# What is a scratch golfer?

A scratch golfer holds a Handicap Index of 0.0 and is expected to play to the course rating, which is usually a stroke or two either side of par depending on the tee. On the benchmark model a scratch golfer shoots about 72 on a par 72 and gives up roughly 1 stroke a round to the tour average of 71.

## Key figures

- A scratch golfer plays to the course rating: 74.2 on a championship tee, 68.4 on a forward tee.
- On the benchmark model scratch gives up about 1 stroke a round to the tour average; a 10 handicap gives up 11.

## Scope

- The scratch definition is the World Handicap System’s; the gap to the tour comes from the site’s benchmark model, which scales the published tour tables by a fixed split of the extra strokes.

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