By the TC Golf Center Editorial Team ยท Updated
The average golf score for 18 holes is about 94, according to a 2024 National Golf Foundation survey of U.S. golfers who keep score. That is 22 over par on a par-72 course. The true average across everyone who plays is probably higher, because the golfers who do not keep score tend to be less experienced.
The National Golf Foundation (NGF) reported in August 2024 that 77% of U.S. golfers keep score regularly and that those golfers average 94. The NGF also said more than half of golfers take scoring liberties such as mulligans and gimmes. A score counted strictly by the rules would often be a few strokes higher.
What Is the Average Golf Score for Men and Women?
Men average about 93 and women about 99 for 18 holes. Those figures are NGF research as reported by the Texas Golf Association in October 2024. They cover golfers who keep score, not all golfers.
Golfers who keep an official handicap score better than that. The USGA's 2025 Golf Scorecard, released in January 2026, covers 3.68 million U.S. golfers with a Handicap Index. The average man in that group carries a 14.0 and the average woman a 28.8. Using the method in the next section, a 14.0 works out to a typical score of about 89 and a 28.8 to about 104 on a course rated 72.0. Many women play forward tees with lower course ratings, so their actual scores are often lower than that estimate.
What Is the Average Golf Score by Handicap?
The table below estimates the typical 18-hole score for each Handicap Index band. These are estimates, not survey results. Here is how they are derived:
- The course is a par 72 with a 72.0 course rating and a 113 slope. On that course, your Course Handicap equals your Handicap Index.
- Your target score is the course rating plus your handicap. A 10 handicap has a target score of 82.
- A Handicap Index is built from the best 8 of your last 20 scores, so it measures your potential and not your average. The USGA says golfers shoot their target score about 15% to 20% of the time and can expect to score 2 to 5 strokes higher in most rounds.
- We add 3 strokes to the target score to get a typical score. The formula is 72 plus Handicap Index plus 3.
| Handicap Index | Estimated Typical 18-Hole Score | Over Par (Par 72) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (scratch) | About 75 | +3 |
| 0.1 to 4.9 | 75 to 80 | +3 to +8 |
| 5.0 to 9.9 | 80 to 85 | +8 to +13 |
| 10.0 to 14.9 | 85 to 90 | +13 to +18 |
| 15.0 to 19.9 | 90 to 95 | +18 to +23 |
| 20.0 to 24.9 | 95 to 100 | +23 to +28 |
| 25.0 to 29.9 | 100 to 105 | +28 to +33 |
| 30.0 to 36.0 | 105 to 111 | +33 to +39 |
Most courses have a slope above 113, which adds strokes for higher handicaps. Harder or easier course ratings shift every number in the table. To find your own number, use the golf handicap calculator. To see how your index compares with other golfers, read what is a good golf handicap.
How Does Your Score Compare to Other Golfers?
These are the commonly cited estimates for the share of all golfers who regularly beat each scoring threshold on a par-72 course.
| Score Threshold | Percentage of Golfers |
|---|---|
| Break 70 (shoot 69 or lower) | Less than 1% |
| Break 80 (shoot 79 or lower) | Approximately 5% |
| Break 90 (shoot 89 or lower) | Approximately 21% |
| Break 100 (shoot 99 or lower) | Approximately 55% |
| Score 100 or higher | Approximately 45% |
By these estimates, a golfer who averages 94 sits near the middle of the pack. A golfer who averages 89 is ahead of roughly three out of four golfers.
What Is the Average Golf Score by Age?
There is no reliable public data on average score by age. The NGF figures above are not broken out by age group, and the USGA does not publish average Handicap Index by age. Any chart that lists a precise average score for each decade of life should be treated with caution unless it names its source.
What can be said is general. Shot-tracking data from Arccos shows that driving distance falls with age while fairway accuracy rises. Older golfers can offset some lost distance by playing shorter tees and avoiding penalty strokes. Scores tend to rise once lost distance outweighs those gains.
What Is the Average Golf Score for a Beginner?
No organization publishes an average score for beginners, and many beginners do not keep score at all. The NGF found that almost one third of occasional golfers, those who play 1 to 7 rounds a year, do not keep score.
A reasonable expectation for a new golfer who counts every stroke is a score well above 100. The World Handicap System reflects this. It allows a Handicap Index as high as 54.0, which means a target score of about 126 on a course rated 72.0. Breaking 100 is the first real milestone, and close to half of all golfers do not reach it on a typical day.
What Is the Average Golf Score for 9 Holes?
The average score for 9 holes is about 47. That is an estimate equal to half of the NGF's 94 average for 18 holes. Neither the NGF nor the USGA publishes a separate 9-hole average.
You can halve any score in the handicap table above the same way. A golfer who shoots 50 for 9 holes is on pace for 100.
Nine-hole rounds count toward a handicap. Golfers posted about 15 million 9-hole scores in 2025, out of 82 million total, according to the USGA's 2025 Golf Scorecard. A 9-hole round also takes about half the time. See how long it takes to play 18 holes for typical round times.
What Is a Good Golf Score?
A good score depends on who you compare yourself to. On a par-72 course, these are fair benchmarks for an amateur:
- Under 100: better than close to half of all golfers. A solid score for a newer player.
- 94: average for golfers who keep score.
- Under 90: better than about three out of four golfers. This is roughly what the average man with a handicap shoots.
- Under 80: a very good amateur score. About 5% of golfers do this regularly.
- 72 or lower: par or better. This takes a scratch or plus handicap.
Par is not the standard for a good score. Par is the score an expert is expected to make. A recreational golfer who shoots 85 has played a good round by any reasonable measure.
Why Do Average Golf Scores Differ Between Sources?
Sources disagree because they measure different groups of golfers and count strokes differently.
- Who is counted. The NGF's 94 covers golfers who keep score. The USGA's data covers only the 3.68 million golfers with a Handicap Index, who play more often and score lower. Occasional golfers who never keep score are missing from both.
- How strokes are counted. Survey scores are self-reported and often include mulligans and gimmes. Handicap scores have a maximum per hole of net double bogey, which also lowers the totals.
- Potential versus average. A Handicap Index reflects your best rounds. Converting it to an average score requires an adjustment, like the 3 strokes used in the table above.
- Older figures. Many articles still say the average score is 100. The NGF says that number came from older research with a smaller sample and a less specific survey question.
- Survey wording. The same 2024 NGF survey found that almost 1 in 10 golfers who keep score say they regularly break 80. That is higher than the 5% estimate for all golfers in the table above.
The Bottom Line
The average golf score is about 94 for 18 holes and about 47 for 9 holes among golfers who keep score. Men average about 93 and women about 99. Golfers with an official handicap score lower, with the average man typically shooting about 89. If you break 100, you are ahead of close to half of all golfers. If you break 90, you are ahead of about three out of four.