I'm ~13. No progress 2025.*
Somehow feels better to think of myself as 75th percentile among all golfers, versus thinking of myself as 50th percentile among real golfers….
by GoldShammGold
I'm ~13. No progress 2025.*
Somehow feels better to think of myself as 75th percentile among all golfers, versus thinking of myself as 50th percentile among real golfers….
by GoldShammGold
41 Comments
No because I probably play way more than anyone within 1 standard deviation of me
Golf is hard…
of people who keep a handicap
How do they get a percentage of all golfers?
This is not even close to “All Golfers”. The vast majority of those who play golf will never have a handicap.
I’m curious what percentage of golfers who keep a handicap actually play by the rules. I feel like most golfers I know over a 15 handicap don’t even know how to play white stakes.
Until you start monitoring your handicap, it’s hard to really see what parts of your game need improvement.
I’m a 12
Playing with my brother in law, giving him 9 strokes a side and still winning by 4 after 18 makes me feel a little better about my game.
Any data on the ability of golfers that is self reported is going to be skewed much higher than reality because the vast majority of golfers would see their scores balloon if they were forced to putt out all their 3 foot gimmes, hit 3 from the tee when OB, etc..
No way that this is correct data. I have handicap 17 and I am among the top 10% of all golfers in my home country (the Netherlands). Sure, numbers will be different in the US, but it’s impossible, that it’s completely different.
Hmmm, a scratch golfer is 3.0% of chart #1, but 2.8% in chart #2 with millions more players.
I would have expected the scratch golfers to drop into to under 2% because I wouldn’t expect too many of those additional 18 million golfers to be scratch players. If I’m reading it right it seems like there’s a solid 2.0-2.5% of golfers in the scratch bracket from the additional the 18 milion recreational golfers based on the scratch golfer numbers going from 3.0% to 2.8%
Here’s the thing in the U.S. – you cannot trust anyone’s handicap thanks to social & solo rounds being posted by everyone. A very, very small percentage of golfers play by the rules of golf
Someone show this to that guy that was frustrated he got to a 9 and couldn’t get to scratch
Knowing how many here dont play by the rules and do so proudly, I think it would skew over even more.
I have ran into a lot of people who claim to be a “15” and can’t get off the T box. I would expect this data to be skewed into such. How many rounds I’ve played as a random single with people, my experience would point towards 29 to be the 50th percentile.
Ain’t no fucking way “all recreational golfers” average a 19 lol. If they kept real scores by the rules the average would absolutely be well over a 30.
The data on the right is self reported survey results. So way unreliable / invalid.
No because I play for myself to get better and I still struggle with that.
I don’t know, I think 25% of “golfers” is a tranche size that makes sense for people who play often enough and just can’t or don’t care to do it or newer players. Most randoms I have gotten seem to be firmly in the 85-99 category with maybe 15% being outliers from there and that experience would confirm the data shown.
Yes it does. 🤔
The all golfers 50th percentile seems really low if you go by everybody playing on course. I’d bet in actuality it’s more like 25 or 30 based on what I see, and I play a decent variety of courses regularly. Yes, there are plenty of lower handicap players out there, but they are far out populated by guys who can’t possibly shoot under 100 if they play by the rules correctly.
How many randoms you play with can hit a fairway wood consistently?
No cause I know I can be better.
No, but not caring does. Handicaps for their intended purpose make a ton of sense. As a flex, weak-sauce.
I’d take this with a huge grain of salt. My fiancé’s brother is listed as a three but I’ve never seen him break 85
As someone with a handicap that went from 3.4 to 5.6 in the past year; yes…it makes me feel slightly better.
But I still suck. Fuck golf.
14.2 hcp average, no way in hell this is accurate. I played quit a bit in the USA as an European and i can say i rarely met someone that played anywhere near there hcp. Americans tend to take allot of breakfasts balls, mulli’s and free drops and fill in their scores as if nothing happened. For reference i’m a 1.6 hcp and currently im just in the top 1000 in my country out off 430k people playing golf… Most qualifying rounds here are played during club matches/tournaments so no chance of faking it.
Yet I still had to argue semi recently with someone that shooting in the 100s is common for most golfers.
What are the percentage lies and how many don’t keep track of score? I normally play match play game with friends and don’t normally track total strokes.
I still think the true 50th percentile for all golfers is like 28. Way too many people get over 100 when I play.
Yeah this does make me feel a little worse lol. I’m about a 25 handicap. Despite monthly lessons for the past year and a half my scores really haven’t changed (I’ve also been practicing 3-4 times per week most weeks and playing at least once or twice a month). I consider myself pretty athletic. I played soccer at a D1 college level, and was decent at baseball and basketball, but golf is just not clicking for whatever reason.
All the data is BS. I keep a real score and I usually shoot between 93-100.
I played a better round than two dudes I was paired with a few months ago and they both recorded under 90.
They both lost several balls and were three putting.
Don’t get too caught up with score and just enjoy yourself.
That’s good. I took up the game last year and I’m right at the 50th perc entile. Got down to an 18.4.
My best round this year was 84 and my worst was 103.
The goal for 2026 is to break 80!
I’m super pumped that I just broke a hundred for the first time, and I almost broke 90 at the same time. lol let’s see how I do tomorrow.
I’m just impressed that the entire population of 90th percentile golfers are a part of this subreddit.
Absolutely no way in hell that 75% of recreational golfers handicap under 100.
Woohoo! Below average on both charts! 🤷
Possibly the only statistic in my life where I’ve been average….
I would bet everything I have in life that 50th percentile is nowhere near to breaking 100, let alone being 13/19 handicap.
In my country, to play a full 18 hole round you have to have a handicap (barring the first round, played with a person who has a handicap and vouches for you, but you have to take the written test first). You also used to have to take a course by a pga pro, but that has been removed.
Long story short: when everyone actual records their handicap, the average is about 25.4. We also have more fit inhabitants and everyone walks, so when I see the average being in the teens in the US, I’m just assuming it’s garbage.
Idk, im a 17 on a good day and of the 100s of rounds with strangers of played less than 10% are gonna beat me if they play by the rules
I’m sorry but these two graphs are not accurate, likely due to self reporting. For example, a 13 handicap regularly shoots in the 80s, including from back tees. According to even the graph on the right, 25% of golfers can do that or better. Bullshit. I’ve been playing for 30 years in various settings at courses that run the gamut from minis to elite private clubs and there’s absolutely no fucking way 25% of golfers regularly break 90, from any tee.