Format Allowance Planner
Choose a format and enter the Playing Handicaps involved. This tool applies the recommended Appendix C allowance percentages and always exposes a manual override.
| Player (sorted) | Playing Handicap | Allowance % | Resulting handicap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player 1 | 10 | 85% | 9 |
| Player 2 | 18 | 85% | 15 |
Individual formats as modes, not separate tools
Stroke play, four-ball, foursomes, greensomes, Chapman or Pinehurst, best-ball, and scramble each use a different handicap allowance and, for some formats, a required player ordering. Rather than build a separate calculator per format, this tool treats each format as a mode of the same underlying allowance lookup, so switching formats is a single dropdown, not a different page.
Required player ordering
Scramble, greensomes, and Chapman/Pinehurst all order players from lowest to highest Playing Handicap before applying their percentages; the percentage assigned depends on rank within the team, not on which player happens to be listed first. This tool sorts your entered handicaps automatically before applying the allowance.
The Committee always has the final say
Every percentage shown here is the standard recommended allowance; a Committee running an actual competition can set different terms of competition that override these recommendations. The manual override field lets you model exactly that scenario without losing the standard comparison.
Where this connects
Once you have your format's allowance, the Match Play Handicap Calculator handles the relative-stroke case for match play, and the Scramble Event Planner builds a full printable team card for a scramble specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Why do formats like scramble or greensomes require players in a specific order?
Scramble, greensomes, and Chapman/Pinehurst all order players from lowest to highest Playing Handicap before applying their allowance percentages, because the percentage assigned depends on a player's rank within the team, not on the order you happen to list them.
Does this tool set my competition's actual terms?
No. Every percentage shown is the standard recommended allowance. A Committee running an actual competition can set different terms that override these recommendations, which is why a manual override field exists — use your Committee's published terms when they differ.
I want to run a scramble — where do I go after finding the allowance?
The Scramble Event Planner takes the allowance this tool surfaces and builds a full printable team setup sheet. For match play formats specifically, the Match Play Handicap Calculator handles the relative-stroke arithmetic.