Chicago

The rules

• Work out each golfer’s quota: 36 minus the course handicap. A 14 handicap golfer has a quota of 22.
• Play the round. Score points on each hole from the gross score: bogey 1, par 2, birdie 4, eagle 8, and 0 for a double bogey or worse.
• Add up the points and subtract the quota. Plus or minus decides the winner. The golfer who is furthest above their quota wins.
• Some groups pay a stake per point above or below quota. If the money matters, the plus or minus is the number to use.
• Different groups use their own point values and base. Print them on the card. Gimme sets the base and the points per league.

Worked example: two golfers, eighteen holes

Maya has a course handicap of 12 and Theo 24, so their quotas are 24 and 12. The table counts each kind of score and the points it pays.

Maya scores 25 points against a quota of 24, which is +1. Theo scores 8 against 12, which is -4. Maya wins by 5 points. Neither made a birdie, so the 1 and 2 point holes decided it, and a single birdie would have been worth four.

Common disputes and how to settle them

Write these answers into your league rules before the season. Most arguments on league night come from a rule nobody wrote down.

Is Chicago the same as quota?

In most leagues yes: points on the gross score against a quota. Some groups use other point tables or a base of 39. Print yours on the card.

What base quota should we use?

The most common is 36 minus the course handicap. A base of 39 is sometimes used so that par golf for a scratch golfer is a minus. Pick one and keep it.

Do we use the course handicap or the league handicap?

Use the course handicap, which is the league handicap converted for the tees played. Never use the raw handicap, which ignores the difficulty of the course.

What if two golfers tie on plus or minus?

Split the prize, or go to countback on the last holes’ points. Decide before play.