H OW F A R I S “A VERA GE” ?
A
lot of golfers get bogged down in the numbers game, analysing their every shot, loft, number of spikes in their shoes, buttons on their trousers, etc. It all makes us feel better when we hit another errant shot. But a lot of people would like to know just what average is, so let’s crunch some of the numbers. WHAT IS THE AVERAGE HANDICAP? According to this extract from the Daily Mail , the average for men and women is 15.2. However the average score is well over 100. Why such a disparity? Well, the majority of scores posted are by keen golfers; i.e. those who play often enough to get their handicap lower. Plus you’re less likely to post that 115 in the rain... ARE PEOPLE HONEST ABOUT THEIR HANDICAP? Golf digest states almost 90% of handicaps are truthful. What about the other 10%? These fall into the following categories: • Sandbaggers: these post artificially high scores so they have more of an advantage in net competitions. They may post very few scorecards, or even simply cheat to make their scores worse. They make up around 2% of golfers. • Vanity handicappers: the opposite of sandbaggers, these golfers post only their very best scores, or embellish them to appear better. It is estimated these make up around 10% of golfers. THE BACK NINE OF ROCKLAND COUNTY ♦ ADVERTISING TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD ♦ 40
