Chicago

Setup

Handicaps

Your handicap sets your quota (39 minus your course handicap), not per-hole strokes. Every hole is scored on gross.

Points

Earn points on gross score each hole: bogey 1, par 2, birdie 4, eagle or better 8, double bogey or worse 0.

How to play Chicago

1. Two to eight players.
2. Each hole, score your gross against par: bogey 1, par 2, birdie 4, eagle or better 8, double bogey or worse 0.
3. Your quota is 39 minus your course handicap (half, rounded up, for a 9-hole round).
4. Your result is your total points minus your quota.
5. Finish furthest over your quota to win — the winning result can be negative.

Scoring

Ties: Players tied on points over quota share the position.

Highest points minus quota after the round (a scratch quota is 39).

Strategy

• Birdies are worth double a par — chasing one is worth the risk of a bogey.
• A double bogey scores zero, so protect against the big number on tough holes.
• Your quota is fixed at the start, so you are really racing yourself: know your number.

Example

• Ana8 HCP
• Ben18 HCP

18 holes. Ana's quota is 31, Ben's is 21. Ana earns 34 points, Ben earns 24.

What happens

1. Ana: 34 points minus a quota of 31 = +3.
2. Ben: 24 points minus a quota of 21 = +3.
3. Both finished 3 over their quota, so they tie.

Ana +3, Ben +3 — a tie over quota even though Ana scored more points.

The quota levels the field: each player races their own target, so more raw points does not always win.