Stroke Index

Stroke index is an unique numerical value assigned to each hole on a golf course. It specifies the difficulty of a particular hole compared to other holes on the same course. For an 18-hole course, the index values range from 1 to 18. Index 1 indicates the most difficult hole and index 18 indicates the easiest hole. For a 9-hole course, the index values range from 1 to 9.

On scorecards stroke indexes are sometimes labeled as Index, SI (short for Stroke Index), HCP or HDCP.

Stroke index on scorecard

 

Stroke Index in 18-hole play

Stroke indexes are used to assign handicap strokes that golfers receive in handicap rounds: stroke play net, Stableford net, etc. According to the Rules of Handicapping the handicap strokes are assigned to individual holes in the order of their indexes, starting from the most difficult hole (SI = 1). This means that:

  • a player with a Course/Playing Handicap of 8 receives one handicap strokes on holes with indexes from 1 to 8,
  • a player with a Course/Playing Handicap of 15 receives one handicap strokes on holes with indexes from 1 to 15, etc.

The players with a handicaps between 18 and 36, receive one stroke on all holes, and subsequent strokes are allocated to holes according to their indexes in ascending order. As a consequence of this:

  • a player with a Course/Playing Handicap of 21 (18+3) receives two handicap strokes on holes with stroke indexes from 1 to 3, and one stroke on holes with indexes from 4 to 18,
  • a player with a Course/Playing Handicap of 30 (18+12) receives two handicap strokes on holes with stroke indexes from 1 to 12, and one stroke on holes with indexes from 13 to 18.

Strokes for higher handicapers are allocated in the same way:

  • a player with a Course/Playing Handicap of 41 (18+18+5) receives three handicap strokes on holes with indexes from 1 to 5, and two strokes on holes with indexes from 6 to 18,

 

Stroke Index in 9-hole play

During a 9-hole round, strokes are assigned in the same way, but using only stroke indexes from 1 to 9:

  • a player with a Course/ Playing Handicap (for 9 holes) of 15 (9+6) receives two handicap strokes on holes with indexes from 1 to 6, and one stroke on holes with indexes from 7 to 9,
  • a player with a Course/ Playing Handicap (for 9 holes) of 21 (9+9+3) receives three handicap strokes on holes with indexes from 1 to 3, and two strokes on holes with indexes from 4 to 9.

 

SI conversion

If a golfer is playing:

the indexes listed on the scorecard must be converted accordingly. There are three calculators available for converting stroke indexes:

18-hole SI converter for a 9-hole round

9-hole SI converter for an 18-hole round

6-hole SI converter for a 9-hole or an 18-hole round

Menu path:
Golf » Golf course » Stroke Index

update: April 2025