How to use the bowling league handicap calculator
- Enter the league base score your league uses. The page starts with 220 as an example.
- Enter the percent of the difference that counts, such as 80, 90 or 100.
- Optionally enter the largest handicap if your league caps it.
- List each bowler with a name, an average and, if you want the adjusted score, a scratch game. Read each handicap and the game with handicap.
Formula
Handicap = (base score - average) x percent / 100
The result is taken down to a whole number of pins
An average at or above the base score gets a handicap of 0
Game with handicap = scratch game + handicap, and a cap, if you set one, limits the handicap
Leagues set the base, the percent and the rounding. The page follows the common pattern of rounding down to whole pins and lets you change the base, the percent and the cap.
A base of 220 at 90 percent
Avery averages 167, so the difference is 53 and 90 percent of it is 47.7. Taken down to whole pins, the handicap is 47. A scratch game of 180 becomes 227 with handicap.
Blake averages 205, which gives 15 x 0.9 = 13.5, so a handicap of 13 and a game of 198 becomes 211. Casey averages 142, which gives 78 x 0.9 = 70.2, so a handicap of 70 and a game of 151 becomes 221. The highest handicap on the list is 70 pins.
How handicaps level the field
A handicap adds pins to each bowler's score so that players of different skill can compete on the same footing. A lower average gets a larger handicap. A bowler who averages above the base gets none. Using less than 100 percent of the difference keeps a skilled bowler from being left behind.
To score a single game frame by frame, use the bowling score calculator. For handicaps in golf, see the golf score calculator.
Averages and updates
Most leagues work out an average from games bowled so far, sometimes with a number of games used for a starting average. Use the average calculator to total a list of games. Enter the average your league uses, since it may be rounded or limited in ways that differ from a plain mean.
Because league rules differ, check your league's rules for the base, the percent, the cap and the rounding before you use the numbers in a contest.
Assumptions and limits
- The base score, the percent and the cap come from your league. The values on the page are examples.
- The handicap is rounded down to a whole number of pins.
- Averages are entered as your league defines them.
- The page does not know the rules of any association.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a bowling handicap?
Subtract the bowler's average from the league base score, multiply by the percent your league uses, and round down to whole pins.
What is the base score?
It is the score the league treats as a level playing field. Averages below it earn a handicap, and averages at or above it earn none.
Can I cap the handicap?
Yes. Enter the largest handicap your league allows and no bowler will get more than that.
Why 90 percent?
Many leagues use a percent below 100 so handicaps are fair to better bowlers. Some use 80 or 100. Use your league's figure.