From 2027, in both the Men’s and Women’s competitions. See Rule 6c.
The away players in each game gets one extra shot. Add one to their Course Handicap, then take the full difference in Course Handicaps as normal.
Who is the away player?
The away player is the player whose team is playing at its opponent’s course on the day. This follows where the match is actually played, not the draw. If the team drawn at home can’t host and the match moves to their opponent’s course (Rule 3a), the team drawn at home are the away players and get the shot.
How to work it out
- Take each player’s Course Handicap.
- Add one to the away player’s Course Handicap.
- Take the full difference. The player with the higher Course Handicap receives that many shots, on the hardest holes by stroke index (the hole ranking on the scorecard, where 1 is the hardest).
Examples
| Home player Course Handicap | Away player Course Handicap | Away player Course Handicap becomes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 9 | 10 | Home player gets 2 shots (SI 1 and 2) |
| 10 | 10 | 11 | Away player gets 1 shot (SI 1) |
| 11 | 10 | 11 | No shots either way |
| 10 | 14 | 15 | Away player gets 5 shots (SI 1 to 5) |
If a player has a plus handicap, the same applies. A Course Handicap of +2 becomes +1 for the away player.
When the extra shot does not apply
No extra shot is given at a neutral venue. This includes the semi-finals and final, and matches between two teams from the same club.
Play-offs
In a play-off, shots are applied on the same basis as in the match, according to the stroke index of the holes played.
Women’s Round 1
In Round 1 the extra shot applies in both legs. In each leg, the away player is the player whose team is playing at its opponent’s course, and the same applies in any 3-hole play-off under Rule 7a.
Common questions
Does it change my handicap record? No. It only applies to the match you are playing.
Is it a shot on every hole? No. It works like any other handicap shot, on holes by stroke index.
Who decides who is away? Where the match is played does. There is nothing for captains to agree.
