Handicaps

How handicaps work

A golfer can have more than one handicap on record. The Hub uses the strongest one it has, in this order:

From that handicap, the Hub works out the playing handicap — the number actually used on the scorecard.

What goes on the scorecard

Three things turn a handicap into a playing handicap, in this order:

1. Index to lowest (if it’s on): subtract the lowest handicap among that week’s players, so the best golfer plays at scratch. It never goes below 0. Cancelled players, alternates and golfers still in their seasoning weeks don’t count as the lowest.
2. Nine holes: a 9-hole round halves it. Always type 18-hole handicaps — the Hub does this for you.
3. Handicap Percentage: scales what’s left. 100% is the full handicap; 90% is nine-tenths of it.

The scorecard then gives whole strokes, on the hardest holes first. A small dot on the scorecard marks a hole where a golfer gets a stroke.

Try it: what goes on the scorecard?

Golfer's handicap Lowest this week Handicap Percentage

100%

Index handicaps to lowest player 9-hole round

For a plus handicap, type a plus sign, like +2.

Playing handicap14

For example, Casey has a handicap of 20.0 and the lowest this week is 6.0, with indexing on: Casey’s playing handicap is 20 − 6 = 14. If you override Casey to 16, it becomes 16 − 6 = 10. The override screen shows both numbers side by side before you save.

Seasoning weeks: if you set them, new golfers play gross (no handicap) for that many sessions before joining the handicapped pool. On floating leagues it counts submitted scorecards instead of sessions.

Where to see handicaps

Change a golfer’s handicap

Where Leagues your league Players pencil icon

1. Open the Players tab and find the golfer.
2. Click the pencil icon in their Handicap column. The Override handicap box opens.
3. Type the New 18-hole handicap value — for example 12.4. For a plus handicap, start with a plus sign, like +5.
4. Compare the Current and New (preview) boxes. Where indexing, 9 holes or a percentage changes the number, the preview shows the playing handicap too.
5. Under Apply to session, choose the week it applies to.
6. Click Save override. A message says Override applied.

Let the Hub calculate, or manage them yourself

Where Leagues your league Edit League Handicap

• Leave Auto-calculate handicaps on and handicaps update by themselves after each submitted round.
• Turn it off to manage handicaps yourself: set starting handicaps when you add teams, and use overrides afterward.
• Handicap Allowance (%) on the same page changes what share of each handicap is used. (It’s the same setting the wizard calls Handicap Percentage.)
• In a week’s session menu on the Schedule tab, Snapshot team handicaps saves the team handicaps for that session.