A bowling handicap is a scoring adjustment that allows bowlers of different skill levels to compete fairly. It's calculated based on the difference between your average score and a predetermined basis score (usually 200 or 220). The standard formula is: Handicap = (Basis Score − Your Average) × Percentage Factor. For example, if the basis score is 220, your average is 150, and the percentage factor is 80%: Handicap = (220 − 150) × 0.80 = 56. You would add 56 pins to each game score. Your bowling average is the total pins knocked down divided by the number of games played. Instead of calculating your average by hand, use Alley Cat to log every game and your rolling average is computed automatically.