Callaway Handicap System
What is a Callaway Handicap
The Callaway Scoring System is a one-round handicapped scoring system that provides an algorithm that essentially removes the worst holes of a single round.
The Callaway Scoring System was invented by Lionel Frank Callaway to give the occasional golfer a chance to compete in tournaments with very skilled golfers.
"I noticed that golfers in Bradford, as elsewhere, complained of their fellow club members high handicaps, rather than their own handicap problem. I retired to my room with a stack of paper and some sample golf cards, determined to try and figure out something to help them."
- Lionel Frank Callaway, 1953
A 1980 magazine clipping with the 1957 "Official" Callaway Handicap System.
| RAW SCORE | DEDUCT | ||||
| 72 or less | No Handicap | ||||
| 73 | 74 | 75 | ½ worst hole | ||
| 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 1 worst hole |
| 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 1½ worst hole |
| 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 2 worst holes |
| 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 2½ worst holes |
| 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 3 worst holes |
| 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 3½ worst holes |
| 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 4 worst holes |
| 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 4½ worst holes |
| 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 5 worst holes |
| 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 5½ worst holes |
| 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 6 worst holes |
| ADJUSTMENT | |||||
| -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | |
Callaway Handicap Table
The Callaway Handicap System provides a table to determine the number of worst holes to be deducted along with an adjustment.
There are rules to apply to the Callaway Table:
- No hole may be scored at more than twice the par value.
- Half strokes count as a whole - for example, a seven on a par five that counts as half a worst score is rounded up to a four.
- The 17th and 18th holes are never deducted. This is because a good golfer can optimize their Callaway Handicap. Some golfers have extended this concept to never deduct the last three holes. The Cruncher App provides an option to customize which of the holes cannot be deducted.
Example to Calculate a Callaway Handicap
Here is an example where a golfer scored a 90 on a par 71.
Looking at the Callaway Table we identify what is required for a score of 90.
| RAW SCORE | DEDUCT | ||||
| 72 or less | No Handicap | ||||
| 73 | 74 | 75 | ½ worst hole | ||
| 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 1 worst hole |
| 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 1½ worst holes |
| 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 2 worst holes |
| 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 2½ worst holes |
| 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 3 worst holes |
| 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 3½ worst holes |
| 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 4 worst holes |
| 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 4½ worst holes |
| 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 5 worst holes |
| 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 5½ worst holes |
| 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 6 worst holes |
| ADJUSTMENT | |||||
| -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | |
We would expect that our score of 90 provides a deduction of the two worst holes.
However, for a par 71 course we need to shift the table by one. This changes the hole deduction and the adjustment as shown below.
| RAW SCORE | DEDUCT | ||||
| 71 or less | No Handicap | ||||
| 72 | 73 | 74 | ½ worst hole | ||
| 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 1 worst hole |
| 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 1½ worst holes |
| 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 2 worst holes |
| 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 2½ worst holes |
| 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 3 worst holes |
| 100 | 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 3½ worst holes |
| 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 4 worst holes |
| 110 | 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 4½ worst holes |
| 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 5 worst holes |
| 120 | 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 5½ worst holes |
| 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 6 worst holes |
| ADJUSTMENT | |||||
| -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | |
With the Callaway table shift we now see that a score of 90 requires a deduction of our worst 2 1/2 holes with a -2 adjustment.
Now look at the per hole scores:
| Par | Score | Par | Score | |||
| 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 5 | |
| 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 5 | |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 4 | |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 5 | |
| 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 4 | |
| 6 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 4 | |
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 6 | |
| 9 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 6 | |
| Out | 36 | 45 | In | 35 | 45 | |
| Total | 71 | 90 |
| HOLE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT | |
| PAR | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | |
| RAW SCORE | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 45 | |
| HOLE | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
| PAR | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 71 |
| RAW SCORE | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 45 | 90 |
To complete the Callaway Handicap calculation from the Callaway Table:
- The Unadjusted Callaway Handicap is the sum of the two and a half worst holes. This is identified as Hole 1 (6) + Hole 4 (6) + half of Hole 15 (6/2) = 15
- With a Raw Score of 90 the Handicap Adjustment is -2 so the Adjusted Callaway Handicap is 15-2 = 13
- The Callaway Handicap is then applied to the Raw Score to be 90-13 which creates a Callaway Score of 77
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