Chicago

Chicago — also known simply as Quota — solves the problem of matching very different abilities in a way no other format does: instead of handing you strokes, it hands you a target. Every player starts with a points quota based on their handicap, and accumulates points through the round for what they do on each hole. The winner is whoever beats their own quota by the most.

The consequence is elegant: you are not playing the others, you are playing the expected version of yourself. A 26-handicap can beat a 5 without either of them feeling the system cheated.

The points table

This is the fixed part of the format and everyone uses it the same way:

Result on the hole	Points
Double bogey or worse	0
Bogey	1
Par	2
Birdie	4
Eagle	8
Albatross	16

Notice that the points double at every step down. That progression is what gives the format its character: a birdie is not worth a bit more than a par, it is worth exactly twice as much, and an eagle is worth four pars. Chicago rewards good holes disproportionately.

Important: these points are calculated on your gross score against the par of the hole, not on net. The handicap advantage is already baked into the quota.

How the quota is calculated

The classic version starts from 39 points and subtracts the player’s handicap:

Quota = 39 − course handicap

Player	Course handicap	Quota
Ana	4	35
Ben	12	27
Carl	20	19
Dana	28	11

Ana needs 35 points to break even; Dana needs only 11. Everyone has the bar set at the height of their own game.

The 39 is the traditional Chicago number, but it is not sacred: some groups use 36 as the base so quotas are more reachable, and some clubs adjust the base to the course. What matters is that everyone plays off the same base and that it is agreed before the first tee.

How to play it, step by step

1. Work out each player’s quota and write it clearly on the card.
2. Agree what each point above or below quota is worth.
3. Play the hole normally. Everyone holes out.
4. Convert the gross score into points using the table and record it.
5. Repeat for all 18 holes and total the points earned.
6. Subtract the quota: points earned − quota = result. A positive number is how far you beat your own level; a negative one is how far you fell short. Highest result wins.

A worked scorecard

Ben, handicap 12, so a quota of 27:

Hole	Par	Score	Result	Points
1	4	5	Bogey	1
2	3	3	Par	2
3	5	4	Birdie	4
4	4	7	Triple	0
5	4	4	Par	2
6	3	5	Double	0
Running				9

Nine points in six holes against a quota of 27 for eighteen. He is exactly on pace: 1.5 points a hole is 27 across the round. Keep that up and he finishes level; the birdie on the 3rd bought back the margin he lost on the 4th and the 6th.

Chicago and Stableford are not the same thing

They get confused constantly because both are points systems, but they work in opposite directions:

	Chicago	Stableford
Points based on	Gross score	Net score
Handicap applied	In the starting quota	As strokes on individual holes
Scale	1 / 2 / 4 / 8 (doubling)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 (linear)
Benchmark	Your personal quota	36 points for everyone

In practice: Chicago rewards the spectacular hole far more, and Stableford rewards consistency far more.

Strategy

• Attack the par 5s. With a doubling scale, a birdie is four points: one hole can wipe out two bad ones.
• A bogey is not a disaster, a double is. The fall from 1 to 0 is total. When a hole goes wrong, play to secure the bogey; that point matters.
• There is no ceiling. Unlike match play, a brilliant hole here scores without limit. Three holes from home and losing, an eagle changes your afternoon.
• Beware the soft quota. If your handicap is inflated, your quota is low and everybody notices. Chicago exposes dishonest handicaps faster than any other format.
• Track points hole by hole, not the gap to quota. Knowing you need seven points in four holes only makes you play tight.

Common variations

Chicago off 36. Same mechanic with lower quotas. More players finish in the black, which plays better in a big group.

Team Chicago. Team members’ quotas and points are combined. Widely used at club events as an alternative to team Stableford.

Chicago with negatives. Add −1 for a double bogey and −3 for a triple or worse. It hardens the format and punishes the blow-up hole.

Rolling quota. The quota adjusts round to round based on how the last one went. It is a miniature in-house handicap system for a group that always plays together.