Audience: League admins & players | Level: Beginner | Requires: League or event without handicap scoring enabled
⚡ Quick answer
Starting Scores are a manual tool that lets league admins (or players) assign a score offset to any player — similar to a custom handicap. They are separate from UDisc's Handicap Leagues feature. If your event has handicap scoring turned on, the starting score field is disabled; you must choose one or the other.
⚠️ Starting Scores are not the same as UDisc Handicap Leagues. UDisc Handicap Leagues automatically calculate handicaps using player data — admins cannot edit those. Starting Scores are a completely separate feature where you enter the adjustment yourself. See the Handicap Leagues FAQ if you're looking for information on automatically calculated handicaps.
#️⃣ What are starting scores?
A starting score is a manual score offset assigned to a player before their round begins. It works like a custom handicap — a player with a starting score of -3 begins their round at -3 before throwing a single disc.
Starting scores are useful when:
You want to run your own custom handicap system
You need to apply a penalty or bonus to a specific player
Your league doesn't use (or isn't eligible for) UDisc's automatic Handicap Leagues feature
When at least one player has a starting score, an ADJ (adjustment) column appears on the leaderboard, visible to both admins and the public.
🛠️ How do I set starting scores as an admin?
Once a player has been added to the event and a card grouping has been published, you can set their starting score from your Event tools:
Go to the Leaderboard tab of your Event tools
Tap the pencil ✏️ icon to the right of the player's name
Select Adjust scores and penalties
In the Edit scores screen, enter the player's score in the Starting score field
Tap Save
💭 A few things to keep in mind:
Each player's starting score must be set individually — there's no bulk option
Starting scores can only be entered after a player has been added to or registered for the event
If handicap scoring is enabled for the event, the starting score field will be unavailable — you must turn off handicap scoring first
🙋 Can players set their own starting scores?
Yes — players can enter their own starting score when creating their scorecard for a league or event:
Tap Start round from the event page
Add players to the scorecard
On the Round setup screen, scroll down to Customize your round
Tap Starting scores
Enter the starting score for each player on the card
Tap Start my round
🔧 Troubleshooting
Issue: The starting score field is greyed out or missing
This happens when handicap scoring is enabled for the event. Starting scores and handicap scoring cannot be used at the same time.
Solution:
If you want to use manual starting scores, turn off handicap scoring for the event in the Edit event screen
If you want to use UDisc's automatically calculated handicaps instead, leave handicap scoring on — but know that those handicaps cannot be manually edited
Issue: I don't see an ADJ column on the leaderboard
The ADJ (adjustment) column only appears once at least one player has a starting score applied. If no starting scores have been set, the column won't show.
Solution: Set a starting score for at least one player using the admin steps above.
Issue: A player registered but I can't set their starting score yet
Starting scores can only be set after the player has been added to the event and a card grouping has been published.
Solution: Publish the card grouping first, then return to the Leaderboard tab to set the starting score.
🔗 Related resources
⚖️ Handicap scoring (automatic):
⚖️ Handicap leagues FAQs — Use this if you want UDisc to automatically calculate handicaps based on player history. Note: you cannot manually edit UDisc-generated handicaps.
⚖️ How do I find my handicap in a UDisc league? — Player guide for finding their automatically generated handicap
✏️ Score adjustments:
✏️ How can I adjust players' scores for an event? — For making corrections after a round has started
📋 League setup:
📋 Managing scorecards for singles events — Required before admin starting scores can be set
Need more help? Check out the UDisc Landing Zone here for tips from fellow league admins, or reach out via chat or at help@udisc.com.
🗂️ Article details
Category: Leagues & Events → For Organizers → League & Event Set Up
Last updated: June 2026
Topics covered: starting score, score adjustment, manual handicap, custom handicap, ADJ column, leaderboard, scorecard, penalties, handicap scoring
Related features: Starting Scores, Leaderboard, Event tools, Handicap Leagues Requirements: League or event with handicap scoring turned off; card grouping published before admin can set scores