A bowling handicap is a numeric value that helps to indicate the ability of a bowler, and the handicap is frequently used to establish a fair way for bowlers of different skill levels to compete against each another. Bowling handicaps are calculated on a percentage of a specific average bowling score for a team or league. The United States Bowling Congress rules recommend using a 100 percent handicap percentage and an individual method of handicapping, although some leagues use different percentages and a team method. The league then determines a scratch value, which is used to calculate the handicap.
Step 1
Set a scratch value that is higher than the average of any bowler in the league. Determine the percentage on which to calculate the handicap. For instance, if the league decides to use 90 percent of a scratch value of 200, each individual handicap would be factored on a value of 180.
Step 2
Use the last few bowling scores to determine a bowling average for each individual on a team. For example, if a bowler had three scores of 125, 130, and 135, the average would be 130.
Step 3
Subtract the individual bowling score average from the factoring value. To demonstrate, if the factoring value is 180 and a bowler's average is 130, the handicap for that bowler is 50.
Step 4
Add the handicaps for each player on a team. The sum is the handicap for the team as a whole.
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