• Course Handicap is the number of strokes a player receives before Handicap Allowances.

• Playing Handicap is the Course Handicap adjusted for any Handicap Allowances.

• There are details of how Course Handicap and Playing Handicap are calculated further down the page.

• The look-up tables of Playing Handicaps below are applicable from April 2024.

Handicap Allowance is the percentage of Course Handicap for the format of play.

The allowances for the most commonly used formats are designated as mandatory by England Golf, for example: 95% for individual stroke play and 85% for pairs and teams better-ball stroke play.

Playing Handicap is the Course Handicap adjusted for any Handicap Allowance. It represents the actual number of strokes the player gives or receives for the round being played.

Playing Handicap is used to determine Competition Results.

When more than 1 set of tees are in use, such as for Mixed and Open to All competitions, adjustments are made to the Playing handicaps of some competitors as described in Terms of the Competition: Appendix N.