Ok, here's for Ken (since he said he's never seen a club make a point of the difference between stroke and match play handicapping) and everyone else. I've had a great conversation with my assistant pro and his description makes this topic very easy to understand (at least for me). Take a look at our scorecard:
That's how it ought to be everywhere.
But the pro left out what I think it is the most important difference (and the reason the USGA recommends doing this).
The stroke play indexes make the most difference in fourball stroke play. There, the partners are going to get strokes wehre they need them, on the hardest holes.
Ken