Handicaps & Net Scores
What the handicap index is
Your handicap index is a single number that estimates your current scoring ability. It is built the same way the World Handicap System works: from the best 8 of your last 20 rounds.
- Each finalized round produces a differential — your round score compared to that course’s par.
- Frolf Bot keeps your most recent 20 differentials, takes the best 8, and averages them.
- A lower index is better. The index can go below zero for players who regularly beat par.
You don’t calculate anything yourself. The index recomputes whenever a qualifying round finalizes.
Reading your index
The index always shows to one decimal place:
| Display | Meaning |
|---|---|
+5.2 | About 5.2 strokes over par on your best recent rounds. |
-3.1 | About 3.1 strokes under par — better than scratch. |
— | Not enough counted rounds yet. Keep playing finalized rounds and an index appears once you have enough history. |
Where you see it
- Your profile (
/me) — a Handicap card shows your current index and the note based on X of 20 rounds, with a View history link to your full player page. - Player pages (
/players/...) — your index in large type, the count of rounds it’s based on, your latest / best / worst recent differentials, and a trend chart of your differentials over time. The chart appears once you have at least two counted rounds. - The leaderboard — when a player has an index, it shows alongside their standing.
The trend chart plots differentials (how each round compared to par), not your raw scores — so you can see your form moving up or down over your recent rounds.
Playing a handicap-adjusted round
Handicaps only change how a round is scored when an editor or admin turns them on for that round.
Requires: Editor or Admin role (set at round creation)
When creating a round, an editor or admin can check Apply handicap. That reveals two more fields:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Course par | Yes | The par for the course being played. Whole number from 36 to 90. |
| Show net scores to all players | — | On by default. When on, everyone sees net scores for the round. When off, only admins and editors see them. |
If a round is created without Apply handicap, it scores normally on gross score and no net scores are calculated.
Net scores at finalization
When a round had Apply handicap enabled, finalizing it does two things on top of the normal flow:
- Each player’s net score is calculated — their gross score minus their handicap index.
- The round’s standings are decided by net score, so a higher-handicap player can place ahead of a lower-handicap player by beating their own expected level.
On the round page, the net column appears next to gross once the round is no longer upcoming, the round had handicap enabled, and either net scores are public for that round or you’re an admin or editor. Net values read like normal scores:
| Net value | Meaning |
|---|---|
E | Net even. |
+2 / -1 | Net over / under. |
DNF | Did not finish. |
-- | No net score recorded. |
Handicaps are always tracked, but net scoring only applies to rounds an editor or admin marked as handicap-enabled. Normal rounds, tags, and season points are unaffected.
Related docs
- Rounds — creating rounds, including the handicap option
- Scoring & Imports — how scores are entered and finalized
- Tags & Leaderboard — standings where your index appears