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Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player's potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player's Course Handicap. ESC is used only when a player's actual or most likely score exceeds the player's maximum number based on the table below.[1]
| Course Handicap | Maximum per Hole Score |
| 9 or less | Double Bogey |
| 10 to 19 | 7 |
| 20 to 29 | 8 |
| 30 to 39 | 9 |
| 40 or more | 10 |
Within the RCGA Handicap calculation process, the ESC is implemented as a limit to the number of strokes "above par" for determining a players handicap. This limit will define the maximum per-hole, based on the par score for the hole, rather than providing the same maximum score for all holes on a course.
The ESC for a player is determined on per "course handicap" basis as calculated for each player, and results in the following ESC values:
| Course Handicap | Maximum Number on any Hole |
|---|---|
| 0 or + | 1 over par |
| 1 through 18 | 2 over par |
| 19 through 32 | 3 over par |
| 33 and over | 4 over par |