The Callaway System (or Callaway Scoring System) is a sort of 1-day handicapping system that can be used in events where most of the golfers do not have real handicap indexes.
When the Callaway System is in use, all competitors tee off and play stroke play, scoring in the normal fashion with one exception - double par is the maximum score on any given hole (i.e., on a par 4, 8 is the maximum score).
Following the round, gross scores are tallied. Based on each golfer's gross score (using the double par maximum), each golfer tallies up a prescribed number of worst scores from their scorecard, then applies a second adjustment that may add or subtract additional strokes. The result is a total that is something similar to a net score using real handicaps.
Scores on the 17th and 18th holes may not be deducted, even if one (or both) of them are the competitor's highest score.
The chart below should make things much easier to grasp. Look over the chart, then look below the chart for an example.
| Gross (using double par max.) | Handicap Deduction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 71 | 72 | Scratch | 73 | 74 | 75 | 1/2 of Worst Hole |
| 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | Worst Hole |
| 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 1 1/2 Worst Holes |
| 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 2 Worst Holes |
| 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 2 1/2 Worst Holes |
| 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 | 3 Worst Holes |
| 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 3 1/2 Worst Holes |
| 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 4 Worst Holes |
| 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 4 1/2 Worst Holes |
| 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 | 5 Worst Holes |
| 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 5 1/2 Worst Holes |
| 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | 130 | 6 Worst Holes |
| -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | Handicap Adjustment |
Before our examples, a couple notes about the chart: This chart applies to a par-72 course. If par is different, simply add or subtract the number of strokes - corresponding to the difference in par - from the Gross Scores. For example, if par is 71, then subtract 1 from each of the Gross Scores listed above. Click here to view Callaway Tables for other par values.
Also, half scores are rounded up. If a player is deducting half of 7, then that 3.5 is rounded up to 4. And finally, the maximum a golfer can deduct under the Callaway System is 50 strokes.
OK, an example of the Callaway System in action:
Dale shoots 64. No deductions or adjustments are made because Dale's score is lower than the scores listed on the chart. Mike shoots 71, which is on the chart, and the column to the right ("Handicap Deduction") shows that a player shooting 71 plays at scratch - no adjustments.
Kurt, however, shoots 97. Find 97 in the chart above, and we see that its row (going across) corresponds to a handicap deduction of "3 Worst Holes." So Kurt finds the three worst holes on his scorecard. Kurt's three worst holes are a 9, an 8 and a 7. Total those up and we get a handicap deduction of 24.
Now we apply the second adjustment. Go back to 97 in the chart above; follow the column down to the "handicap adjustment" on the bottom line. The column for 97 corresponds to a handicap adjustment of -1. That means we're going to substract a stroke from our handicap deduction of 24. So our final, adjusted handicap allowance is 23.
And our net Callaway System score is 97 minus 23, or 74.
So using the chart is a matter of finding the gross score, looking across the row for the handicap deduction, then looking down the column for the adjustment.