Scramble handicap calculator

How a scramble team handicap works

Each player’s Course Handicap for the tees is worked out first. Players are then ranked from the lowest Course Handicap to the highest, and each contributes a share:

Team	Lowest	Second	Third	Highest
4 players	25%	20%	15%	10%
3 players	30%	20%	—	10%
2 players	35%	—	—	15%

The shares are added and the total is rounded once, to the nearest whole number. The team handicap comes off the team’s gross score.

These are the recommended allowances in the Rules of Handicapping. The committee running the event decides the allowance, so check the event’s terms first.

A worked example

The USGA’s own example: four players with Handicap Indexes of 8.4, 12.6, 23.4 and 31.2, on tees rated 72.3 with a Slope of 135, par 72.

Player	Index	Course Handicap	Share	Counts
A	8.4	10.34	25%	2.58
B	12.6	15.35	20%	3.07
C	23.4	28.26	15%	4.24
D	31.2	37.57	10%	3.76

The total is 13.65, so the team handicap is 14. Rounding each player’s share first would give 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 = 14 here, but it can differ by a stroke, which is why the total is rounded once.

A percentage of the combined handicaps

Many local events use one simpler rule instead: a single percentage of the team’s combined Course Handicaps, such as 10% for a 4-person team. Pick that method and enter the percentage your event uses.

Common questions

Does it matter who is “low”? Yes: the player with the lowest Course Handicap gets the largest percentage. The calculator sorts the players for you, whatever order you type them in.

What if players use different tees? Each player’s Course Handicap should come from their own tees. This calculator uses one set of tees for the whole team; for mixed tees, work out each Course Handicap with the course handicap calculator and ask the committee how to combine them.

Can I share the result? The page address updates as you type, so you can copy it and send it, or use Print this.