Handicap 101

A Handicap Index is a portable number that describes how good a golfer is, independent of any one course. It's the great equalizer of golf: it lets a golfer shooting in the 80s and a golfer shooting in the 100s play the same round and have a real, fair contest. The lower the number, the better the golfer.

A Handicap Index isn't what you actually play off on a given day — that's your Course Handicap, which adjusts for the specific course and tees. Assign each golfer a set of tees on the Roster, and The Turn converts their Handicap Index into a Course Handicap for that course automatically. Play the forward tees on an easier course and your Course Handicap comes out differently than the back tees on a harder one — same golfer, same Handicap Index, different number.

New to the league, or already know a golfer's index from another club? Enter it directly on the Roster — it's marked Provisional until it's backed by rounds played inside The Turn. No index yet? Leave it blank and it establishes itself automatically once they've posted a few scores.

Every time a round publishes, The Turn recalculates the handicaps of everyone who played it — no manual recompute, no separate spreadsheet formula to maintain. The audit log keeps a timestamped record of every change, so "why did my handicap move?" always has a real answer.

Because every golfer's Course Handicap comes from the same formula, applied the same way, standings and results are a fair fight — not a debate about who's sandbagging. Every golfer can check their own numbers any time on the Roster or Standings.