Archery handicap allowances: how to run a handicap shoot
In a handicap shoot every archer adds an allowance to their score, and the highest adjusted score wins. The allowance depends on the archer's handicap and the round: it is 1440 minus the score the handicap tables give for that handicap on that round, so an archer who shoots exactly to handicap finishes on 1440 whatever the round. Enter the event's scores on the records desk and the adjusted ranking follows.
Run a handicap shoot in five steps
This works for any round, as long as everyone shoots the same one.
- Fix the round and the handicaps. Everyone shoots the same round. Use each archer's current handicap for that bowstyle and season, indoor or outdoor to match the round.
- Find each archer's allowance. Look up the allowance for their handicap on the round, which is 1440 minus the table score for that handicap on that round.
- Shoot and collect the scores. Collect signed score sheets as usual.
- Add allowance to score. The adjusted score is the raw score plus the allowance.
- Rank by adjusted score. The highest adjusted score wins. Equal adjusted scores share a place, unless your club breaks ties some other way.
Why everyone aims at 1440
The allowance is set so that shooting exactly to handicap is worth 1440 on every round. At handicap 40 the tables expect 555 on a Portsmouth, so the allowance is 1440 minus 555, which is 885. An archer who beats their handicap finishes above 1440 and one who shoots below it finishes under. That is why a novice who has a good day can beat the club's best archer.
The free calculator shows the allowance for any round and handicap, and archerycalculator.co.uk prints full allowance tables from the same equations.
Keeping the shoot fair
A handicap shoot is only as fair as the handicaps going into it. Use each archer's handicap for the bowstyle they are shooting on the day and for the right season, and fix the handicaps before the shoot starts rather than updating them from the day's scores. Decide in advance how ties are broken; the desk lets equal adjusted scores share a place and orders them by raw score. A visitor can shoot, but only with a current handicap from their own club; without one there is no fair allowance, and the results sheet lists them unranked with the reason.
Worked example: the demo club's summer handicap shoot
Six archers shot a National. Ben Hollis shot the highest raw score, 636, but finished in place 5 because it was below their handicap. Gus Penhale won with 387, well above what handicap 66 predicts, for an adjusted 1484.
| Place | Archer | Bowstyle | Handicap | Score | Allowance | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gus Penhale | Barebow | 66 | 387 | 1097 | 1484 |
| 2 | Cara Mottram | Barebow | 55 | 483 | 983 | 1466 |
| 3 | Ann Farrow | Recurve | 33 | 606 | 842 | 1448 |
| 4 | Visitor: Jo Tate | Recurve | 48 | 513 | 927 | 1440 |
| 5 | Ben Hollis | Compound | 19 | 636 | 801 | 1437 |
| 6 | Eli Brook | Longbow | 73 | 254 | 1176 | 1430 |
Common mistakes
- Using an indoor handicap for an outdoor shoot, or the other way round.
- Using an archer's recurve handicap when they shoot the event with a barebow.
- Updating handicaps from the day's scores before working out the results. Use the handicaps archers came in with.
- Mixing rounds. An allowance only makes scores on the same round comparable.
Work it out now
Look up one score in the free calculator, or open the records desk to keep members and scores and print the lists. Everything stays in this browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no account.
Frequently asked questions
How is an archery handicap allowance calculated?
It is 1440 minus the score the handicap tables give for the archer's handicap on the round being shot.
Who wins a handicap shoot?
The archer with the highest adjusted score, which is their score plus their allowance.
What does an adjusted score of 1440 mean?
The archer shot exactly to their handicap. Above 1440 they beat it; below, they fell short of it.
Can visitors enter a club handicap shoot?
Yes, if they bring a current handicap for the bowstyle and season. Without one there is no fair allowance.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- Beginner's Series: Part 2, Handicaps, Archery Geekery, published 13 June 2023, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Reading a score between table entries, and allowances that bring a score shot to handicap up to 1440.
- Adjusted scores and handicap, Netherhall Archers, undated, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Adjusted score as raw score plus allowance, about 1440 when shooting to handicap, with a worked example.
- Handicaps and classifications, Wymondham Archers, undated, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Reassessment on 1 January outdoors and 1 July indoors, allowances that make 1440 at handicap, and an example that still rounds up (the pre 2023 practice).
- Handicap tables (with the allowance table option), archerycalculator.co.uk, undated page, 2026, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Allowance tables for handicap shoots generated from the same equations; the rule of 1440 minus the table score follows its open source code.
This guide is our own summary, not a rule book. Rules are paraphrased, never quoted at length, and if this page disagrees with the current published rules, the rules win. Endbook is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Archery GB, Archery Australia, Archery New Zealand, World Archery or any county or regional archery association.