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The Golf Handicapp blog
New features, tournament and handicap know-how, and ways to get more from your golf.
29 July 2026
Average score by handicap: why you don't shoot your handicap
Your handicap is your potential, not your average. A 10 handicap does not shoot 10 over par every round, on a normal day you shoot several shots more, and every golfer does the same. Here is roughly what golfers really average over par by handicap.
Claudia Laurent
29 July 2026
Sand save percentage by handicap: up and down from a bunker
A scratch golfer gets up and down from sand under a third of the time, and even tour pros only about half. Here is the real bunker save data by handicap, from tour level down to a 25, and why escaping with a par is the exception.
Claudia Laurent
29 July 2026
WHS handicap allowances: the cheat sheet for every format
Singles 95 percent, fourball betterball 85, foursomes 50 percent of the combined and greensomes 60 forty. The WHS competition handicap allowances every society organiser needs, in one place, with why the percentages differ.
Claudia Laurent
29 July 2026
Golf games worth a few quid: 5 games for your fourball
Skins, Match Play, Stableford, Texas Scramble and Foursomes. Five golf side games that never get old, how each one plays, and why a small bet makes a Tuesday fourball feel like the Ryder Cup.
Claudia Laurent
29 July 2026
Course rating vs slope rating: what the two numbers mean
Two numbers on every scorecard quietly decide how many shots you get. Course rating is what a scratch golfer should shoot; slope is how much harder the course plays for the rest of us, on a scale where 113 is average. Here is what each means and why slope matters.
Claudia Laurent
29 July 2026
Imagined holes: golf holes that don't exist (yet)
A green on a canyon plateau, a par 3 over a river of lava, an ocean-cliff carry. A growing collection of golf holes we conjured with AI, the kind you daydream about on the range but will never actually play. Not real courses, just imagined ones.
Claudia Laurent
29 July 2026
How fast do you improve at golf? Handicap by years playing
Play 20 to 49 rounds a year and you can fall from a 36 into the low teens within a decade. Play a handful of times a year and most golfers stall in the high 20s and stay there. Here is the committed vs casual improvement curve, and what actually moves the needle.
Claudia Laurent
21 July 2026
Up and down by handicap: how often golfers really scramble
Even a scratch golfer gets up and down only about half the time, and a 20 handicap barely one in three. Here is the real scrambling data by handicap, from tour pros down to a 25, and why the short game is the fastest place to find shots.
Claudia Laurent
21 July 2026
What percentage of golfers break 100, 90, 80 and 70?
Only about 1 in 4 golfers regularly break 90, nearly half never break 100, and just 1 in 100 break 70. Here is how rare each scoring milestone really is, and where your own scores put you.
Claudia Laurent
21 July 2026
Putting make percentage by distance and handicap
From 6 feet even a scratch golfer misses more than half, and from 12 feet everyone is under one in four. Here is the real putting make percentage by distance and handicap, and why putting is the great equaliser.
Claudia Laurent
21 July 2026
How many golf balls does the average golfer lose per round?
A 5 handicap loses under one ball a round, a 25 handicap almost six. Here is the real balls-lost data by handicap, why higher handicaps lose so many more, and how much it is quietly costing your scorecard.
Claudia Laurent
17 July 2026
New ways to play: foursomes, greensomes, scrambles and more
Golf Handicapp now runs the classic team and pairs games: foursomes, greensomes, gruesomes, Chapman, Texas scramble and ambrose. Here is what each one is, how it is played, and how the app scores it.
Claudia Laurent
12 July 2026
Where golfers actually lose their shots, by handicap
It is not your putting. Tracked strokes-gained data shows that at every handicap, from a 10 to a 25, your approach shots leak the most strokes and putting the least. Here is where your shots really go, and where to spend your practice time.
Claudia Laurent
12 July 2026
Greens in regulation by handicap: how many you really hit
Even a scratch golfer hits only about 10 greens in regulation a round, and a 20 handicap around 3. Here is the real greens-in-regulation data by handicap, why the number is lower than you think, and what it means for how you should play.
Claudia Laurent
12 July 2026
How often do you three-putt? Three putts per round by handicap
A 5 handicap three-putts about once a round, a 25 handicap around two or three times. Here is the tracked three-putt data by handicap, why the real culprit is distance control not your stroke, and how to give away fewer.
Claudia Laurent
6 July 2026
How often do golfers hit the green from 100 yards?
A wedge from 100 yards feels like a gimme, but the tracked data says otherwise. Here is how often amateurs really hit the green from 100 yards by handicap, how close they leave it, and what the smart play actually is.
Claudia Laurent
6 July 2026
Golf club distance charts: how far you should hit each club
Realistic carry distances for every club, from beginner to tour level, for both men and women. Use them to gap your bag properly and stop coming up short, then learn your own real numbers.
Claudia Laurent
5 July 2026
The wedge loft guide: choosing the right wedge for every shot
Pitching, gap, sand and lob wedge lofts explained, with the shot each one is built for and the carry you can expect. Build a set with even gaps and you always have the right club inside 125 yards.
Claudia Laurent
5 July 2026
Golf shot shapes explained: draw, fade, hook, slice and the rest
Draw, fade, hook, slice, pull, push and the dreaded shank. Here is what each shot shape looks like, what tends to cause it, and how reading your ball flight tells you what your swing is doing.
Claudia Laurent
5 July 2026
Golf ball position guide: where to play the ball for every club
Ball position is the free fundamental most golfers get wrong. Here is where to play the ball for driver, woods, irons and wedges, and why it decides whether you strike it clean or catch it fat.
Claudia Laurent
4 July 2026
The low point of the golf swing, and why it changes with every club
Almost every fat and thin shot is a low point problem. Here is where the bottom of your swing should sit for irons, hybrids, woods and the driver, and the quickest way to move it.
Claudia Laurent
4 July 2026
Golf tee height guide: the right height for every club
Tee height changes with the club, from a high driver to an iron flat on the ground. Here is the right height for each one, and why getting it wrong quietly costs you pop-ups, thin strikes and distance.
Claudia Laurent
4 July 2026
What shot should you play? A simple course management guide
Smart choices save more shots than perfect swings. This simple decision guide walks through trouble, laying up, tucked pins and wind, so you always know the percentage play before you pull a club.
Claudia Laurent
3 July 2026
Update your app to get the latest features
We have added a lot lately: guests, groups, card markers and shareable leaderboards. Update to the newest version of Golf Handicapp to use them, and to join events that use the new tools.
Claudia Laurent
3 July 2026
Society days sorted: guests, groups and one scorecard for the whole group
The latest update makes running a group day easy. Add guests who do not have the app, split everyone into groups, let one person keep score for the whole group, and share a live leaderboard anyone can follow.
Claudia Laurent
29 June 2026
What handicap do you need to play in a golf competition?
Do you need an official handicap to enter a comp, is there a maximum, and what do you actually play off on the day? Here is the plain version, with a worked playing-handicap example and how competition allowances change your shots.
Claudia Laurent
18 June 2026
Introducing Live Leaderboards: tournaments that count toward your handicap
We have built live tournament leaderboards into Golf Handicapp. Run a society day or a golf trip, follow every score in real time, and every round still updates each player's WHS handicap.
Claudia Laurent
9 June 2026
Golf handicap for beginners: how to get your first handicap
New to golf and not sure how a handicap works? Here is the plain-English version: what a handicap is, how few rounds you really need, and how to get an official one without joining a club.
Claudia Laurent
2 June 2026
Why did my handicap go up? The soft cap, hard cap and low index explained
Played fine but your handicap still went up, or barely moved after a great round? It is not a glitch. Here is how the WHS soft cap, hard cap and low handicap index actually work.
Claudia Laurent
26 May 2026
Stableford scoring explained: how points work in golf
Stableford is the format most club competitions actually use. Here is how the points work, why a blow-up hole costs you far less than in strokeplay, and how your handicap turns into shots on the card.
Claudia Laurent
19 May 2026
How many rounds do you need for an official handicap?
The short answer is 54 holes, which is three 18-hole rounds. Here is what those rounds need to be, how your first index is worked out, and how it sharpens as you log more scores.
Claudia Laurent
12 May 2026
What is a good golf handicap? What to aim for, and how to get there
Single figures, scratch, or just better than last year? Here is what counts as a good golf handicap, the bands most golfers fall into, and the realistic path to lowering yours.
Claudia LaurentReady to play?
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