Strokes gained benchmarks
What each handicap gives up to the tour average, and which part of the game it comes from.
Strokes lost a round
| Handicap | Shoots | Total | Long game | Short game | Putting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | 72 | 1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 5 | 77 | 6 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| 10 | 82 | 11 | 7.2 | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| 15 | 87 | 16 | 10.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| 20 | 92 | 21 | 13.7 | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| 25 | 97 | 26 | 16.9 | 5.2 | 3.9 |
The long game, always
The shape of the table never changes. At every handicap the long game carries about two thirds of the gap, and it does so across only 14 shots a round. A 15 handicap gives up 10.4 strokes there against 3.2 in the short game and 2.4 putting.
Per shot, that is where it gets interesting. The same 15 handicap is losing 0.743 strokes on every tee shot and approach, and only 0.080 on every putt. The putting gap is so small per stroke that it is almost impossible to feel on the green, which is exactly why golfers who spend their practice there rarely see their handicap move.
Per shot
| Handicap | Per long shot | Per short shot | Per putt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | 0.046 | 0.029 | 0.005 |
| 5 | 0.279 | 0.171 | 0.030 |
| 10 | 0.511 | 0.314 | 0.055 |
| 15 | 0.743 | 0.457 | 0.080 |
| 20 | 0.975 | 0.600 | 0.105 |
| 25 | 1.207 | 0.743 | 0.130 |
How this is built
The tour column of the expected strokes table represents a round near 71. A golfer with a handicap of H is taken to shoot 72 plus H, so they use H plus 1 more strokes than that.
lost per shot = strokes over tour x share / shots per round
long 65% over 14 shots · short 20% over 7 · putting 15% over 30
The shares come from the published research on where amateurs lose strokes to tour players. This is a model and it is labeled one: it describes an average golfer at each handicap, and no such golfer exists.
Frequently asked questions
What strokes gained should a 15 handicap have?
Where do amateurs lose the most strokes?
So is practising putting a waste of time?
Why does this disagree with my own numbers?
Is this the same as the benchmark lenses in the PinFlag app?
By The PinFlag Team.
Your own split
The table says where the average golfer at your handicap loses strokes. It cannot tell you where you do. Price your own shots and find out, or let PinFlag do it live on the course.