Handicap FAQ
Within the United States, scores will be identified with the letter designations below. These can be used to help identify the format of play, where a round was played and other details about the round.
When an exceptional score is posted to a player's scoring record, the Handicap Index will be reduced in accordance with the following adjustment table:
| Number of strokes the Score Differential is lower than a player’s Handicap Index in effect when the round was played: | Exceptional score reduction |
| 7.0 - 9.9 | -1.0 |
| 10.0 or more | -2.0 |
A reduction can be applied based on a single exceptional score. Reductions for multiple exceptional scores are applied cumulatively. A reduction is automatically applied within the calculation of the player's updated Handicap Index following the submission of the exceptional score. A reduction for an exceptional score is applied by adjusting each of the most recent 20 score differentials recorded in the player's scoring record, which includes the exceptional score. As a result, the impact of hte reduction will remain after the next score is sublitted but will dilute over time as new scores are submitted. Where there are fewer than 20 score differentials in a player's scoring record at the time an exceptional score is submitted, the reduction is applied by adjusting all of the score differentials recorded in the player's scoring record, which includes the exceptional score.
