Handicaps & Classifications

Within the club we run the handicap and classification systems as defined by Archery GB on their Handicap Explainer and Outdoor Classifications and Handicaps pages. Scores are submitted to the Records Officer who then maintains the records for individual archers and calculates their handicap and awards any classifications.

Since we only have an outdoor range, all our handicaps and classifications are outdoor, though an indoor classification level is logged for rounds that would normally be shot indoors (badges are not awarded for these at the club, however).

We also award Badges when your handicap reaches certain milestones, or when you achieve a certain outdoor classification, for you to proudly wear on your quiver belt. Or your hat.

Handicaps

Handicaps in archery serve a similar purpose to those in golf: the lower the handicap, the more skilled the archer. However, because archers shoot many different rounds—each with its own distances, face sizes, and maximum scores—a handicap cannot simply be added to / subtracted from every round in the way golf handicaps are applied. Instead, handicaps are derived from standardised tables that relate a specific score on a specific round to a handicap number.

The use of handicaps allow an archer to see how they are progressing within the sport, and also to allow archers of different abilities to compete against each other.

The club’s Records Officer uses these official tables to calculate handicaps. As your shooting improves, the scores you achieve correspond to lower handicap numbers.

New archers receive their initial handicap after completing three qualifying rounds. The starting handicap is the average of the handicap values for those three scores.

Although the handicap value for any given round depends solely on the round type and the score achieved, the club maintains separate handicaps for each bow style you shoot (recurve, barebow, longbow, compound). This allows different bow styles to compete fairly against one another, and allows archers to switch between different bow styles without their handicap jumping around! Unlike classifications, calculated handicaps do not depend on bow style, gender, or age group—only on round and score.

During the Season

Once you have a handicap, every recognised round you shoot produces a handicap value based on your score.

  • If this new value is better (lower) than your current handicap, your official handicap is reduced to the average of the two values, rounded down
  • If the new value is worse (higher), your handicap remains unchanged

This means that throughout the season your handicap can only stay the same or improve; it cannot increase.

Start of a New Season

On 1st January, your handicap is recalculated from your best three scores of the previous year, regardless of your end‑of‑season handicap. As a result, your starting handicap for the new season may be higher or lower than the one you finished with.

Calculating Your Own Handicap

You can look up the handicap for any score using an online handicap calculator (e.g. this online calculator). Similar tools can also generate target scores for handicap‑based competitions by converting your current handicap into expected scores for different rounds (e.g. this calculator).

For a more detailed explanation of the UK handicap system, see: https://archerygeekery.co.uk/2023/06/13/beginners-series-handicaps/

Classifications

In line with the Archery GB Classification Scheme, the club awards the following outdoor classification badges: Archer 3rd Class, Archer 2nd Class, Archer 1st Class, Bowman 3rd Class, Bowman 2nd Class, and Bowman 1st Class.

The top three levels—Master Bowman, Grand Master Bowman, and Elite Master Bowman—can only be awarded by Archery GB.

To qualify for any of these badges, an archer must achieve the required scores—effectively shooting to a particular handicap level, though the exact level varies by gender, age group, and bow style. These scores must be obtained in recognised rounds totalling:

  • 12 dozen arrows for the Archer tier
  • 18 dozen arrows for the Bowman tier

The rounds do not need to be the same type, but they must be shot within the same season and at recognised club shoots or tournaments. Our regular Sunday shoots do qualify, but usually the more informal practice sessions on a Friday during the summer months do not.

Finding the Required Scores

The scores needed for each classification depend on your gender, age group, bow style and round

The club Records Officer will do all this lookup for you, and track how many dozen arrows you have shot at each classification level, so it may be a pleasant surprise when you are awarded a new classification badge!

Useful resources for finding required scores to attain a classification level include:

Keeping (and Losing) a Classification

When you achieve a particular outdoor classification for the first time, the club awards you the corresponding badge. You retain that classification for the rest of the current season (ending 31st December), and throughout the following season.

If you do not achieve (or exceed) that classification level again during the following season, you will lose it for the season after that—dropping to whichever classification level you did achieve. We do not, however, ask for badges to be returned!

Indoor Classifications

Archery GB also defines indoor classifications (Indoor Archer 3rd Class, etc.), but the club does not award these because we do not have an indoor range. Although we shoot indoor rounds outdoors during winter, they do not qualify for indoor badges. The Records Officer will still maintain an Indoor Classification for each archer for reference, but since the rounds are shot outdoors, it can be slightly misleading.

For a more in-depth look at UK Archery Classifications, the following page gives a great description: https://archerygeekery.co.uk/2023/07/25/beginners-series-part-3-outdoor-classifications/

Bow Style Allowances

Some trophies are competed for which do not use handicaps, but instead provide a fixed allowance for different bow styles so that the different bow styles can compete against each other. These generally amount to a penalty for compound bows, zero for recurve, and a positive allowance for barebow/traditional bow. The details may change for different trophies.

Archery Phone Apps

Many archers like to track their own progress using an app for their phone.

You can use these to log every score for every round you shoot. Most allow you to score each individual arrow, and some even allow you to log the position of every arrow to help coaching with arrow grouping etc.

These apps will usually give you an immediate view of what handicap you achieved for that round, as well as whether the score contributes towards a particular classification. Some will track your handicap throughout the season, and tell you when you have attained a particular classification level.

Use of these apps is definitely encouraged. Note however that, officially, the paper scoresheets are the master copies of the scores, and the club Records Officer’s allocation of handicaps and classification is the official one (at times, for example, rounds may be deemed to be ineligible for use in handicap calculations). If using an app to track your score, please do check that it corresponds to the arrow scores noted at the time as unfortunately corrections to arrow scores cannot be made later (though corrections to the mental arithmetic in adding up the scores can, and often does, occur later!)

Examples of such apps include (note that not all are available for both iPhone and Android) My Targets (Android), Expert Archer (Android), Expert Archer (iPhone), Archery Scoresheets (iPhone). Ask around at the club and see which apps other members use and recommend.