How Many Strokes Do I Give in a Match?
The first-tee negotiation that decides the match. Here is the correct answer, the common shortcuts, and why "we both take our full shots" quietly changes the result.
The basic rule: play off the difference
Match play is a contest between two sides, so only the gap between them matters. Subtract the lower course handicap from the higher one and give that many strokes.
Handicap 18 against handicap 4 is 14 shots, falling on stroke indexes 1 to 14. The 4-handicapper receives nothing and plays every hole gross. The absolute numbers are irrelevant — only the difference.
Full handicap or a percentage?
Formally, singles match play is usually played off 100% of the difference in course handicaps. That is what handicap systems recommend and what most clubs use.
Friendly games often shade it. Some groups play three-quarters of the difference on the theory that it keeps matches tighter; others play "off the low man" with everyone reduced by the lowest handicap, which for a two-ball is the same thing. Whatever you use, say it out loud before you tee off.
Fourballs, foursomes and teams
In a fourball better-ball match, the standard allowance is 90% of course handicap, with all four players reduced by the lowest of them so the best player is off scratch. Each player then takes their remaining shots on the stroke index as normal.
In foursomes (alternate shot), the side’s allowance is 50% of the combined course handicaps of the two partners, and the difference between the two sides is what one side gives the other.
These percentages are recommendations, not laws of physics. Club competitions will specify; friendly games should just agree.
Where the strokes actually fall
Strokes always fall on the lowest stroke indexes first. Eight shots means indexes 1 through 8. It does not mean the first eight holes, and it does not mean you choose.
If the difference exceeds 18, the receiving player gets one shot everywhere plus a second on the lowest indexes — same wrap rule as any handicap allocation.
Why "we both take our full shots" is not the same
It sounds equivalent, and over a full round it usually lands in the same place, but it is not identical. A stroke is a whole number applied to one hole, so running both players against par with their own allowances can flip an individual hole that the difference method would not.
On a hole where the 14 gets a shot and the 6 does not, the difference method is unambiguous. Give both their full allowance and there are holes where both receive one, which cancels — except at the boundaries, where rounding decides the hole. Pairs should be scored as pairs.
Getting it right without the argument
Go Live Golf works out the strokes for you. For a head-to-head it uses the difference between the two playing handicaps, low man off scratch. For field games it uses each player’s full allowance, because that is the right convention there.
The strokes are shown on the tee, so everybody can see who is getting one before anybody hits.
Worked examples
14 vs 6. Difference is 8. The 14 gets a stroke on stroke indexes 1 through 8; the 6 plays every hole gross. On index-9 through index-18 holes, both play gross and the hole is straight up. 24 vs 11. Difference is 13. The 24 gets a stroke on indexes 1 through 13. Note that the raw handicaps being above 18 changes nothing — only the gap matters. 28 vs 4. Difference is 24, which is above 18. The 28 gets one stroke on every hole plus a second stroke on indexes 1 through 6. Fourball, 18/12/9/5. Take 90% of each, then reduce everyone by the lowest. The 5 plays off scratch and the others receive the remainder, each on their own low indexes.When to shade the allowance
Full difference is the correct default and the one that stands up if anyone questions it later. But there are two situations where groups reasonably shade it.
The first is a very large gap. Giving 25 strokes in a singles match tends to produce a poor contest in both directions, and many groups cap the difference at 12 or 15 to keep the match competitive.
The second is a mismatch in recent form — someone whose handicap has not caught up with how they are actually playing. That is a conversation to have on the first tee, not a rule.
Whatever you decide, apply it symmetrically and write it on the card.
Settle the shots before the first tee shot
The app shows exactly who is getting a stroke on every hole, so the negotiation takes five seconds instead of five minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate strokes given in match play?
Subtract the lower course handicap from the higher. That many strokes go to the higher handicapper, on the lowest stroke indexes.
What is the handicap allowance for a fourball?
Commonly 90% of course handicap, with all players reduced by the lowest so the best player is off scratch.
Do you use handicap index or course handicap for a match?
Course handicap. The index is converted for the specific tees and course you are playing first.
What if the difference is more than 18 shots?
One stroke on every hole, plus a second stroke on the lowest-index holes up to the remainder.