The TAP handicap scoring system is the most complex in the industry. There are numerous variables that are used to formulate a player's handicap rating. This information is intended to address the most commonly asked questions and to provide a better understanding of how and what determines a players handicap rating.
If you look at the entire scoring system, wins & losses account for only 20% of the  rating.
The other 80% is based on performance variables: completions, misses, defense, MOB, LOT, the handicap race, the outcome of the race, and the handicap of your opponent (even matches have a higher priority over unevenly rated matches).

Handicapping is always live and includes team and singles tournaments.
Your handicap rating is based on your last 21 matches. The system takes those matches, removes your best game and your worst game and recalculates that data to give you a handicap. Every time a new match is entered, one old match is also removed. If your handicap rating changes, its not because you won or lost that week, it is also based on those other match changes (best and worst matches being removed). Remember, every time a score-sheet is entered there are 4 things that change in your handicap calculation; 1-a new match is added, 2-an old match is removed, 3-the best match removed and 4- the worst match removed.

Different leagues use different systems for calculating handicaps.
Even though our rating numbers (2-7) are the same as another league, the method or scale used to calculate the handicaps are different. The TAP system actually divides each handicap into 10 sub handicaps: .01 to .09 with .09 being the highest. A (5)  in the other league may only be a (4.9) in TAP. In many cases, our ratings are ½ to 1 full rating lower than the other league. This means that a weak (5) in the other league may be a strong (4) in TAP. A strong (5) in the other league may be a (5.2) in TAP. A lot of players are conditioned from the other system which makes it harder to understand the new system you've chosen to play in. In the other league there are players ranked (7) that could be an (8) or (9) but the scale ends at (7) so that player can not be moved up . He is capped at a (7). If that player’s game improves he gains an advantage over the weaker player because he is actually playing at an (8) handicap even though it doesn't exist. In addition, handicap movement is also slower because the rating scale has wider margins for each handicap.
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