How is handicap calculated?

In a handicap league, handicap pins are added to each score so bowlers of different averages compete on even terms. A scratch league uses actual scores only.

Formula: handicap = (base figure − your average) × percentage, with fractions dropped.

USBC defaults, unless the league adopts its own rule:

• Percentage: 100%. The league sets the base figure. USBC recommends a base higher than any average in the league.
• Not limited, and a handicap game or series is not capped. If a league caps scores, the cap can't be below the highest possible scratch score.
• In adult leagues, handicap is figured from each bowler's average as the league rules provide.
• The league decides at the start whether to use the individual or team method. USBC recommends individual handicaps; it doesn't recommend handicapping only the difference between the two teams' averages.

Example: base 220, 90% handicap, average 172. (220 − 172) × 0.9 = 43.2, so handicap = 43 pins per game.

Replacing a bowler mid-game: each bowler gets 1/10 of their own single-game handicap per frame bowled, with fractions dropped from each bowler's total.