2. How are these handicap allocations used?
For example, Player A, with an 12 handicap, is playing his buddy, Player B, who has a 20 handicap. Player A therefore gives Player B eight strokes to make up the difference in their handicaps--one each on the holes where the handicap rankings are numbered 1 through 8. On the example in Question 1, then, Player B uses these strokes on Hole Nos. 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 14, and 18.

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3. Are these handicap rankings supposed to help the lesser-skilled player win these holes?
Not really. According to the USGA, these rankings are actually intended to give the higher-handicap player a chance to match the lower-handicap player. This is sometimes called "halving the hole," or "tying the hole."

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4. Aren't these holes simply ranked by how hard it is to make par on them? If not, why doesn't that method work?
The USGA notes that "Difficulty in making par on a hole is not an effective indicator of the need for a stroke." That's because players of different skill levels frequently play the course very differently, depending on which holes they're playing. While the holes are not supposed to be ranked by total average scores for most competitions, they often are.

However, if the handicap allocations are done correctly, the players compete in a fair contest, with a hole-by-hole allocation that appropriately considers different skill levels.

We also provide a bonus report, called The Hardest Hole Rankings. This special analysis shows you the actual relative difficulty of the holes on your course. The USGA reports that some clubs like to use this kind of ranking for Stableford or four-ball stroke tournaments. Our bonus report follows the USGA's suggested statistical method for this special purpose.

If your course has regular playing members who post their scores, and want to learn a bit more about what we can do for you, go to the Private Course page. If your course doesn't provide for score posting for handicaps, go to the Public Course page.

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5. We've had the same handicap allocations on our course for years. Why should we change them?
Golf courses change over time, and so do the people who play them. Trees grow up and out, crowding the edges of fairways that were once wide. Bunkers change shape after years of players hacking their way out of them. Courses sometimes add trees, remove or replace bunkers, replace fairway grass, or completely redo several or all of the greens.

Members change over time, too. That means the mix of skill levels changes as well. Furthermore, if the hole-by-hole handicap allocations haven't been updated in a long time, chances are that they were never calculated the right way in the first place.

Periodic updates can take all these changes into account and tell you how the allocations should be spread out among the 18 holes. A statistically valid collection of recent scores, properly analyzed, can tell you how the course is currently playing and how the holes should actually be ranked. (That's what Hole By Hole does.)

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6. Can you give us an example of what can happen if the handicap allocations are done correctly?
Sure! Take a look at what happened to the hole-by-hole handicap allocations for Oak Meadow GC, a course in Evansville, Indiana, when Hole By Hole recently updated their rankings:

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