The 18 holes on a course are ranked according to how hard they are using the stroke index.

The hardest hole on a course – often the longest par four but not always - will be stroke index one, the easiest, stroke index 18.

The stroke index works in parallel to the handicap.

So if you have a handicap of 14, you should subtract one shot from your gross score at the holes which have been designated as stroke index one to 14.

If you have a handicap of more than 18, there will be some holes at which you can take more than one shot.

For instance with a handicap of 24, you should take two shots at holes with stroke index one to six (18 + 6 = 24).