The Peoria handicap system is a one-round scoring method that builds a handicap from a single day’s gross score, so golfers with no official handicap can still compete for low net.
It is the go-to tool for charity tournaments, company outings, and league days where half the field has not posted a score in years. Its trick is a set of secret holes nobody learns until the round is over, which quietly takes sandbagging off the table.
What Is the Peoria System?
The Peoria system, also called Modified Peoria or the Bankers System, is a way to handicap the unhandicapped for a one day event. It takes one round and turns it into a net score from a small sample of your holes, so a 20-handicapper and a single-digit player can chase the same prize.
It’s important to understand that a real handicap is a portable number you build over many rounds, which is run by the World Handicap System, and we cover how an official golf handicap is calculated in its own guide. Peoria solves the opposite problem: nobody in the field has a number, and you have one round to make the day fair.
You will see Peoria used when you’re trying to set fair handicapping for mixed-ability charity events, corporate outings, and other tournament formats.
It is not official, and no governing body recognizes a Peoria number. What it is, is fast, fair enough, and good enough to keep everyone in the hunt to the 18th.
How the Peoria System Works
The system runs in a fixed sequence. Learn the sequence and the rest is just arithmetic.
Step 1: The committee picks six secret holes. Before anyone tees off, the organizer selects six holes and keeps them hidden, traditionally two par 3s, two par 4s, and two par 5s, one of each per nine. Nobody knows which holes count until the cards are in.
Step 2: Play stroke play with a double-par cap. Everyone counts every stroke, with no hole scored higher than double its par, that is a 6 on a par 3, an 8 on a par 4, and a 10 on a par 5. It helps to understand golf penalties when managing or playing in a Peoria-handicapped tournament.
Step 3: Add your six secret-hole scores. Once the holes are revealed, total your gross on just those six.
Step 4: Multiply that total by 3. Six holes stand in for the full eighteen, so the math scales them up.
Step 5: Subtract the course par. On a par-72 course, that is the number you take off the top.
Step 6: Multiply by 0.8. The 80% allowance trims the result so the method does not overcorrect. Round to the nearest whole number and that is your Peoria handicap.
Step 7: Subtract for your net score. Net equals gross minus your Peoria handicap. Lowest net takes the prize.
Six holes you never saw coming decide your handicap. That is the whole idea.
WORTH KNOWING
The two-of-each-par mix is the magic in the system. Six holes spread across short, medium, and long give a measure on your round, and keeping them secret means nobody can pad the holes they know count. Tell the field which holes are live and you have just invited sandbagging.
Peoria System Example: Putting It All Together
It may help to see a worked example.
Maria plays her company outing on a par-72 course and signs for a gross 93. After the round, the committee reveals its six secret holes. Here is what she made on them:
| Secret hole | Par | Maria’s score |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | 5 | 6 |
| 12 | 3 | 5 |
| 15 | 4 | 6 |
| 16 | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 24 | 32 |
Her six secret holes total 32. Run the formula: 32 x 3 = 96, minus the par of 72 = 24, times 0.8 = 19.2, which rounds to a Peoria handicap of 19.
Net score = 93 – 19 = 74
A golfer who shot 93 just posted a net 74, right in the mix with the better players.
Peoria vs. Callaway vs. System 36
Peoria is not the only one-day handicap method. Two others show up at the same outings, and it helps to know how they differ.
Peoria uses secret holes run through a formula. Because the holes are hidden, it is the hardest of the three to game, which makes it the choice when you are worried about sandbagging.
Callaway works off your own worst holes read against a chart, so a player can self-check exactly which holes got tossed. We break the whole thing down in our guide to the Callaway handicap system.
System 36 skips charts and secret holes entirely. You earn 2 points for par or better, 1 for a bogey, and 0 for double bogey or worse, then subtract your total from 36 for your allowance. It is the simplest of the three and rewards steady golf.
All three share the same DNA: one round, no official handicap required, a net score at the end, and none of them a real substitute for a true handicap index. Pick Peoria to stop sandbagging, Callaway when players want to see their own math, and System 36 when you want the least fuss.
Tips for Running a Clean Peoria Event
A smooth Peoria day comes down to setting it up correctly well before the shotgun.
Running a Clean Peoria Event
Draw the six holes in secret, and mix the pars. Two par 3s, two par 4s, two par 5s, one of each nine. A balanced sample reads the whole round, not one stretch of it.
Put the rules on the cart card. The double-par cap, the math behind the allowance, and your rounding rule belong in writing before anyone tees off. Disputes come from the unknown.
Keep everyone on the same tees. The Peoria formula reads raw score and nothing else, with no slope or rating adjustment. Mixed tees means you should have separate flights.
Set your tiebreaker in advance. Net scores bunch up, so announce a countback (back nine, back six, back three, then the 18th) before play, not after.
Give the better players their own action. Peoria narrows the field but cannot overcome a stud group, so flight strong groups together and run a golf betting game on the side.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting the 0.8 allowance. Skip it and every handicap balloons, and your event quietly becomes a Blind Bogey instead of a Peoria.
Ignoring the double-par cap. A 9 on a secret par 4 still counts as 8. Cap each secret hole before you total.
Leaking the secret holes. The second the field knows which holes count, the anti-sandbag magic is gone. Keep them sealed until the scorecards are turned in.
Treating the number like a real handicap. It is a one-day allowance. It does not travel to next week, and it will not get you into a real competition.
Bleeding strokes on the holes you cannot see. Since any hole might be one of the six, a blow-up anywhere can wreck your number. The fix is course management, and Golf Digest’s strategy for avoiding blow-up holes is a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many holes does the Peoria system use?
Six. The committee secretly picks six holes, traditionally two par 3s, two par 4s, and two par 5s. A variation called Double Peoria uses twelve holes instead.
Why are the holes kept secret?
To stop sandbagging. If players knew which holes counted, a stronger golfer could ease off on those holes to inflate their handicap. Hiding the holes forces everyone to play all eighteen honestly.
Peoria or Callaway, which is fairer?
Both are approximations, not precise handicaps. Peoria defends better against sandbagging because the holes are hidden. Callaway is easier for a player to self-check, since it uses their own worst holes. Most organizers choose based on which of those matters more for their field.
Can you use the Peoria system for 9 holes?
It is built for a full 18, since the six-hole sample and the times-3 multiplier assume a complete round. For nine holes, scale the method down with a rule your group agrees on first, or use System 36, which translates more naturally.
What is Double Peoria (Modified Peoria)?
Double Peoria uses twelve secret holes instead of six and often drops the 0.8 allowance, which makes the sample bigger and the result a little steadier. Some events run a “Modified Peoria” that changes the par mix, usually one par 3, four par 4s, and one par 5.
Does the Peoria system favor better players?
It is less predictable than Callaway because it rides on a small, random sample of holes. A few bad swings on the secret holes can sink a good round, and a clean six can lift a rough one. Treat it as a fun leveler, not a precise one.
Final Thoughts
The Peoria system answers the question every outing organizer eventually faces: a field full of golfers, almost none with a handicap, and a low-net prize to give away. Six secret holes and a quick formula turn that mess into a fair race nobody can rig.
Pair it with Stableford for the team side of the day, or run it at your next scramble or charity event. Just draw the holes in secret, and do not tell a soul which ones count.
