Claudia Laurent
Golf writer, Golf Handicapp · 21 July 2026
The short answer
The short game is where handicaps are quietly won and lost. Even a scratch golfer gets up and down only about 54% of the time, a 20 handicap barely one in three, and a tour pro still only around 58%. It is the hardest part of golf to master, and the fastest place for most golfers to find shots.
Miss a green and you have a decision, and a real test. Getting up and down, chipping or pitching close and holing the putt, is one of the most valuable skills in golf, and one of the most humbling. Here is how often golfers really scramble, broken down by handicap from tour level down to a 25, and why sharpening this beats another new driver every time.
Up and down percentage, by handicap
Read it as how often a player gets up and down from the greens they miss. The drop from a scratch golfer to a 25 handicap is steep, and it is almost all short game.
| Level | Up and down |
|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 58% |
| Scratch | 54% |
| 10 handicap | 39% |
| 15 handicap | 34% |
| 20 handicap | 31% |
| 25 handicap | 25% |
Why it is so hard
Even the best players in the world miss more than two in five of their up and downs. For a club golfer, a good chip still leaves a putt that has to be holed, so a scramble asks for two good shots in a row under a little pressure. That is why the number is lower than most golfers expect, and why nobody should feel bad about a 30% up and down rate off a 20 handicap. It is normal.
Where the shots are hiding
The gap between a 20 handicap at 31% and a scratch at 54% is more than 20 percentage points, and across a round of missed greens that is several shots. It is a bigger, cheaper gain than trying to hit more greens in regulation, because you will always miss some greens no matter how well you strike it. Getting good at the recovery is the difference between a bogey and a par.
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How to get up and down more often
Spend more time inside 50 yards than on the range. Build one dependable chip and one dependable pitch, and judge them by landing spot and distance, not by how flush they feel. Take the hole out of it: aim to leave a tap-in rather than to hole every chip, and the makes will come. Sharper lag putting helps too, which is part of why three-putts and scrambling are so closely linked.
Know your own number
These are averages across thousands of rounds. The only way to learn yours is to log your golf. Once you are tracking, you can watch your up and downs climb and keep an eye on your handicap with our WHS handicap calculator. Every round you post in a Golf Handicapp tournament counts toward your handicap too.
Common questions
What is a good up and down percentage for an amateur?+
It depends heavily on handicap. Tracked data has a scratch golfer around 54%, a 10 handicap near 39%, a 15 around 34%, a 20 near 31% and a 25 around 25%. A tour pro sits about 58%. So for most club golfers, getting up and down one time in three is a solid, realistic mark.
What is the difference between scrambling and getting up and down?+
They are the same thing. Scrambling, or getting up and down, means missing the green in regulation and still making par or better, so a chip or pitch followed by a single putt. Scrambling percentage is how often you manage it from the greens you miss.
How often do PGA Tour players get up and down?+
Around 58% on average from inside 50 yards, with the best scramblers on tour pushing into the mid to high 60s. Even at the very top of the game, roughly two in five short-game saves slip away, which is why the short game separates good players from great ones.
How can I improve my up and down percentage?+
Spend more practice time inside 50 yards than on the range. Learn one reliable chip and one reliable pitch, focus on landing spot and distance control rather than perfect strikes, and give yourself a makeable putt rather than trying to hole every chip. Better lag putting on the resulting putt helps too.
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About the author
Claudia Laurent · Golf writer, Golf Handicapp
Claudia writes about the World Handicap System, golf scoring and getting more from every round for Golf Handicapp. She is a mid-handicap golfer who logs every card, the good ones and the ones she would rather forget.
Last updated 21 July 2026.