Scoring & Rules

A Calcutta is a pre-tournament auction pool: players and teams are sold to the highest bidder, and the pooled money pays the owners of the top finishers. Here is how the auction, the buy-back, and the payout splits actually work. read more

System 36 is the simplest one-day handicap method. You score 2 points for par or better and 1 for a bogey, then subtract your total from 36 to get a net score, no official handicap required. read more

The Peoria system builds a one-day handicap from six secret holes, so a field with no official handicaps can still play for low net. Formula, a worked example, and event tips inside. read more

The Callaway handicap system turns one rough round into a fair net score, no handicap needed. Toss your worst holes and let a 105 chase a 78. read more

That buddy who shoots 95 and still wins the net game? Fair handicapping is how you stop it (no babying required), even when a 25 takes on a scratch. read more

Golf etiquette is the unwritten code that separates players who get invited back from players who don’t. Here’s everything you need to know before you step on the course. read more

Red stake? Yellow stake? White line? If your foursome has ever stood around a penalty area waiting for someone to confidently say the wrong thing, this guide is for you. We break down every penalty situation on the course — what the stakes and lines mean, how to take proper relief, and how to score… read more

Most golfers either don’t have a handicap, don’t know how it’s actually calculated, or are walking around with the wrong number. We break down the WHS formula step by step, explain the difference between Handicap Index, Course Handicap, and Playing Handicap — then hand you a free calculator that does the math for you. read more