Custom Golf Handicap Formula

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For comparison and contrast, we’re fortunate to draw on insights from our Golf League Network application, which reveals which handicap formulas leagues prefer and why. While the Handicomp Golf Handicap System (HGHS) remains the most widely used and our AI-powered formula is rapidly gaining traction, our leagues have developed more than 100 variations of custom formulas. Among these, best 3 of 5 and middle 3 of 5 stand out as the most popular—mainly because they’re easy to understand and are simple to calculate with spreadsheets. As a result, many leagues have continued using their custom methods—and, as is often the case in golf, change comes slowly.

And, because sandbagging is always on the minds of golfers, the Golf League Network also provides a Hole Score Reduction feature to limit the number of strokes a golfer may take on a hole. This figure is set by the league.

Sandbagging refers to the practice of a golfer intentionally inflating their scores—by playing worse than their true ability or taking excessively high scores on certain holes—in order to keep their handicap higher. The goal of sandbagging is to gain an unfair advantage in competitions where handicaps are used to even the playing field.