Definitions: Player's Index is an exact handicap used with slope charts or the formulae "Index(Slope/113)"  to determine the player's Course Handicap(CH) which is rounded up or down to the nearest whole number. A Course Handicap is for general play. 

 In competitions, a player's CH will change by the application of handicap allowances changing to a Playing Handicap.  

Where players play from different tees in the same competition Adjustments to CH are needed to compensate for a difference in difficulty between tees, based on each Course Rating (CR). The exception is mixed foursomes, where each team comprises of one man and one woman, in which case each side cancels out the other with no need for any CR adjustments. The handicap allowance is half the combined CH. 

Note, all adjustments and allowances are to the player's rounded Course Handicap not their Index.  

General Play, previously social golf, including Supplementary Cards, the latter is now a scorecard returned for handicap purposes from a general play round as part of the players running total of 20 cards, full course handicap(CH) applies.  Follow the link below for a full listing of Competition handicap allowances.

Qualifying competitions, individual stroke-play, such as medals, stablefords and par/bogey, where players play against the course. Playing Handicaps are 95% of the player's course handicap. In formats or matches against others, singles match-play remains full handicap, with the difference in handicap between players, being the number of strokes given to the higher handicap player. Fourball Better Ball Match-play playing handicaps are 90% of CH with strokes taken from the player with the lowest handicap. 

 Handicap allowances and adjustments are set-out by the Committee in the Conditions of Competition.