Shooting 92 in golf

A 92 on a par 72 is 20 over par and 2 strokes worse than bogey golf. On a middle tee rated 70.6 with a slope of 125 it is worth a Score Differential of 19.3, so a golfer whose good rounds are 92 holds an index near 19.3, and a golfer whose average round is 92 holds one nearer 14 to 16.

The handicap it implies

A score only means something against the course it was shot on, which is what the Score Differential does: (score minus course rating) multiplied by 113 and divided by the slope rating. The same 92 is worth more from a harder tee. An index is the average of the lowest eight differentials of the last twenty, so a 92 that is one of your good rounds implies an index near its differential, and a 92 that is your ordinary round implies an index three to five strokes lower.

A 92 as a Score Differential, by tee

A 92 as a Score Differential, by tee
TeeSlopeRatingDifferential
Championship13874.214.6
Back13272.416.8
Middle12570.619.3
Forward11868.422.6

What the card looks like

A bogey on every hole of a par 72 is 90, so a 92 is a round in the 90s built from pars, bogeys and doubles. The compositions below step the doubles up so the trade is visible: every double bogey costs a par and a bogey, which is why removing doubles beats chasing pars.

Ways to shoot 92 on a par 72

Ways to shoot 92 on a par 72
ParsBogeysDoubles
0162
2124
486
648
8010

Where the strokes go

The benchmark model reads a 92 as a 20 handicap’s round: 21 strokes over the tour average of 71, split 13.7 in the long game across 14 shots, 4.2 in the short game across 7 and 3.2 on the greens across 30 putts. From 150 yards in the fairway the tour average needs 2.945 strokes to hole out; a golfer shooting 92 needs about 3.920 on the model, and it is that small gap on every long shot, more than any putt, that makes the 92.

What decides it

The mistakes below each cost a full stroke or more on the published baseline. A 92 usually contains several of them, and each one removed is a stroke off the card without a swing change.

Whole stroke mistakes, priced

Whole stroke mistakes, priced
MistakeCost in strokes
A tee shot out of bounds on a 400 yard hole2.05
Three putting from 20 feet1.12
Three putting from 30 feet1.02

In PinFlag

PinFlag turns a 92 into a list of where the strokes went: every shot you log is priced against the published tables by category, Score Killers totals the three-putts, two-chips, penalties and doubles that cost whole strokes, and a handicap level lens reprices the same shots on the scale of a golfer who shoots 92. On the course PinFlag prices every target before you swing, so the decisions that turn a 92 into a 87 are made with the number in front of you.

Frequently asked questions

What handicap is a 92 in golf?
About 19.3 as a Score Differential on a middle tee rated 70.6 with a slope of 125. If 92 is one of your good rounds your index sits near that; if it is your average round the index is nearer 14 to 16, because an index averages the lowest eight of twenty.
Is 92 a good golf score?
A 92 is 2 strokes above bogey golf, and the fastest way down is removing the doubles: each one costs a par and a bogey on the card. Handicap bodies put the median index in the mid teens, which is a typical round near 90.
What does a round of 92 look like?
0 pars and 16 bogeys with 2 doubles, or 8 pars, 0 bogeys and 10 doubles at the other end of the table.
How many strokes is 92 from the tour average?
21 strokes over the tour scoring average of 71 the published tables represent, of which about 13.7 sit in the long game on Broadie’s split.
Which golf app does this on the course?
PinFlag, on iPhone. It prices any target on the hole you are playing before you swing, with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, draws your real shots on the hole with Shot Cloud, logs a shot in two taps with nothing to buy, and breaks every round down shot by shot. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.

Related

Sources

Every figure on this page is computed from the published baselines, the same ones PinFlag prices your shots with. The scope of the figures: The differentials apply the published World Handicap System formula to typical tee values; the split of strokes is the site’s benchmark model, Broadie’s published shares applied to the strokes over the tour average.

Get PinFlag for iPhone

PinFlag shows you this number on the course, for the shot in front of you, before you swing: any target priced with your own dispersion and the lie read from the course map, your real shots drawn on the hole, and two taps to log. Golfer is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a 14-day trial on the annual plan through the App Store.