Handicap Percentiles

[doublesuited77]

10% are single digits handicaps. that seems very high.

[iacas]

10% are single digits handicaps. that seems very high.

You can be a 9 and still put up some big numbers. I'm going from memory here, but I believe it's something like that. Either way, there are a much higher percentage of single-digit handicappers on this forum (and virtually every other golf site) than exist in the real world.

I'd actually like to find that chart sometime... it showed the handicaps and the percentiles. I swear the USGA had it in their handicapping section somewhere, but the last time I saw it was about 10 years ago.

[doublesuited77]

You can be a 9 and still put up some big numbers. I'm going from memory here, but I believe it's something like that. Either way, there are a much higher percentage of single-digit handicappers on this forum (and virtually every other golf site) than exist in the real world.

i'd believe that 10% of people WITH HANDICAPS are single digits. but 75% of golfers don't have handicaps.

[lamebums]

i'd believe that 10% of people WITH HANDICAPS are single digits. but 75% of golfers don't have handicaps.

I doubt even that 10 percent of people with handicaps have single-digit caps. There's plenty of long-suffering duffers out there.

[iacas]

I doubt even that 10 percent of people with handicaps have single-digit caps. There's plenty of long-suffering duffers out there.

According to the USGA, you're wrong:

http://www.usga.org/playing/handicap..._handicap.html In fact, 20% of golfers with handicaps have single-digit handicaps. Obviously, it's safe to guess that the USGA chart is only talking about people with handicaps.

[rmgr]

yeah I could have guessed that simply because most people don't get an official handicap until they're pretty good

[Dyna]

I doubt even that 10 percent of people with handicaps have single-digit caps. There's plenty of long-suffering duffers out there.

yeah I could have guessed that simply because most people don't get an official handicap until they're pretty good

Agreed 100% on both postings.

[iacas]

Agreed 100% on both postings.

You can't agree with both. The one below is false. The chart clearly says about 20%.

I doubt even that 10 percent of people with handicaps have single-digit caps. There's plenty of long-suffering duffers out there.

[Dyna]

You can't agree with both. The one below is false. The chart clearly says about 20%.

Sure I can, it's the internet. Maybe you haven't heard but I can hit 320 yd bombs all day long & i'm a scratch player

BTW, Lamebums stated he didnt believe that even 10% of the folks with handicaps had single digits...the study claims 20% so he is basically stating the study is claiming at least twice as many single digit handicappers as he blieves there to be. Wow that got kind of wordy. Anyhoo, I agree 102.5% with what he stated.

[iacas]

BTW, Lamebums stated he didnt believe that even 10% of the folks with handicaps had single digits...the study claims 20% so he is basically stating the study is claiming at least twice as many single digit handicappers as he blieves there to be.

If you're incapable of discerning fact from opinion and want to argue about it, please go elsewhere. The USGA knows what percentage of people with handicaps have what handicap. It's fact. "lamebums" is guessing. What he believes is irrelevant - it's not correct.

So again, he's wrong, and you can't "agree" with something that's been proven incorrect. It's not a matter of "agree" or "disagree" - it's right versus wrong. He's wrong.

[Warik]

According to the USGA, you're wrong:

Ugh... I've been playing for 2 years, have ~$2,000 worth of equipment, have taken ~$500 worth of lessons, and have a worse handicap than 98.66% of the handicap-keeping golf population.

I've just lost all my will to play.

[lamebums]

According to the USGA, you're wrong:

Consider this, then - and if figures into what Dyna is saying - what about those of us who keep track of our handicaps, but don't feel like forking over the $25 to get an official USGA handicap (and thus aren't on the USGA's page)? The majority of us aren't going to enter into any official events, anyway, even if we care enough about the game to get a handicap.

The problem citing the USGA, as good as an organization as it is, it still doesn't represent 100 percent of all golfers.

Ugh... I've been playing for 2 years, have ~$2,000 worth of equipment, have taken ~$500 worth of lessons, and have a worse handicap than 98.66% of the handicap-keeping golf population.

Don't worry about it. I hacked it up really badly until about this March (couldn't break 150), and I started getting it together.

[Dyna]

What is the percentage of ALL golfers who actually have a USGA score? My guess since I think it's impossible to even know how many golfers there actually are is that the number is a very low percentage of all golfers.

Just throwing out some example numbers, say 10% of all golfers have an official USGA handicap....& I feel 10% is way too high, & if only 20% of those have single digits that would mean the actual number of single digit players in relation to ALL golfers is minuscule.

[$2 Nassau]

There's an interesting article on popeofslope.com that I read recently. Among other things, it mentioned that the USGA says that only about 4.5 million of the nations 26.4 million golfers have "official" indexes. That's about 17%.

Also said the average handicap for men is 16.1 (I always knew I was just "average"), 28.9 for women.

Here's the article, not sure when it was written:

http://www.popeofslope.com/courserating/numbers.html

[allin]

Part of the reason it seems fewer golfers would be single digit than are is because we tend to automatically add handicapt to the course rating and expect a golfer to shoot that score. Only the low ten out of 20 are counted at 96%. If you are playing a course with a higher slope, than your home course, playing to your handicap is rare. I was posting a lot of high 80s low 90s rounds last year carrying a16+ and had a hot week on vacation when I played several days in a row, with two scores in the low 80s. I didn't break 85 for 2 months after that but my handicap stayed at 14.

[dbuck]

Okay, so I'll confess--I don't have an "official" USGA handicap, but recently logged on to one of those internet sites and put in my scores.

I have always considered myself a "bogey" golfer, but the scores I put in had a couple in the 80's and one 78. It calculated 8.7, so I put down 9 when I signed up on this site. Maybe there are others like me whose handicap isn't "official".

I really haven't kept up with a handicap before(redneck golf doesn't require it, and I really haven't played enough to maintain it), but getting back into the game a little more lately, I am developing interest in some tournaments where you need a handicap. So I will probably fork over the $ to a USGA affiliated service and try to get "legit". The public course where I play has the service for about $30/year.

[greenail]

Okay, so I'll confess--I don't have an "official" USGA handicap, but recently logged on to one of those internet sites and put in my scores.

Unofficial handicap indexes are useless, and I'd never bet someone who didn't have a real index because there is no way to verify it. I'd hazard to guess that people who don't play in events where ALL the rules are followed don't know half of the rules and don't really shoot what they think they shoot because they are unknowingly shaving stokes by not understanding what are penalties and how you should play your next shot after a penalty, not to mention rampant gimmie putts of 4'+.

I've never understood why someone would pay 1k+ in equipment every other year and not want to pay $25/year for a USGA handicap.

[dbuck]

Oh, I agree. With me it's never been the 25 bucks but the availability of the service. Plus for the last 10 years, I haven't played enough golf anyway to keep a handicap current, much less play to it.

In my former life, I played mostly at a small private club where everyone knew everyone. We played "2 low" Wed, Thur, Sat, and Sun afternoons, no handicaps used. The club did not provide handicapping and I doubt if a single member had a USGA handicap. If you played someone else one to one, it was a level match.

Currently, I play only occasionally with friends or business associates, and while it is friendly competitive, we are about the same ability so no handicap is needed.

This year though, I have been getting interested in getting back into the game. I want to learn more about the rules and get a legitimate handicap and possibly compete in some events that require one. You know, "real golf".