Your handicap index measures your playing ability, your course handicap converts it into the strokes you receive on the tees you're playing, and your net score is your gross score minus those strokes — all calculated for you automatically.
What's the difference between handicap index and course handicap?
Your handicap index is the portable number on your profile — a measure of your ability that travels with you to any course. Your course handicap adjusts that index for the difficulty of the specific tees you play in a round (using the tee's slope and rating), and it's the actual number of strokes you receive that day. Two players with the same index can have different course handicaps if they play different tees.
When is my handicap locked for an event?
When the organizer locks the field before play, your handicap index at that moment is frozen for the event — changes you make to your profile after that don't affect it. You confirm your handicap when you RSVP in, so make sure it's right then. An organizer (or your group's scorekeeper, before you've posted a score) can adjust your event handicap directly, and a manager's adjustment sticks for that event even if you re-RSVP.
How is my net score calculated?
Net score is gross score minus handicap strokes, computed per hole. Your strokes land on the hardest holes first, using each hole's stroke index: a course handicap of 9 gives you one stroke on the 9 hardest holes and none on the rest; a handicap of 20 gives you one stroke on every hole plus a second stroke on the 2 hardest. The app does all of this from the score you enter — you never enter net numbers yourself.
What if I don't have a handicap?
You'll be scored without strokes — your net score equals your gross score. If you don't have an official index, enter your best estimate on your profile (roughly: often break 80 → 0–9, regularly break 90 → 10–17, usually break 100 → 18–27, still working on 100 → 28–36). Your organizer can adjust it later if it turns out to be off.