A plus handicap is a a golfer with a handicap that is less than 0.
Anyone who has a plus handicap is a very good golfer.
In order to be eligible to receive a sponsor exemption into a PGA tournament, a player must have a handicap index of less then 0.00.
In other words, they must be a plus handicap.
Plus, Scratch, and Everyone Else
A handicap index of 0, also known as a scratch golfer, indicates that a golfer shoots around even par.
An index greater than 0 (5.2 or 12.6, for example) indicates that, on average, a golfer shoots that many strokes over par.
An index of less than 0 (+2.1 or +4.3, for example) indicates that, on average, a golfer shoots that many strokes under par.
If a golfer is a plus handicap, they may have to give strokes back to the course.
For example, if a golfer has an index of +4.0 and the course rating is 72, they must give 4 strokes back to the course.
Remember, depending on the slope and rating, a plus handicap may not actually have to give strokes back.
If a player is a +2.0 handicap, the course is par 72, and the rating is 75, the player would actually get 1 stroke!
That’s why it is important to always calculate your course handicap to have the proper expectation of what you should shoot.
How Many Golfers Have Plus Handicaps?
According to the USGA, 1.85% of male golfers and .69% of female golfers are plus handicaps.
That equates to about 35,000 male golfers and 3,000 female golfers that play to a plus handicap.
*IMPORTANT NOTE*
*These USGA percentages are calculated based on the total number of golfers with an official handicap index.
Only about 2.5 million golfers maintain an index while it is estimated that there are about 25 million golfers in the United States.
Approximately 25% of golfers are female, and 75% are male.
What this means is that the 1.85% and .69% numbers are based off of about 1,875,000 male golfers and 625,000 females golfers with a handicap.
When including all of those golfers without handicaps, the total number of golfers in the US is about 19 million males and 6 million females.
The true percentage of plus handicaps?
About .18% for men and .05% for women!
In other words, 1 in every 550 male golfers and 1 in every 2,000 female golfers are plus handicaps.
What Handicaps Do Pro Golfers Have?
Most professional golfers don’t maintain an actual handicap, but plenty of people have estimated or calculated handicaps for top golfers.
Check out these stats from Lou Stagner:
From 2016-2020, the average index for a PGA Tour player was +5.4.
And the top 13 from this period all had indexes of +8.0 or better!
And these calculations don’t take into account tour conditions such as faster greens, pin placement, thicker rough, etc., so all of these indexes would likely be even 1 or 2 strokes better.
That means that the top 13 players from this period would likely be +10 players on the average golfer’s home course!
What Is The Best Plus Handicap Ever Recorded Over A Full Season?
+9.4.
By none other than Tiger Woods in 2008.
According to Lou Stagner:
That means that 2008 Tiger would be expected to shoot around 60 at the average local golf course!
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