Handicapping

How does handicapping in polo work?

Players can get a handicap if they are a member of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) and an HPA affiliated club. To move from beginner with chukka only membership to a handicapped player, a HPA rules test must be passed and deemed safe to play by their club. 

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Handicaps start at -2 and go up to 10. Most players have a handicap of between -2 and +1. 

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When teams play each other, the sum of all four players' handicaps are combined. If one team has a higher combined handicap (in polo we call this their 'goals', for example a 4-goal team) then the team with less goals is awarded extra goals on the scoreboard before the game begins. 

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At university, we play under Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA) rules. This splits players into five sections; Beginner, Median, Novice, Lower Intermediate, and Upper Intermediate. When playing in SUPA tournaments, players all play off a minimum handicap of 'S' or their HPA handicap. 

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For more information about handicapping visit: 

https://www.supa.org.uk/universities/supa-rules-for-universities/ 

http://hpa-polo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Handicapping-Explained.pdf 

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