Callaway System

Type Stroke
Alias None
Format Tournament
Number of players 2, 3, 4+
Team or Individual play Individual
  • Just like System 36, the Callaway System is also a one-day handicap system used for players competing in a tournament who do not have an official handicap. It provides a handicap estimate based on one round of play.
  • The Callaway System is kind of like a “worst holes” system because it uses up to six of a player’s worst holes in a round to determine the handicap allowance. This handicap is then subtracted from the player’s gross score to calculate the net score. Finally, the net score of all players is compared to determine the winner of the tournament.
  • With the Callaway System in place, players tee off and play stroke play as they usually would with one exception; double par is the maximum score on each hole. So, 6 is the maximum score on par-3s, 8 on par-4s, and 10 on par-5s.
  • At the end of the round, the player totals their gross score and then finds this score in the Callaway System chart shown below. By following this chart, the players get to know how many of their “worst scores” they can deduct. After this initial deduction, there is another adjustment after which the player’s score goes from the gross score to the net score. Note: This chart is for a par-72 course.
  • The maximum number of strokes that can be deducted in the Callaway System is 50.
Gross Score (Using double Par Maximum) Handicap Deduction
- - 70 71 72 Scratch Handicap. Use gross Score
73 74 75 - - Handicap = 1/2 worst hole score + adjustment
76 77 78 79 80 Handicap = 1/2 worst hole score + adjustment
81 82 83 84 85 Handicap = 1 1/2 worst hole scores + adjustment
86 87 88 89 90 Handicap = 2 worst hole scores + adjustment
91 92 93 94 95 Handicap = 2 1/2 worst hole scores + adjustment
96 97 98 99 100 Handicap = 3 worst hole scores + adjustment
101 102 103 104 105 Handicap = 3 1/2 worst hole scores + adjustment
106 107 108 109 110 Handicap = 4 worst hole scores + adjustment
111 112 113 114 115 Handicap = 4 1/2 worst hole scores + adjustment
116 117 118 119 120 Handicap = 5 worst hole scores + adjustment
121 122 123 124 125 Handicap = 5 1/2 worst hole scores + adjustment
126 127 128 129 130 Handicap = 6 worst hole scores + adjustment
131 132 133 134 135 Handicap = 6 1/2 worst hole scores + adjustment
-2 -1 0 +1 +2 Adjustment factor for handicap

                Examples:

                      1. A player who scores 72 or less is a scratch golfer, according to the Callaway System. Suppose Player A scores 70. They find 70 on the chart and look at the handicap deduction section, which says “Scratch Handicap”, meaning that Player A gets no handicap allowance.
                      2. Player B scores 97. They find their score on the chart, and the handicap deduction column says “3 worst hole scores + adjustment”. So, Player B checks their scorecard and finds their three worst scores. Suppose they are 8, 7, and 9.

                      8 + 7 + 9 = 24

                      Player B gets a handicap deduction of 24.

                      Now it’s time for the second adjustment. They once again check the chart and see the bottom of the gross score column, which says “-1”. This means that one stroke is to be subtracted from Player B’s handicap deduction.

                      24 – 1 = 23

                      So, Player B’s adjusted handicap allowance is 23. This handicap allowance is deducted from the gross score to determine the net score.

                      97 (gross score) – 23 (handicap allowance) = 72 (net score)

                      So, Player B’s net score is 74, according to the Callaway System.

                            Variations:

                            • In some tournaments, players can cross off the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes, while in others, they cannot be deducted.
                            • In case of a tie for the lowest net score, the tournament is won by the player with the lowest gross score.

                                Half strokes may or may not be rounded up. For example, if a player is deducting half of 9, they may round it up to 5.