Becoming a scratch player is a lifelong dream for many golfers, with only 0.5 – 1.9% of players reaching this milestone. In this article, we look at the numbers behind what it takes to become a scratch golfer. We then move on to what you need to do in terms of practice and wider performance aspects to help accelerate your progress.
What is a scratch golfer?
A scratch golfer is someone with a handicap index of 0. This shows that the golfer is able to score level par or very close to it at any given golf course. Scratch golfers are solid in every department of their game and therefore able to consistently put together scores around level par.
How to become a scratch golfer
This table shows key performance data, from Shot Scope, for the average 0 handicap (scratch) golfer…
| Avg. Par 3 Score | Avg. Par 4 Score | Avg. Par 5 Score | FIR% | GIR% | Up and Down % | Three Putt % | Make % from 0-6ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 50% | 59% | 54% | 3% | 93% |
Birdies
Scratch golfers tend to give themselves good opportunities for birdies many times a round, but on average only make 2.34 birdies a round. The best chance for birdies is on the par 5s, as you can see from the scoring average above.
A lot of scratch golfers can reach the green in two strokes, or get very close, on a par 5, which means two putts, or a chip and a putt, is all that is required to make a birdie. The most important part of the game that facilitates this opportunity is driving distance, we will cover this in more detail shortly.
Bogeys and Double Bogeys
To shoot close to level par it is important to minimise the amount of bogeys and doubles. The more bogeys you make the more birdies you’ll have to make to get back to level, and double bogeys or worse are often a killer for shooting close to par.
Scratch golfers do still make bogeys, but doubles are a rarity.
If your statistics are looking similar to those of the scratch golfer in FIR %, Up and Down %, three putt %, and make % from 0-6ft, but you are still making too many double bogeys, the chances are it’s your decision making that is the problem.
Attacking pins that are tucked away? Trying to play the hero shot out of the trees? Trying to hit a club less than you should because of ego? These could be hindering you in your quest to become a scratch golfer. To know more about course management, please check out our article by clicking here.
Distance
| Handicap | Driving Distance Average |
|---|---|
| 0 | 285y |
| 5 | 261y |
| 10 | 259y |
A difference that is impossible to ignore between scratch golfers and those with a 5 or 10 handicap is driving distance. Scratch golfers drive the ball further than a 5 handicap by 24 yards on average.
If we apply this driving distance data to a real setting on a 420-yard par 4, we can see the impact for any golfers ability to score.
| 0 hcp | 5 hcp | 10 hcp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver Distance (avg) | 285y | 261y | 259y |
| Distance Remaining | 135y | 159y | 161y |
| Club Choice | PW-9i | 7i-5i | 6i-5i |
| Green Hit % | 58% | 37% | 27% |
You can clearly see that hitting a longer drive puts you closer to the green and therefore requires a shorter shot over which you have more control. This in turn leads to more greens in regulation and therefore better scoring opportunities.
It is worth acknowledging, however, that for certain golfers, reaching 285 yards driving distance is simply not attainable for many reasons, age and physical limitations being the big ones. Ultimately, if this is you, it means you will have to work a lot harder on your short game and putting as you are statistically less likely to be hitting greens in regulation and when you do you will likely be putting from further away than those who can hit the ball further than you.
Accuracy and hitting from the rough
Scratch golfers hit 50% of fairways, which is similar to many other golfers. As discussed previously, the difference lies in their driving distance, not accuracy. This is proved by the scratch golfers’ performance from the rough.
From 150 yards, scratch golfers get within 15ft of the hole 20% of the time from the fairway and about 10% from the rough. From 80 yards, they have a 33% success rate from the fairway and 32% from the rough. The difference from 80 yards is negligible and when they drive it much further, they are more likely to be closer to the 80-yard approach range.
Strokes Gained is a metric that could be very helpful to you as it offers detailed insights into all areas of the game, highlighting strengths and weaknesses. This objective metric allows golfers to compare their performance to scratch standards, ensuring focused and efficient practice. By pinpointing specific areas needing improvement, golfers can make targeted adjustments, monitor progress over time, and more effectively work towards achieving a scratch handicap. For more information on strokes gained and exactly how it works, click here to check out our article.
Practical Putting Tips
It’s all well and good telling you how good scratch golfers are at putting, but how do they elevate their performance to this level? Here are a couple of important pieces of information regarding the difference between the average amateur golfer and a scratch or professional golfer.
1. Amateurs almost always tend to under-read their putts – On breaking putts, amateurs typically tend to miss on the ‘low-side’. With a bit of practice on the putting green you can begin to try and putt allowing for more break than you might expect.
2. Amateurs almost always tend to under-hit their putts. – Most amateurs leave their putts short of the hole, this can be a contributing factor to the last point about under reading, as the ball swings more violently as the forward momentum reduces. Simply put, hitting the ball harder in order to make it reach the hole actually gives it a chance of dropping in.
Practising these two simple things should help you to improve and begin putting more like a scratch golfer.
Wider aspects of making it to scratch
Keeping your own statistics – we can quote all the statistics in the world, but if you aren’t recording your own statistics accurately then you won’t be able to see where you need to make changes in your game to get closer to scratch.
Our own data study showed that keeping regular playing stats resulted in a 2.0 shot improvement in handicap compared to golfers who didn’t, with both groups practising and playing the same amount.
Often, golfers keep playing stats and don’t act upon them accordingly, this is the usual cycle they follow.
To start to see measurable improvement, a practice plan should be built. This should be personalised as a result of studying your own statistics and understanding where the shortcomings in your game are. To help with this we have a tool called ‘Break X Golf’, which aids you with practice plans, drills and games to help you practice more effectively. To check that out, please click here.
This is what the cycle should look like if you are practising effectively.
How much practice does it take?
There are no shortcuts in making it to a scratch handicap, it requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice. It is easy to go up to the golf club and spend hours there but not practice effectively getting distracted on your mobile phone, working on things you feel you should work on and going through the motions of practice, but not really devoting your entire focus to the process of getting better. If you want to improve significantly, your practice must be deliberate, consciously removing distractions.
Think of practice time as controlling your rate of improvement not your ability as a golfer. Many golfers maintain a scratch level with 1-2 hours of practice a week and 18 holes, but developing the skill to get there always takes work.
The more effective practice you can do, the quicker you can potentially improve.
How much time should I spend on the course vs driving range?
This is an important question and it is different for everyone. As a golfer who has been playing for years, I now have quite a repeatable swing and the need to drill lots of technical changes on the range is less important than it used to be.
However, if you are a golfer that requires some big technical changes to your swing to allow you to produce more consistent golf shots, then time on the range would be helpful. Getting a golf coach to look at your golf swing would probably be a good place to start in determining how your practice split between the course and the driving range should look.
It is important to mention, that to get to scratch what counts is the scores on the golf course! So practising navigating your way around golf courses is key to scoring.
No one go to scratch because they have a great-looking swing on the range…
Summary
To become a scratch golfer, requires solid performance in all aspects of the game, like driving distance, accuracy, and putting. You don’t have to excel in all, but having a serious weakness in one makes reaching scratch much harder.
Scratch golfers drive the ball farther than those with higher handicaps, make fewer bogeys and very few double bogeys.
To reach scratch status, golfers must engage in deliberate, focused practice, emphasising course management and personalised training plans. Regularly tracking and analysing personal statistics is essential for identifying weaknesses and making targeted improvements. Achieving a scratch handicap demands dedication, effective practice routines, and a commitment to continuous improvement, but if you get there is sure is a great achievement.
For more on how to lower your scores using playing stats, check out the Science of Scoring course.
For personalised practice plans to help you shoot lower scores, check out Break X Golf.