When setting up a tournament, there are several different handicapping options available. Those options will be available depending upon the format, competition, and balls being used. Further, you will be able to apply a Handicap Allowance designed to provide equity for all players and formats.
A handicap allowance is applied to the course handicap as the final step in calculating a player's playing handicap. Handicap allowances can be established by a National Association or delegated to a Regional Golf Association or club.
In this article, we provide the handicap allowances recommendation by the following governing bodies:
USGA (Rules of Golf, Appendix C)
England Golf
Golf Australia
In addition to the handicap allowance recommendation, we will further discuss how these adjustments impact players with plus handicaps.
Handicap Allowance Recommendations:
The following table sets out the recommended handicap allowances established by the USGA and R&A. These recommendations are based on medium-sized field net events. The allowances are only recommendations and may be adjusted based on field size and the desired equity:
Note 1: For guidance on Handicap Allowance Recomendation, please review the USGA Rules of Handicapping Appendix C.
Note 2: Allowances may be adjusted for different field sizes and/or the make-up of the field (see the USGA Rules of Handicapping Appendix C Clarification C/1).
Note 3: In stroke play formats, after handicap allowances have been applied, it is recommended that player receive their full playing handicap. In match play format, after handicap allowances have been applied, the player with the lowest handicap plays off zero strokes, and all other players will receive an adjusted playing handicap based on the difference between their own playing handicap and that of the player with the lowest playing handicap (Net Off Low).
Handicap Allowance Impact on Plus Handicap:
When using handicap allowances, it is not always clear how players with plus handicaps will be impacted. What should be noted is that "0" (zero) is relative, and all adjustments will be toward "0."
If we look at a competition where they are using 85% Course Handicap, we can show how a handicap allowance will impact players' handicaps. For example, Player A is a +4.0, and Player B is a 15.0 Course Handicap. Then we take 85% of those handicaps, and Player A becomes a +3, and Player B becomes a 13 (as shown below).
