What is stroke index in golf?
Stroke index is a ranking from 1 to 18 that tells you how hard each hole is relative to the others on that course, where 1 is the hardest. It decides which holes you receive your handicap strokes on, so it is what turns a gross score into a net one.
It ranks difficulty, not length
Every hole on a rated course carries a stroke index between 1 and 18, printed on the scorecard next to the par. SI 1 is the hole where a higher-handicap golfer is most likely to need a shot; SI 18 is where they least need one.
It is a common misreading that stroke index tracks length, or that it tracks the hardest hole for a scratch player. It does neither. What it is meant to measure is the hole where a stroke is most *useful* to the player receiving it — which is usually a long, exposed hole with trouble in play, but not always the longest one on the card.
How your strokes get allocated
Your course handicap is the number of strokes you receive. They are given out in stroke index order, starting at SI 1 and working up.
Once you go past 18, the allocation simply starts again — so a course handicap of 22 gives you one stroke on every hole, and a second stroke on the four holes ranked SI 1 to SI 4.
| Course handicap | Strokes received |
|---|---|
| 4 | One stroke on SI 1–4 |
| 12 | One stroke on SI 1–12 |
| 18 | One stroke on every hole |
| 22 | One on every hole, two on SI 1–4 |
| 36 | Two strokes on every hole |
The Caddy applies this automatically from the stroke index on the card, for both net stroke play and Stableford.
Why SI 1 is rarely the first hole
Allocation follows a convention rather than a rule. Odd stroke indexes are usually spread across one nine and even across the other, so that strokes are distributed evenly over a round rather than clustering in one half.
The very low and very high indexes are also kept away from the opening and closing holes. A stroke given on the 18th decides a match after the golf has finished, which is a poor way to settle one — so SI 1 tends to sit somewhere in the middle of a nine.
What this means for a match
In match play, strokes are taken on the difference between the two handicaps rather than in full. If you play off 18 and your opponent off 10, you receive eight strokes — on SI 1 through SI 8.
This is why a stroke index dispute matters more in a fourball than anywhere else, and why it is worth checking the card rather than assuming the hardest-looking hole is SI 1.
Common questions
Is stroke index the same on every tee?
Usually yes. Most clubs publish one stroke index for the course rather than a separate one per tee, even though the relative difficulty of holes can shift between them.
Does stroke index affect my gross score?
No. It only affects net scoring — net stroke play, Stableford and match play. Your gross score is unaffected by where your strokes fall.
What is stroke index used for in Stableford?
The same allocation decides your net score on each hole, and the points come from that net figure against par.
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