Ask most golfers whether they want to get better and they’ll say they’re determined to improve. But do their habits prove otherwise?
Are we misguided, overwhelmed, misled – or simply time poor in our efforts to lower our numbers?
Because while we’ve probably never had it so good in terms of information, tuition and technology, the numbers suggest we’re not really developing.
Four decades ago, a Golf Digest article revealed the results of a massive USGA survey of golfers’ handicaps. It found that in 1983 the average handicap was 17 for male golfers and 31.5 for female.
The latest figures from England Golf show the current averages are 17.38 for male players and 28.09 for female players.
The numbers are not directly comparable – somewhat different handicap systems for a start – but wouldn’t we have expected a more dramatic shift? Should handicaps be lower?
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“If people’s handicaps are not moving that makes a lot of the noise online quite strange when people are talking about the game being easier,” said my colleague Tom Irwin on an episode of The NCG Golf Podcast.
“In that 40-year period we’ve had the advent of metal woods. We’ve seen a ubiquitous shift from steel shafts to graphite shafts in drivers, and graphite shafts in irons for people who need it.
“We’ve seen the development of more specialist clubs with bespoke features like grind and bounce on wedges. We’ve seen golf balls change night and day from 40 years ago. They spin less, fly further, but there’s no compromise on how they feel.
“That’s before you get into how much course maintenance has improved in that time, how much smoother greens are, how better prepared bunkers are, how much tighter cut fairways are.
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“This is also before you get into TrackMan data, how much teaching has improved, the experience at ranges. There are all these advantages that are afforded the modern golfer, which would make you think that scores were getting lower among club golfers. But they’re not.”
So why aren’t they?
Why isn’t the average golf handicap getting lower?
On the podcast, I rather dismissively claimed it was because we couldn’t be bothered. That’s not quite true.
A few years ago, when I was determined to reach single figures, I put in the work. I had structured lessons, spent time on the range, I practised properly and I played a lot of golf.
I got down to 9 in old money – and to 7.3 when the World Handicap System arrived.
But life has changed.
I play less, partly because of work, partly because of home. I have a 10-year-old. Disappearing on a whim to hit balls as I once did isn’t really an option. Family time matters.
I’ve got other interests too – notably a football season ticket – and that’s shaved hours off the time I might once have devoted to golf, particularly at weekends.
Technology gains are real. I’m nearly 50 and hit the ball roughly the same distance I did at 25.
That has been remarkable for my longevity. But does it really help to get the ball into the hole in fewer shots? Or does it allow me to stay where I am for longer?
Courses are better than ever. But they’re also longer and, in summer, green speeds are faster. How many clubs were regularly running at 9 on the Stimpmeter in 1983? I’ll bet very few. Now it would be unusual if they weren’t.
Faster, truer greens are magnificent. They are a joy to putt on. They’re also more challenging.
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Coaching is superb. Whether through in person lessons or influencers, we understand more about the golf swing – face, path, biomechanics, ball flight laws – than ever more.
But knowledge can scramble the brain, as can the lure of a quick fix.
Do we practise properly? Do we expect an instant dopamine hit from a single lesson, only to discover that golf – like life – doesn’t work that way? Do we track our performance with any real honesty?
We have access to so much more than we did, but has the application just not scaled at club level?
That’s before we touch on psychology and the peculiar pressure of hitting a shot when it matters. Even if mattering is only winning the midweek medal.
Some will argue the handicap system itself is part of the problem. Critics say it rewards mediocrity, that determined pot hunters can manipulate it – hiding their ability until a board competition comes around.
But perhaps we also should give ourselves a break.
We’ve seen amazing advances in the last four decades and yet the game remains very difficult. It still demands time, repetition, and patience.
And while technology has blurred the edges, it can’t practise for us – or find an extra hour in the week.
We’ve made information, tools, and courses better. But what hasn’t changed is the person holding the club. It’s still ultimately down to us.
Now have your say on the average golf handicap
What do you think about this average golf handicap opinion? Are we off the mark when it comes to improvement? Are golfers getting better in your experience? Let us know in the comments, or get in touch on X.
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