Benchmarks

A scratch golfer beats par on par 5s. A 25 handicap plays them two over. Here are par 3, par 4 and par 5 scoring averages from 0 to 25, and where the strokes over par come from at each level.

A scratch golfer pars almost two holes in three. A 15 handicap pars about one in four, and a 25 handicap one in seven. Here are pars per round from 0 to 25, next to the birdies, bogeys and doubles that make up the rest of the card.

A scratch golfer saves par from greenside sand a little more than one time in three. A 25 handicap does it one time in ten. Here is sand save % by handicap from 0 to 25, with the rest of the stat line next to it.

A 40 handicap shoots 112 on a good day and roughly 115 to 118 on a normal one. Here is what the published data says about golfers from 36 to 54, what it leaves out, and how a 40 compares to scratch through 30.

Across Arccos golfers, the average handicap goes from 9.6 under age 30 to 14.9 at 70 and over. Here is what the data says changes with age, and the stat line behind every handicap.

A scratch golfer shoots 37 or 38 for nine holes. A 15 handicap shoots about 45, and a 30 handicap about 53. Here is the typical 9-hole score at every level, with the stat line behind it.