| Type | Stroke |
| Alias | None |
| Format | Tournament |
| Number of players | 2, 3, 4+ |
| Team or Individual play | Individual |
- System 36 is a same-day handicapping system that allows golfers without official handicap indexes to compete in tournaments that require net scores.
- This system is usually used in charity tournaments or corporate outings and in stroke and Stableford formats and is similar to the Callaway or Peoria System.
- System 36 assigns a point value to a golfer’s scores (birdies, pars, bogeys, etc.), and at the end of the round, these point values are added and subtracted from 36. The remaining value is the golfer’s handicap for the day. The net score is then calculated by subtracting the System 36 handicap from the gross score.
- The player starts with 0 points, and points during the round are accumulated as follows:
- 0 points for a double bogey or worse
- 1 point for a bogey
- 2 points for par or better
Example:
Suppose a player, Player A, records a score of 90 after finishing a round. During the round, they made seven pars, nine bogeys, and two double bogeys or worse.
Step 1. Calculating accumulated points
The accumulated points are calculated as follows:
7 (pars) x 2 (points for par) = 14 points
9 (bogeys) x 1 (point for a bogey) = 9 points
2 (double bogey or worse) x 0 (points for double bogey or worse) = 0
So, Player A made a total of 23 points during the round of 90.
Step 2. Calculating handicap
Player A’s handicap is calculated by subtracting their total points from 36.
36 – 23 = 13
So, Player A’s handicap allowance for the round of 90 is 13.
Step 3. Calculating net score
The net score is determined by applying the handicap on the gross score.
90 (gross score) – 13 (handicap allowance) = 77 (net score)
So, according to System 36, Player A’s net score is 77.