Handicap Change
A handicap change is the adjustment of your handicap index after a scored round.
Your handicap index is not a fixed value but a rolling average. It is based on the best eight results from your last twenty scored rounds. After every new round played as acceptable, the system recalculates. A good result can lower the index, while a bad one simply pushes an old round out of the count or lets the index rise. This way the value always reflects your current form of play, not your best and not your worst phase.
In practice this happens automatically. An example: you play in a tournament at the weekend and submit your scorecard. The next day your new index is shown in the app. Your net 72 on a course with a high slope was better than your previous eighth-best round, so the index drops by a few tenths. An EDS round or a private round can also count if it was registered as acceptable in advance. You do not have to calculate anything yourself, just count honestly.
There are two typical misconceptions. First: not every round changes the index — only rounds played as acceptable count, and even those only if they reach into the best eight. Second: a bad round does not automatically make you "worse" straight away, it only slots in once there is room in the count. Anyone who wants to look after their handicap actively plays scored rounds regularly instead of dreading the one tournament a year.
FAQ
Why has my handicap not changed after a good round?
Your index is calculated from the best eight of your last twenty scored rounds. The value only moves if your new result reaches into those best eight and displaces an older one. A solid round that is worse than your eight best changes nothing at all — that is normal, not a fault.
Do I have to calculate anything myself for my handicap to adjust?
No, the system calculates automatically as soon as your result has been submitted — for example after a tournament via the submitted scorecard. The next day your new index is in the app. Your only job is honest counting during the round; the scoring takes care of the rest.
Does a private round also count towards a handicap change?
Yes, but only if you registered it as acceptable before your first tee shot, for example via the EDS procedure. In addition, a fellow player must confirm your results as the marker, and the course needs valid rating values. Without registration before the round even the best result does not count.