Bowling handicap calculator

Most leagues give each bowler a handicap: a percentage of the gap between their average and a set number called the basis. Enter your league's numbers below.

The formula

Handicap = (basis − your average) × percentage, with the fraction dropped.

With a 165 average in a league using 90% of 220: 220 − 165 = 55, and 55 × 0.9 = 49.5, so your handicap is 49 pins a game, or 147 for a three-game series.

• Your average is also dropped to a whole number before it goes in.
• If your average is at or above the basis, your handicap is 0.
• Common settings are 90% of 220, 80% of 220, 100% of 230 and 80% of 210, but every league sets its own. Your league secretary or league rules will say which.
• New bowlers with no average usually bowl a few games first, or are given an entering average from last season.

Why handicap exists

It lets a 140 bowler and a 210 bowler compete fairly. Each bowler is effectively racing their own average, so a big night counts, whatever level you bowl at.