The GPI is a golf scoring and handicap system which uses points earned on individual holes in order to determine score and handicap.

1 Point for a bogey
3 points for a par
5 points for a birdie
8 points for an eagle

If you have an Index of under 10, you also get 0.5 points for a double bogey. If your index is 10 or over, you get 0 points for any score above bogey.

A little. Frank Stableford, in 1931 devised a scoring system which was based on points. It was however, not very equitable. It did not take into account how much harder it was to get a par than a bogey and how much harder it is to get a birdie than a par.

Yes, in part. The modified stableford scoring system was the first to take into account and reward really good performances on a hole. In fact, it is currently used on a PGA event. But the point system is very much set up for professional golfers. It awards 0 points for a par. That makes no sense for an amateur golfer where par is a great result. In addition, it subtracts points for bogeys and double bogeys. The GPI does not penalize you for your blow up holes. It just doesn't reward you.

Yes. It is both an alternate and additional way to keep score as well as a brand new way to measure your level and track your progress. Your GPI is your 9 hole average point total.

Golfers like statistics. Many of us keep count of fairways in regulation and number of putts. This is another fun and interesting statistic which helps you gauge your success and progress. You are marking down a score for each hole regardless of which system you use to count. Figuring out your GPI will only take a few minutes more of addition. We imagine that the great majority of golfers who use ‎as an additional scoring method rather than a replacement but many others will just choose to use GPI.

First and foremost, we are hard wired to participate in sports where we accumulate points. It is in our DNA and it is a huge motivating factor. ‎ Getting and counting points is fun. Second, the current stroke based scoring system does not equitably reward a player for making a good score. It makes absolutely no sense that a birdie (which, for some of us is rarer than a solar eclipse) is worth only one stroke less than a par.

The GPI treats each hole as a stand alone challenge and rewards you based on how you do in relationship to par. A weighted scoring system also allows a player to make up for a blow up hole (or two) early or late in the round. Currently, it is virtually impossible for a casual amateur player to make up for a double or triple bogey. The GPI allows you to make up for a 0 on one hole with a 3 or even a 5 on the next. It keeps you considerably more focused and engaged- especially if you have had a bad start. Conversely, a bad finish does not blow your entire round because you have already booked your early points which can not be taken away from you.

Accumulating points is a fun challenge regardless of your level of play. You will find yourself comparing point totals from round to round. But the GPI system is especially useful when choosing and evaluating partners and competitors in match play. A player's handicap tells you a lot but combine that with their GPI- a high GPI is a mark of a player who might get you a lot of birdies - and you really get a complete sense of that player.

Like all other rules in golf which are self enforced, it all depends on the players. High handicaps should pick up if they can't make double or better while lower handicaps should pick up if they haven't made bogey or better. They system rewards good results but doesn't penalize bad holes.

Yes. Salvaging a point after being out of bounds will be a challenge.

YES! Emphatically. We want to make things easier. But we also want to make then better. This is a much better and more equitable scoring system for the amateur golfer. Rewards for doing well. No points if you do poorly. But you don't get penalized for doing poorly. You just don't get a point. The system measures your success for each individual hole and rewards you accordingly. But it also doesn't penalize you if you have one or more blow up hole which can sometimes ruin the entire round.

GPI gives you the best of both worlds. We use an algorithm in order to adjust for course difficulty from different courses and different tee boxes, and we also display your GPI for each individual golf course.

It allows you to set up an account and start entering your scores. One of the advantages of the GPI system is that it allows you to play as many or as few holes as you like. Just use the drop down to select the number of holes you played and then enter the total score for those holes. Our back end calculator will do the rest. Rained out after 7 holes? No problem. Want to play 21 holes? No problem. Group ahead is slowing you down so you go back and play a few holes again? No problem. Enter your scores for the holes you played. GPI takes your last 180 holes and then calculates your 9 hole Index.

The home page of the website shows your Current GPI and your Career GPI. You can also go deeper into stats and compare different times and even see your GPI for individual golf courses.

If your Index is 15 and that of your opponent is 12, he gets a 3 point advantage for a 9 hole match. It is considerably fairer than the current system in which you are given a stroke on specific holes. Using the GPI allows you to make up the difference using all 9 holes. It is great for individual and team matches.