The USGA tracks the 9 and 18-hole scores of millions of golfers through their handicap system with about 3.2 million players in the United States currently posting their scores to maintain a Handicap Index which gives us the best picture of what an average golfer might look like.
This sophisticated tool is a measurement of a player’s demonstrated ability on a course of standard playing difficulty, which is tailored to the course and tees they are playing on a particular day to provide them with a Course Handicap.
According to Golf Journal the average Handicap Index is 14.2 for men and 28.7 for women. The collection of golfers with a Handicap Index skews towards a number of more seriously engaged golfers who also play more regularly though so does that mean that is where the mark is for an ‘average’ golfer.
What is the average score?
The National Golf Foundation, which conducts monthly and annual participation surveys of more than 36,000 golfers, concludes that the average 18-hole score for men and women in the United States is about 94.
However, there are limitations to any measurement of the average golfer score, which are well acknowledged in the golf world. Millions of recreational golfers who play often do not keep score. Other players misinterpret the Rules of Golf and hence record incorrect scores, or they are open-minded regarding certain ‘unwritten rules’. Others, to put it mildly, lie through their teeth in order to increase or decrease their results.
The USGA has faith in the handicap system not only for tournament play but as a good measure of various medians and averages.
“Even if it’s a casual foursome or twosome of golfers and they want to play a game where the losers buy the post-round beers or appetizers, the World Handicap System becomes the great equalizer that gives everyone a fair chance to win,” said Lee Rainwater, the USGA’s director of handicap education and outreach.
“It’s the cornerstone of the system… the abilities of the different players might not be the same, but with a Handicap Index the round becomes fairer and more enjoyable for all.”
Why get a handicap?
More than a million golfers in the United States use the Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) App for score posting, which allows them to not only track their hole-by-hole scores but also, if desired, enter fine details about each round, such as fairways hit (and where the misses went), total putts, greens in regulation, etc. These details are used to provide a statistical image of the golfer, highlighting areas for improvement.
The USGA want to encourage golfers on the brink or new players to follow through with getting themselves onto the Handicap Index.
With the establishment of the World Handicap System, the sense of golfing community is poised to grow.
“The notion of community is very strong in golf,” said Rainwater, specifically referring to the World Handicap System that was established under the stewardship of the USGA and The R&A in 2020. “It is the first time that there was a singular calculation of golfers’ abilities around the globe. In this community, golfers who are playing at the course down the road or a golf course in Australia, South America or Japan are working from the same playing-ability computation.”
