My Handicap Index has a red indicator by it and says it's been capped. What does this mean?

What is a soft cap / hard cap?

Capping is an automated procedure of the World Handicap System (Rule of Handicapping 5.8) and is triggered when a player's Handicap Index increases at least 3.0 strokes beyond their Low Handicap Index established in the last 365-days. Since the player's Low HI is an anchor point for their best performance, the system will suppress an increase of the regular Handicap Index at a 50% rate (soft cap), and restrict an increase once the player's Index reaches 5.0 strokes over their Low HI (hard cap). It's important to note that the system will allow an increase of the player's Index but is designed to simply slow the rate down with a soft cap (these are fairly common); while a hard cap actually stops upward movement of the player's Index. In most instances, a hard cap occurs when the player has suffered an injury or illness, and these players will want to speak with their club's Handicap Committee for a review / possible Handicap Index adjustment.