What is Stroke Index
in Golf?
Stroke index tells you which holes you receive handicap shots on. Understanding it is the key to knowing exactly when you're getting help — and when you're not.
Definition
The Stroke Index is a ranking from 1 to 18 assigned to each hole on a golf course, indicating which holes handicap strokes are allocated on. A player receives a stroke on a hole when that hole's Stroke Index is equal to or lower than their Playing Handicap.
What stroke index means
Every hole on a golf course is assigned a Stroke Index (SI) from 1 to 18. SI 1 is the hole where a bogey golfer finds it most difficult to make par relative to their handicap. SI 18 is the hole where they find it easiest.
Think of it as a difficulty ranking for handicap purposes — not a list of the hardest holes in absolute terms, but the holes where having an extra shot matters most.
The stroke index is printed on every scorecard, usually in its own column alongside the hole number, par, and distance. It's set by the club or the national golf body and should be reviewed periodically as course conditions change.
How shots are allocated using stroke index
Once you know the shot difference between two players, you allocate those shots to holes using the stroke index. The rule is simple:
If the shot difference is N, the higher-handicap player receives one extra shot on each hole where the Stroke Index is ≤ N.
Player A receives 8 shots from Player B. Player A gets one extra shot on the 8 holes with SI 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 — the eight "hardest" holes for handicap purposes.
On those 8 holes, Player A's net score is their gross score minus 1. On the other 10 holes, they play their gross score.
If the shot difference is more than 18, some holes receive two shots. For a difference of 22: every hole gets one shot, and the 4 holes with SI 1–4 get an additional second shot.
Differences above 18 are uncommon in competitive matchplay but can arise in very informal games or when a high handicapper plays a scratch golfer.
How to read stroke index on a scorecard
Look for the "SI" or "Stroke Index" column on the card. Each hole has a number between 1 and 18 in that column — that's the stroke index for that hole.
| Hole | Par | Stroke Index | Shots received (diff = 8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | ✓ 1 shot |
| 2 | 4 | 11 | — no shot |
| 3 | 3 | 17 | — no shot |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | ✓ 1 shot |
| 5 | 4 | 7 | ✓ 1 shot |
Abbreviated example — a full card has 18 holes. SI 1–8 all receive a shot in this example.
Stroke index in four-ball matchplay
In four-ball, each player calculates their shots individually using the same SI system — you don't combine or share shots. Each player receives shots on the holes where their individual shot allocation applies.
Because four-ball uses relative shot differences (everyone's Playing Handicap is calculated relative to the lowest-handicap player), a scratch player may give shots to three other players simultaneously, each receiving different numbers of shots on different holes.
Common questions
Who decides the stroke index for a course?
The stroke index is set by the golf club in conjunction with guidance from the national golf body (e.g. England Golf, Golf Ireland, Scottish Golf). It should be reviewed periodically. The R&A and USGA publish guidelines on how stroke indexes should be determined — based on how often bogey golfers are likely to need an extra shot on each hole.
Is the stroke index the same as hole difficulty?
Not exactly. SI 1 is not necessarily the hardest hole in absolute terms — it's the hole where a bogey golfer is most likely to need a handicap shot to win the hole. A long par 5 where most players make par or better might have a lower stroke index than a short par 3 where everyone struggles to make par.
Does stroke index change between front and back nine?
Some courses use a separate stroke index for 9-hole rounds, with each nine ranked 1–9. For 18-hole rounds, the full 1–18 index applies. Some clubs interleave odd numbers on one nine and even on the other (e.g. odd SI on the front, even on the back) so that shots are spread across the round rather than concentrated on one half.
Related guides
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