How the Turnt Index works

What it's for

Most groups need some way to even out a match when players are at different levels. If everyone in your group has an official handicap already, use it — Turnt supports that. The Turnt Index exists for the people who don't: the friend who plays every Saturday but never joined a club, the guest filling an empty spot, the whole group that just wants a fair game without anyone signing up for anything.

Where the number comes from

Every time you finish a round in Turnt, the app looks at how you scored relative to the difficulty of the tees you played. It keeps a rolling history of your recent rounds — up to your last twenty — and builds your Index from a selection of your better ones, so a single blow-up round doesn't define you. As you play more, it draws on more of your history and settles down.

You can also bring in rounds you played before you found Turnt, either by entering them yourself or by uploading screenshots of your scoring history from another app. Those count the same way rounds played in Turnt do.

“Provisional” means it's still settling

Your Index shows up after your very first completed round, but a number built from one or two rounds isn't worth much yet — so Turnt labels it Provisional until you have at least three. A provisional Index is fine for seeing where you stand. Treat it with some suspicion before putting real money behind it.

It resists sudden jumps

Once you have enough history, the Index limits how fast it can climb after a run of bad rounds — it compares against the best your number has been recently and smooths out a sharp rise. It can always come down freely. The point is that a couple of rough days shouldn't hand you strokes you haven't earned.

That brake needs to know your recent best, and it works that out from your own history — which takes a while if you're brand new here. If you already know your best index from the last twelve months, you can tell Turnt on your handicap page and the brake starts working straight away. It can only ever pull your Index down, never push it up.

What you control, and what others see

You can leave a round out of your own record — a practice round, a score entered wrong, a round someone else played on your card. Turnt makes you give a reason, and it keeps that reason on file.

Be aware of what that does and doesn't mean today. Whoever sets up a round sees each player's number and whether it is still settling, but your scoring record, your individual rounds, and any rounds you have left out are visible only to you. So the number is only ever as honest as the person behind it — which is fine among friends playing for small money, and worth knowing before you play anyone else.

Where it can't be used

The Turnt Index is not an official handicap and can't be used anywhere one is required — club competitions, association events, tournaments, or qualifying. Those need a handicap issued through an authorized golf association. If you play in events like that, keep your official handicap; Turnt is for the rest of your golf.

Questions about your number? Email support@turntgolf.com. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.