What is a handicap allowance and how is it used in competitions?

A Handicap Allowance is a percentage of a player's Course Handicap™ applied when calculating their Playing Handicap™, designed to ensure fair competition across all skill levels and formats of play. These allowances are typically less than 100% of a player's Course Handicap™ and are applied as the final step in calculating the Playing Handicap™ used in competition.

The Committee in charge of the competition makes the final decision on which Handicap Allowance to apply. While allowances are most commonly used in team events, they may also be applied in individual and mixed formats of play.

For official USGA^® Handicap Allowance recommendations by format, refer to:

Appendix C: Handicap Allowances, Rules of Handicapping

Note: The Rules of Handicapping are updated periodically. If the link above is unavailable, visit usga.org/handicapping and navigate to the current Rules of Handicapping appendices.