How archery handicaps are calculated
Each score is first turned into a handicap from the tables for its round. An archer's first handicap is the average of the handicaps of their first three official rounds, rounded down to a whole number.
After that, any round with a better handicap moves the handicap to the average of the old handicap and the new one, again rounded down, and a worse round changes nothing. At the start of each season the handicap is reset to the average of the best three of the season just ended. The free handicap calculator does the first step for any round.
Step one: the handicap of one score
Handicap tables come from equations that give the average score an archer of each handicap would expect at each distance and face of a round. The Archery GB tables were rebuilt on new equations in 2023, and a lower handicap is better. A score between two table entries takes the handicap of the lower score, which means the whole number handicap is the worst handicap that still reaches the score.
For example, a score of 540 on a Portsmouth works out at 44.55 exactly, which the tables show as handicap 45. The same score is an I-B3 (Indoor Bowman 3) for an Open adult recurve archer, and in a club handicap shoot on a Portsmouth that handicap would get an allowance of 901.
Step two: from scores to a running handicap
- First handicap: after three official rounds, average their handicaps and round down.
- Improvement: when a round's handicap is better than the current one, average the two and round down. Archery GB's FAQ says rounding down replaced the old need for a clear 2 point improvement, so a round just 1 better counts: 47 and 46 average 46.5, which rounds down to 46. Some club pages still quote the pre 2023 2 point margin; the margin is a setting in the desk, defaulting to 1, with 2 kept as an option.
- No going backwards: a worse round never makes the handicap worse during the season.
- Season reset: on 1 January (outdoor) or 1 July (indoor), the new handicap is the average of the best three handicaps of the season just ended. With fewer than three, average what was shot with the previous season's start value.
- Separate handicaps for indoors and outdoors, and for each bowstyle.
Rounding is where older material disagrees. Before 2023 averages were rounded up, and some club pages still say so; Archery Geekery, Glasgow Archers and the Golden Records scheme changes page all say that since 2023 they are rounded down. The desk rounds down by default and lets you change it, with the sources shown next to the setting.
Worked example: one archer's season
An invented recurve archer shoots five outdoor rounds in 2026. The first three give handicaps 58, 55 and 60, which average 57.67: handicap 57 rounded down (a club still rounding up would say 58). The fourth round is much better and moves the handicap; the fifth is worse and changes nothing. By the end of the year the handicap is 53.
| Date | Round | Score | Round handicap | Handicap after | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 April 2026 | National | 428 | 58 | none yet | Score 1 of 3 towards a first handicap. |
| 9 May 2026 | Hereford | 784 | 55 | none yet | Score 2 of 3 towards a first handicap. |
| 6 June 2026 | Western | 558 | 60 | 57 | First handicap: average of 58, 55, 60, rounded down. |
| 4 July 2026 | Hereford | 882 | 50 | 53 | Improved: average of 57 and 50, rounded down. |
| 1 August 2026 | National | 438 | 57 | 53 | Not better than the current handicap, so no change. |
On 1 January 2027 the handicap is reset: average of the best three handicaps of 2026 (50, 55, 57), rounded down, giving 54. That is worse than the 53 the archer finished on, which is normal: the reset looks at the best three, not the best one.
Common mistakes
- Averaging the three scores instead of the three handicaps. Scores on different rounds cannot be averaged; their handicaps can.
- Rounding up because an old handout says so. Since 2023 averages are rounded down.
- Letting a bad round make the handicap worse during the season. Only the season reset can do that.
- Mixing bowstyles: a barebow round does not change a recurve handicap.
- Using the old 2011 tables. The 2023 scale is different, so an old handicap of 40 is not a new handicap of 40.
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 many scores do you need for an archery handicap?
Three official rounds. The first handicap is the average of their three handicaps, rounded down.
How much better does a round have to be to improve a handicap?
Any amount. Since 2023 averages are rounded down, which Archery GB's FAQ says was done to remove the old need for a clear 2 point improvement. Some older club pages still quote the 2 point margin.
Are archery handicap averages rounded up or down?
Down, since the 2023 scheme. Before 2023 they were rounded up, which is why some older club pages still say up.
Can my handicap get worse?
Not during a season. It can get worse at the season reset, which averages your best three handicaps of the season just ended.
Is a lower handicap better?
Yes, in the Archery GB scheme. Archery Australia uses a rating where a higher number is better.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- Outdoor Classification and Handicap FAQs, Archery GB, undated FAQ page for the 2023 scheme, Wayback Machine copy read 27 September 2026. Used for: Averages rounded down instead of up since 2023, a change made so archers no longer need a clear 2 point improvement before their handicap comes down.
- How to be an Archery Club Records Officer: Part 3, Handicaps, Archery Geekery, published 4 April 2023, read 27 September 2026. Used for: First handicap from three official rounds, improvement averaging, rounding down, season restarts on 1 January and 1 July from the best three, and one handicap per bowstyle indoors and out.
- 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.
- Handicapping 2023, Glasgow Archers, undated page describing the January 2023 scheme, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Rounding averages down since 2023 with a worked example. Its improvement only on a round at least 2 better is the pre 2023 procedure, kept in the desk as an option, not the default.
- Changes to Archery GB Handicaps and Classifications, Toxik Software (Golden Records Online), undated, read 27 September 2026. Used for: Averages now rounded down, not up; first handicaps after three rounds; classifications by dozens of arrows rather than three scores.
- 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).
- archeryutils (source code and changelog, release 3.0.0), Jack Atkinson, MIT licence, release 3.0.0 of 28 May 2026, commit of 15 June 2026, read 27 September 2026. Used for: The handicap equations, the 2026 classification schemes, the round definitions, and the Open and Female category names; ported line for line into Endbook and tested against its test suite.
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.