# Working out Handicaps



## Nick_Toye (Oct 9, 2013)

I've only carded 1 round thus far on my revolutionary surge towards being a half decent golfer, so I found this site:

http://www.offtheredtees.com/handicaps

and I know I need 3 rounds to be able to calculate my handicap.

I'm a little bit confused though, it was saying any shots over a double bogey don't count towards calculating my handicap.  How does that work?  If I hit an 11 on a par 5, it may as well be a 7, therefore the last 4 shots are not a detriment to my handicap.  Is that correct?


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## DCB (Oct 9, 2013)

When an initial allocation is made, using the three cards you submit, then that is the case.


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## Region3 (Oct 9, 2013)

And just to confuse the issue a little more, once you have your initial handicap then for all subsequent rounds, all big scores are rounded down to NETT double bogey for handicap purposes.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 9, 2013)

But is that accurate?  You could have a real stinker of a round, but your handicap will be adjusted based on just 2 over par per hole?


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## BTatHome (Oct 9, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			But is that accurate?  You could have a real stinker of a round, but your handicap will be adjusted based on just 2 over par per hole?
		
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Imagine somebody playing awesome for 17 holes being 2 over gross for those holes, and then having a 12 on the last .... what handicap is appropriate ?


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 9, 2013)

Despite how it first seems it does generally give a good reflection of your standard. Also note it is your best card after shots deduction that gives your initial handicap and not an average.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 9, 2013)

BTatHome said:



			Imagine somebody playing awesome for 17 holes being 2 over gross for those holes, and then having a 12 on the last .... what handicap is appropriate ?
		
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Well I would ask myself why they got the 12.  Could it be they were lucky the first 17 or very unlucky on the last.   I guess though the rules of golf are not for me to change, ha ha, just trying to get an understanding.



pbrown7582 said:



			Despite how it first seems it does generally give a good reflection of your standard. Also note it is your best card after shots deduction that gives your initial handicap and not an average.
		
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How do you mean? can you give me an example?


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## garyinderry (Oct 9, 2013)

chances are you wont win a medal (stroke play comp) when you first enter comps.  you may however win a stableford comp. it means you can have a few stinker holes and still win!


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## duncan mackie (Oct 9, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			But is that accurate?  You could have a real stinker of a round, but your handicap will be adjusted based on just 2 over par per hole?
		
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yes

your handicap is based on this, your competition score if it was a medal round would be based on the full score.

the bit you seem to be missing is that if you were playing stableford the 'extra' shots never even exist - and we are handicapped to stableford.

the good bit is that this is also closer to matchplay - so handicaps for matches work better too.


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## Region3 (Oct 9, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			But is that accurate?  You could have a real stinker of a round, but your handicap will be adjusted based on just 2 over par per hole?
		
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No matter how much of a stinker you have, you only get 0.1 of a shot added back on to your handicap anyway.

It's not 0.1 per shot, just 0.1 full stop.

Remember, 2 over per hole is 36 over for the round, and the highest handicap an adult male can have is 28.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 9, 2013)

OK fair enough.  Well I'm not likely to be a member of any club till the new year, so I would have to do my own handicap for my own personal record.


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## garyinderry (Oct 9, 2013)

just give yourself 18. see how many points you come in with. adjust if necessary. 


your 3 cards and handicap will take care of itself when its competition time!


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 9, 2013)

I played last week for the first time in 2 years and shot 110 on a par 69.  I did hit one birdie though, first ever, that was a thrill I can assure you.  Followed by an 11, back to reality.


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## Liverbirdie (Oct 9, 2013)

garyinderry said:



			just give yourself 18. see how many points you come in with. adjust if necessary. 


your 3 cards and handicap will take care of itself when its competition time!
		
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I don't remember many of garyinderry's cards coming before our handicap committee this year..........


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## garyinderry (Oct 9, 2013)

Liverbirdie said:



			I don't remember many of garyinderry's cards coming before our handicap committee this year..........

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early morning sunday rounds do not suit me        must join some of the team events next year. they take up half the calendar!


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## Foxholer (Oct 10, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			I played last week for the first time in 2 years and shot 110 on a par 69.  I did hit one birdie though, first ever, that was a thrill I can assure you.  Followed by an 11, back to reality.  

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That's known as the PBFU! The PB stands for 'Post Birdie'. You can interpret the rest yourself. Told to me by a St Andrews caddie who also informed me of the NITBY (Not in the Bunker - Yet!). Saw MashieN with one of those on Monday - on 6. He avoided my result by thinning it over!


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## woody69 (Oct 10, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			I've only carded 1 round thus far on my revolutionary surge towards being a half decent golfer, so I found this site:

http://www.offtheredtees.com/handicaps

and I know I need 3 rounds to be able to calculate my handicap.

I'm a little bit confused though, it was saying any shots over a double bogey don't count towards calculating my handicap.  How does that work?  If I hit an 11 on a par 5, it may as well be a 7, therefore the last 4 shots are not a detriment to my handicap.  Is that correct?
		
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Correct. The purpose of this adjustment is to place a limit on the maximum score that can be recorded at any hole in order to make handicaps more representative of a playerâ€™s potential ability.

The â€œnett double bogeyâ€ rule has the effect of lessening the impact of the (occasional) â€œbadâ€ score on a playerâ€™s return.  It might also allow a player who does not complete a hole, for any reason, to record a score for handicap purposes, thus sustaining his golfing interest and at the same time providing useful handicap information.

Remember your "handicap" isn't what you expect to shoot every round.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 13, 2013)

Ok so say I have an unofficial handicap of 28, how does that work in relation to the stroke index?  The bbc site tried to explain, but it was a bit half baked.


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## Old Skier (Oct 13, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			Ok so say I have an unofficial handicap of 28, how does that work in relation to the stroke index?  The bbc site tried to explain, but it was a bit half baked.
		
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You have 2 shots for nett par on holes 1-10 and 1 on the rest giving you 28.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 13, 2013)

Old Skier said:



			You have 2 shots for nett par on holes 1-10 and 1 on the rest giving you 28.
		
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1-10 stroke index? not holes 1-10?


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## Old Skier (Oct 13, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			1-10 stroke index? not holes 1-10?
		
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Sorry, to much multitasking going on and a promise of a meal out. Yep as you state, stroke index 1-10 = 2 shots and SI 11-18 just the 1.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 13, 2013)

Yeah I get it now.  Thanks.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 13, 2013)

So how would it work if say on a par 4 SI 11, I score a birdie.  Does that go down as a 2?


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## Old Skier (Oct 13, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			So how would it work if say on a par 4 SI 11, I score a birdie.  Does that go down as a 2?
		
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You score a gross birdie then as you would receive 1 shot, 5 would be for 2, par (4) would be 3 and a 3 (gross birdie) would be 4.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 13, 2013)

On SI 11 your Gross birdie 2 nett eagle gives 4 points. If it was on SI 10 it would be 5 points.
Nett par is 2 points nett bogey 1, nett birdie 3.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 13, 2013)

Ok thanks.

2 rounds in 2 weeks after not playing for 2 years and I score an 82 and then a 77, quite pleased with that start.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 13, 2013)

That's great scoring :thup: not too rusty then!


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## Old Skier (Oct 13, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			Ok thanks.

2 rounds in 2 weeks after not playing for 2 years and I score an 82 and then a 77, quite pleased with that start. 

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Perhaps 28 is a tad high then.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

Old Skier said:



			Perhaps 28 is a tad high then.
		
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reckon the 8 bits about right! :lol:


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## chellie (Oct 14, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			Ok thanks.

2 rounds in 2 weeks after not playing for 2 years and I score an 82 and then a 77, quite pleased with that start. 

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Great gross scoring.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			That's great scoring :thup: not too rusty then! 

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Old Skier said:



			Perhaps 28 is a tad high then.
		
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chellie said:



			Great gross scoring.
		
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Thanks, I've recently got some Nike Covert irons and Driver and I have a new Method Core putter.  The 82 was with my Dad's old clubs, and the 77 was with my new ones.  If anything my putting improved massively, took 7 less strokes with my putter.

Next year me and my Dad are considering joining a golf club Lifestyle Membership, which means we can play 10 rounds each through the year on one course, plus get a CONGU handicap.  Now I haven't got a handicap as yet, so I'm just playing off 28 and have only carded 2 rounds.

Is there a way I can adjust this handicap based on these 2 rounds, or do I need 3 to be able to work out an unofficial handicap?


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			Thanks, I've recently got some Nike Covert irons and Driver and I have a new Method Core putter.  The 82 was with my Dad's old clubs, and the 77 was with my new ones.  If anything my putting improved massively, took 7 less strokes with my putter.

Next year me and my Dad are considering joining a golf club Lifestyle Membership, which means we can play 10 rounds each through the year on one course, plus get a CONGU handicap.  Now I haven't got a handicap as yet, so I'm just playing off 28 and have only carded 2 rounds.

Is there a way I can adjust this handicap based on these 2 rounds, or do I need 3 to be able to work out an unofficial handicap?
		
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technically you need 3 cards to give a sample of your ability but it is your best card that is used, assuming there are not triple bogeys in the 77 take the sss away and that gives you the handicap you would be allocated. Ie 77- SSS (70) gives a 7 handicap.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			technically you need 3 cards to give a sample of your ability but it is your best card that is used, assuming there are not triple bogeys in the 77 take the sss away and that gives you the handicap you would be allocated. Ie 77- SSS (70) gives a 7 handicap.
		
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SSS = Standard Scratch Score?

Is that the par of the course?  It's currently a 68.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

Also, do I count my actual score for the bogey, double bogey etc, or my nett score?

In other words am I using the 77 not the 105.

If so, I got 1 triple bogey in the 77.


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## rosecott (Oct 14, 2013)

Right - you can all stop joshing him now about the 82 and 77 being gross scores. That wasn't really a very welcoming series of responses.

Somewhere on your scorecard you will find SSS with a number after it. That is the benchmark for handicap assessment, not par.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

rosecott said:



			Right - you can all stop joshing him now about the 82 and 77 being gross scores. That wasn't really a very welcoming series of responses.

Somewhere on your scorecard you will find SSS with a number after it. That is the benchmark for handicap assessment, not par.
		
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ha ha, I know it's my Nett score. 

Right I see on my scorecard there is a yellow box, the tee's I used, with Par 69 and SSS 68.  But the par is currently 68, so will that mean my SS will be 67?


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## rosecott (Oct 14, 2013)

Sounds like your scorecard is dodgy/out of date. Which course is it?


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

rosecott said:



			Sounds like your scorecard is dodgy/out of date. Which course is it?
		
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Clays in Wrexham.  The 1st hole is having work done so it's a temporary par 3, and it should be a par 4.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

rosecott said:



			Right - you can all stop joshing him now about the 82 and 77 being gross scores. That wasn't really a very welcoming series of responses.

Somewhere on your scorecard you will find SSS with a number after it. That is the benchmark for handicap assessment, not par.
		
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No joshing here my bad, .. but I can't see anywhere  where it says nett 82/77?
That makes a big differance!


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## rosecott (Oct 14, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			No joshing here my bad, .. but I can't see anywhere  where it says nett 82/77?
That makes a big differance!
		
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See post #13.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

Ok, so now that's all sorted.   How can I workout my handicap?  Apologies if I sound all at sea.


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## chellie (Oct 14, 2013)

rosecott said:



			Right - you can all stop joshing him now about the 82 and 77 being gross scores. That wasn't really a very welcoming series of responses.
		
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No joshing from me either as I hadn't read post #13 properly


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

Honestly I don't mind.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			Ok, so now that's all sorted.   How can I workout my handicap?  Apologies if I sound all at sea.  

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Apologies for the mis understanding over scores. Doh how stupid am I! 

On your scores of 110 and 105 take any score over a double bogey and round it down to a double bogey.
This will give you a rounded score for initial handicap purpose then take the 68 (SSS) away the lowest figure of the two left would be handicap allocated.
If in doubt post up here with card and we'll do
It for you.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

Ok, well this is my card:

1. (p3) - 5
2. (p3) - 4
3. (p4) - 6
4. (p4) - 8
5. (p3) - 4
6. (p4) - 7
7. (p4) - 9
8. (p4) - 7
9. (p4) - 6
10. (p4) - 7
11. (p4) - 6
12. (p3) - 4
13. (p4) - 7
14. (p4) - 5
15. (p5) - 6
16. (p4) - 5
17. (p3) - 5
18. (p4) - 4

Do you need to know SI?


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## Old Skier (Oct 14, 2013)

1. (p3) - 5
2. (p3) - 4
3. (p4) - 6
4. (p4) - 8 = 6
5. (p3) - 4
6. (p4) - 7 =6
7. (p4) - 9 = 6
8. (p4) - 7 = 6
9. (p4) - 6
10. (p4) - 7 = 6
11. (p4) - 6
12. (p3) - 4
13. (p4) - 7 = 6
14. (p4) - 5
15. (p5) - 6
16. (p4) - 5
17. (p3) - 5
18. (p4) - 4

Total 96
Play off 28 me thinks


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

There you go 28 is spot on at present. SI only comes into it once you get started as rounding then only takes effect on nett double bogeys in medal play as your handicap is calculated in stableford points.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

Great, so now I have my yard stick.  Thanks lads, I appreciate that.

Also it says 68 SSS for yellow tees, but that's on the par 69 card, it's currently a par 68.  Will it still be 68 SSS?


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## Old Skier (Oct 14, 2013)

So whats Clays course like as I go up to Wrexham sometimes for the footie and might bring my clubs.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

Old Skier said:



			So whats Clays course like as I go up to Wrexham sometimes for the footie and might bring my clubs.
		
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Well I have very little frame of reference, but I quite enjoyed playing it.  Couple of issues like the tee's don't seem obvious where they are, and the hole detail on the tee is not showing on both sides, so we weren't sure which tee it was till we got up on the tee itself, but generally no complaints.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

Nick_Toye said:



			Great, so now I have my yard stick.  Thanks lads, I appreciate that.

Also it says 68 SSS for yellow tees, but that's on the par 69 card, it's currently a par 68.  Will it still be 68 SSS?
		
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Quite probably it will be down to 67 if as you said a par made a short par 3.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

guess it would still be a 28 handicap though.


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## pbrown7582 (Oct 14, 2013)

Yeah it looks that way.


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## Nick_Toye (Oct 14, 2013)

pbrown7582 said:



			Yeah it looks that way.
		
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Got to start somewhere.


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## Nick_Toye (Apr 21, 2014)

Right, first round of the year and after finishing last year (only played 3 rounds) I worked out my handicap as 27.

So I know that puts me into buffer zone 4.  So, I've just played the Nicklaus course in Carden Park and shot 113.  I'm a little confused on what I do next to calculate my handicap, even if it stays the same I'd like to know how to work it out myself.

Anybody available to assist?


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## Foxholer (Apr 21, 2014)

If you have the scorecard, there are ways of working that out.

Otherwise, there are some internet based handicap calculators - even on other forums - that can do it for you, if not always by the Congu method.

And if you know the Stableford scoring system, it's easier to explain and work out - as Congu Handicap is a Stableford measurement.

With that score though, I'm pretty sure you would be 27.1


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## Nick_Toye (Apr 21, 2014)

I don't know that scoring system no.  

this looks useful. http://handicap.golfdigest.com/


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## Foxholer (Apr 21, 2014)

As good as any until you start scoring in the 90s

It's the US system which is quite different from Congu, but has its advantages (and disadvantages).

There are UK based ones as well.


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## Nick_Toye (Apr 21, 2014)

http://www.yourgolfhandicap.co.uk/ this looks better.


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## Nick_Toye (Apr 21, 2014)

hmm, although after 3 rounds it gave me a handicap of 29.


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