85% rounds to 16, but 18 × 85% rounds to 15.

What is the handicap allowance for four-ball?

The USGA recommends 85% for four-ball stroke play and 90% for four-ball match play. In stroke play, each player receives 85% of their own Course Handicap. In match play, the lowest player plays off zero and the others receive 90% of the difference between their Course Handicap and the low player's.

Does a handicap allowance change my handicap?

No. A handicap allowance only changes your Playing Handicap for that competition. Your Handicap Index is calculated from your scoring record and stays the same whatever format you play. The allowance is applied as the final step, after your Handicap Index has been converted into a Course Handicap for the tees you're playing.

Set up your next team event with TheGrint

Pick the format, agree on the allowance, and let TheGrint keep the live team score. Teams Cup and Leaderboards are free for every golfer, with default team handicaps you can edit before you play. TheGrint is trusted by millions of golfers. Get TheGrint.

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