For handicap purposes, a hole counts for at most net double bogey: par + 2 + any strokes you get on that hole.
If you don't have a handicap yet, the limit for your first rounds is par + 5.
Why the limit exists
Your handicap is meant to show your potential. A lost ball, a trip to the water, and a three-putt can turn one hole into a 10, and that one hole doesn't say much about your game. The cap stops a single disaster from inflating your handicap.
This only changes the score you use for your handicap. In a match or tournament, your real score still counts.
How many strokes do you get on a hole?
Start with your course handicap for the tees you played. Strokes are handed out one per hole, starting with the hardest. Every scorecard ranks the holes by difficulty in a row labeled "Handicap" or "HCP", from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest).
- Course handicap 14: one stroke on holes ranked 1 to 14, none on 15 to 18.
- Course handicap 18: one stroke on every hole.
- Course handicap 22: one stroke on every hole, plus a second stroke on holes ranked 1 to 4.
Examples
| Hole | Strokes you get | Your limit | You made | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| Par 3 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Par 5 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 8 (under the limit) |
| Par 4, no handicap yet | n/a | 9 (par + 5) | 11 | 9 |
Quick way to adjust a round
- Add up your real score.
- Look for any hole that went really badly, usually triple bogey or worse.
- For each one, work out its limit and subtract the extra strokes from your total.
Most rounds need no adjustment at all. If you're not sure how many strokes you get on a hole, you're usually getting one on a hole where you made a big number, because those tend to be the hard holes.