In singles or four-ball match play, the player with the lowest course handicap plays at scratch, and the other player or players receive the difference between the scratch player's course handicap and their own. For example, in a four-ball match (two players play their better ball against the better ball of two other players), if Player A has a course handicap of 4, and the other three players have course handicaps of 5, 10 and 15, then the 4-handicapper would receive no strokes. The other three players would receive one, six and 11 strokes, respectively. To clarify, the 10-handicapper gets six strokes on the holes rated Nos. 1-6 in difficulty on the scorecard (hole handicaps).

By DEAN KNUTH, Golf Digest Contributing Editor. The former senior director of the USGA handicap department, invented today's Course Rating and Slope system.

From Golf Digest October 2011, page 38