Handicap Stroke Allocator
Map your handicap strokes onto the actual holes of your course using its official stroke index, so you know where you get help before you tee off.
Strokes by hole
10 holes receive a stroke
| Hole | Stroke index | Strokes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | 1 |
| 8 | 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 9 | 1 |
| 10 | 10 | 1 |
| 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | 13 | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 17 | 17 | 0 |
| 18 | 18 | 0 |
What a stroke index actually controls
Every hole on a course carries a stroke index from 1 to 18 (or 1 to 9 for a nine-hole course), set by the club to rank holes from hardest (index 1) to easiest (index 18) for handicap purposes. Your handicap strokes are not spread evenly across the round; they are allocated in stroke-index order, starting with the hardest hole. A 10-handicap golfer receives one stroke on the 10 holes with the lowest stroke index and no stroke on the remaining 8.
What happens above 18, or below zero
If your handicap is higher than the number of holes, the allocation cycles: after every hole has received one stroke, the lowest-index holes start receiving a second stroke, and so on. A plus-handicap golfer works the same way in reverse, giving a stroke back on the hardest holes first rather than receiving one. This calculator handles both directions the same way the rule does, rather than only supporting positive handicaps.
Where the stroke index list comes from
The stroke index is set by the golf club, printed on the scorecard, and is specific to that course and, sometimes, to that tee. This tool does not infer or guess a stroke index; you enter the exact sequence from your scorecard. Getting this list right matters more than any other input here, since a transposed pair of holes changes which holes you can use a stroke on.
Where this feeds into your round
Once you know your strokes by hole, you can convert a gross score directly to a net score hole by hole, apply the net double bogey cap to any one hole, calculate Stableford points, or build a complete net scorecard for the whole round. This allocation is the shared foundation all of those depend on, so getting it right here saves re-deriving it in each one.
Frequently asked questions
Are handicap strokes spread evenly across all 18 holes?
No. Strokes are allocated in stroke-index order, starting with the hole rated hardest for handicap purposes. A 10-handicap golfer receives one stroke on the 10 lowest-index holes and none on the remaining 8, not a fraction of a stroke on every hole.
What happens if my handicap is higher than 18?
The allocation cycles: once every hole has received one stroke, the lowest-index holes start receiving a second stroke, and so on. A plus-handicap golfer works the same way in reverse, giving a stroke back on the hardest holes first.
Where does the stroke index for my course come from?
The stroke index is set by the golf club and printed on the scorecard; it is specific to that course and sometimes to that tee. This tool does not infer it — you enter the exact sequence from your scorecard, since a transposed pair of holes changes which holes get a stroke.