Today's average golfer, what is your answer?

[dfreuter415]

1) how many rounds does your average golfer play per year? Both 9 holes or 18 holes = 1 round. 21

2) what does he or she typically score Men=97 - Women=115

3) what is your average age for your average Golfer ? 46

[kenstl]

30 rounds a year Avg 86 49 yrs old

[CHern5972]

25-30 rounds per yr

90 average

42 years young

[Jodastra]

around here golfers I know...

1 = 10 rounds

2 = 109

3 =  49 years

I heard it again today...we're gonna golf this year...Right...Okay?...I am 70 rounds out from the last time I played with you, in 2012. and when the other guy piped in...hey that sound good!..Skipped the whole 2000's  decade without golfing with him...

[colin007]

Yes, I did say by their rules, leaving some interpretation for everyone.

Then how could you possibly get any realistic idea of what the average golfer shoots? I don't care if the average golfer says he shot 95, he doesn't. He shoots 30 strokes higher.

[MS256]

Just going by what I see in my small golfing world where for the most part people that play, play a lot, and people that don't play, never play.

Most of the retired guys that play, play several times a week. They play from the senior tees (which are usually set up with a little too much advantage) on easy courses, and are pretty decent golfers. They play the huge majority of rounds played. All of those rounds from the seniors bring the average score way down from what is probably a national average.

Guys under 50 that play usually play once or twice a week when the weather permits. Their average scores are not as good because they play from the "men's" tees, don't play as often, and have the bulk of "newbies". They would drag the average scores way up but their aren't enough of them, plus the handful of very best golfers are also in that group and they do shoot low scores.

(1) 60 rounds.

(2) Score 85.

(3) Average age 50.

[sopel10]

1. 10 rounds

2. 94 by their rules (115 real score)

3. 45

[GangGreen]

12 rounds (figuring 2 rounds per month during the warmer months) 98 (by their count), 106 (if they scored by the rules) 40 years old (had trouble answering this one, in my area it seems like most of the golfers I run into are either in their mid-late 20s or 40+, not a lot in between)

[dave s]

Noodled on this a bit.  Here's what I'm thinking:

Rounds - 16

Score - 115

Age - 55

It's the 'old guys' who get to play and skew the numbers toward higher avg score.  They probably play a lot more than 16 rounds (as stated above) but there are too many who play casually 3-4 times a year.  This brings avg round number down.  Scoring should be high due to retired age players at the top-end and casual players at the low end not scoring well.  Not enough real players in the middle to affect the numbers positively.  And with retirees playing golf near 80 years (and beyond) of age, the average golfer age might even be higher than 55.

dave

[Maddog10]

Not counting people that only play a few times a year.

1) 9 rounds

2) 96

3) 48 years old

... Now if you were to push everyone's scores for each round in a pile and average them out, I think the average score would be much lower. My reasoning behind that is that the low handicap golfers likely play significantly more rounds than the high capper, which would bring the average down.

[Dave2512]

Average here would be the people I see most often on the course. I don't think the guy playing less than 10 rounds a year figures much into the average because they are out so infrequently and there are less of them. So I am thinking the twice maybe three times a month golfer in the 8 best months of the year here.

20

50 a side within a stroke or two either way

Late 30's to early middle age

[Robi1026]

1) 12

2) 100

3) 45

I consider my self average - but I play/practice a lot more than the average guy and I am quite a bit younger (29) - My scores range from 88-94 / with the occasional 100 posted / This is my 5th golf season. If I didn't have glaring weakness' eg. putting/chipping - I think id be above average ... Which I will achieve!!!!

Also, were on a GOLF MESSAGE BOARD!!! - lol - We by definition are addicts/junkies/etc. therefor our opinions are skewed ...

Rob

[Meltdwhiskey]

1 - 14 rounds / year

2 - 95 on the card / 110 in real life

3 - Age 40

[Robi1026]

This just came across my facebook ...

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/blogs/theinstructionblog/2014/02/fitness-friday-fantasy-vs-real.html

~~The average Handicap Index for a man is currently 14.6, according to the Golf Handicap and Information Network (ghin.com). Padjen says data strongly suggests those golfers typically swing the driver at 93.4 mph, carry the ball 192 yards, and drive it 214 yards including roll

[Dave2512]

This just came across my facebook ... [URL=http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/blogs/theinstructionblog/2014/02/fitness-friday-fantasy-vs-real.html]http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/blogs/theinstructionblog/2014/02/fitness-friday-fantasy-vs-real.html[/URL] ~~The average Handicap Index for a man is currently 14.6, according to the Golf Handicap and Information Network (ghin.com). Padjen says data strongly suggests those golfers typically swing the driver at 93.4 mph, carry the ball 192 yards, and drive it 214 yards including roll

That only takes into consideration those that keep handicaps. I assume quite a few don't, probably less than half would be my guess.

[treebound]

There is a discussion going on another site ( a non golf site) regarding what the average golfer is. Now before you answer there is: No right or wrong answer. Look at the criteria

Do not consider people who spend most of time on the range beating balls and who rarely play.

Do not consider players that play very few times a year, scrambles do not count

...

Do consider climate.

...

Don't discuss or justify the economy, weather, costs etc etc, we kind of know all that.

So our average golfer in America, I guess we'll include Canada & Europe too

1) how many rounds does your average golfer play per year? Both 9 holes or 18 holes = 1 round.

2) what does he or she typically score ( using their own rules, not playing the ball down for example or tournement rules")

3) what is your average age for your verage Golfer ?

...

When you ask for "average" golfer the question should consider those things in red in the edited quote, otherwise you no longer have an "average" golfer.

Many people can find time to hit the range or a park or vacant field or horse pasture to practice in much more often than they can allocate the time to play a full or half round of golf, so those people I will include.

Also, for an average golfer you have to include those who play very few times per year, otherwise you have a skewed data pool.

Climate also matters, when I was living in California I could play year round, but here in Wisconsin for most years I've got maybe 3-8 months to play actively, so knocking out climate also skews the data.

Economy also affect the "average" since for most of us Golf is a secondary activity which comes after eating and paying the mortgage/rent and paying for gas or transportation, and for those with kids there is a whole additional group of financial factors that will affect the "average" golfer.

So, with all that said, my interpretation of the "average" golfer plays:

1) 2-20 rounds per year

2) scores range from 80-120 per 18 holes

3) average age would run from 35-65

too many variables to narrow it down from there.

Edited to add: within the group I work with currently, five play golf, one in their 20's, one in their 30's, the rest are 40-62, scores probably range from scratch to 120, one placed in the top three of the state amateur for 2012 & 2013, rounds per year are probably 2-30. There are probably others here who play as well which I don't have data for. So here locally I'd say the "average" would be 10 rounds per year with an average score in the 80's and age averaging in the early 50s if I grouped everyone together and divided by 5 or so.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robi1026

This just came across my facebook ...

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/blogs/theinstructionblog/2014/02/fitness-friday-fantasy-vs-real.html

~~The average Handicap Index for a man is currently 14.6, according to the Golf Handicap and Information Network (ghin.com). Padjen says data strongly suggests those golfers typically swing the driver at 93.4 mph, carry the ball 192 yards, and drive it 214 yards including roll

That only takes into consideration those that keep handicaps. I assume quite a few don't, probably less than half would be my guess.

Most of the random people I play drive the ball about this far, but I don't think the 14.6 handicap is your average golfer. The 14.6 golfer probably drives a lot higher than 93.4 mph, because their short game is not as solid as the chart probably assumes.

All of the 15 handicappers I know drive 230 to 250 yards and roll out around here adds another 10 to 20 yards.

[Dave2512]

Can't speak for anyone else but throughout a round my drives are all over the place, short, long, left and right. But I don't see many guys hitting it over 220 regularly that are playing to a 15ish. For every drive that goes beyond 250 they hit a bunch of crap. We have a 317-333 yd par 4 at my former home course, most men play whites so call it 317. In 2 seasons playing at least 100 rounds there I rarely saw men hit it up to the 100 yd marker with a driver. It's not that they can't hit it further but that they lack consistency. They might hit one great drive a side, a couple of ho-hum drives and the rest are flat out bad. That's what I see from the 3 to the green 2 putt types.