Ever wondered how you rank among similar amateur players? To really know, you’ll want to know what percentage of golfers break 100. After all, we’re a competitive bunch. While many try to play simply for fun it is very hard to resist the urge to be competitive. What makes the game even more interesting is that you not only compete with other players but also with yourself. And many players wonder what percentage of golfers break 100. The answer: Of surveyed golfers, 86% report breaking 100!
If you’ve been playing for many years, this goal might be a distant memory. For new golfers, it is generally one of the first significant milestones and a goal many set for themselves. Once that has been achieved there is little time to celebrate as the player then wants to break 90 then 80 and lower according to their skill, experience, and commitment. You can never win at golf because you will always want to improve.
Why Not Use The Handicap System To Measure Progress?
While this is a useful measurement tool to determine your improvement, people like to set a numerical score goal as it is something that can be measured immediately and is tangible. Many golfers play frequently but never get a formal handicap so it helps to understand what percentage of golfers break 100. If you want to use handicap as a measurement tool, the official US Golf Association, USGA, provides interesting statistics.
If you follow the trends you will notice an ongoing improvement among golfers. People are playing and practicing more often as shown in the figures. Improvements in golf equipment and more investment by players are other factors that contribute towards this improvement. The average male handicap has improved from 16.3 to 14.4 in the past 25 years. The trends for lady golfers are similar. Although it is hard to compare apples with apples, this is a greater improvement over time than most other sports.
Some might argue that this is all due to technological improvements in equipment and in real terms they have not improved significantly if at all. Others argue that other aspects of golf, such as the short game especially faster green speeds, has made the game more challenging. Either way, there is constant improvement.
Why Do Golfers Want To Break 100?
Handicap or no handicap, most players set their first major goal at breaking 100. Some natural golfers that have had a bit of practice before playing on a course might even break 100 before setting this goal. They will generally go straight on to trying to break 90 as their first goal. For the average beginner, 100 is a mental barrier that they wish to conquer before setting their aim at 90 or 80.
There is lots of advice on how to achieve this first goal but the technique or focus will differ from golfer to golfer. Look to see where you are wasting stokes and try to work on the weakness in your game. It might be driving or longer shots but more often than not it is in the short game, approach shots and putting. You do not need dramatic improvement to break 100 and you can do it without birdies and even without pars. 9 Double bogeys and 9 bogeys will do the trick.
Just focus on the areas where you are giving shots away and you should break this barrier fairly easily. Golf is meant to be a challenge and would not be as exciting and addictive if it were very easy. Your mental game is also very important so achieving this and other milestones will boost your confidence and give you a sense of achievement.
When I started playing, I got addicted real quick and was out every weekend trying to improve my score. It took me over 4 months of playing almost weekly to break 100. I also broke down my goals into smaller milestones such as my first birdie or my first chip in.
Nick Lomas, Golf Coach of 15 Years
How Many Golfers Break 100?
Back to the original question. Just as you see with many other aspects of golf, there are multiple variables. As with all statistics, there are various ways to measure and present them. This results in a range of answers. There is no perfect answer but the examples will give you a good idea.
Handicap statistics are the best way to ensure accurate data. In terms of scoring, there are several studies. One was an analysis done by MyGolfSpy a few years ago. They took data from TheGrint site as well as the app. The sample was from 15,000 USGA compliant golfers that had submitted 5 or more scores to the site. This means that only players with an official handicap were measured. They found that an impressive 86% of players break 100. The real figure, if all players were included, would be a lot lower.
This gives you an idea of golfers who take the game relatively seriously and play enough to have an official handicap. The results also found that 49% of their sample broke 90 regularly and 10% broke 80 regularly. This should be encouraging if you are just starting out. Breaking 100 is a good first goal to set and hopefully, you will be aiming at 90 before too long.
Another interesting insight that came from this study was that there were not a huge amount of birdies or better. As we pointed out above, the greatest gains came from avoiding the double bogeys or worse. According to their statistics from the National Golf Foundation (NGF), 55% of golfers break 100. Here is the breakdown according to their study:
Average score:
- Under 80 – 5%
- 80-89 – 21%
- 90-99 – 29%
- 100-109 – 24%
- 110-119 – 10%
- 120+ – 11%
But results do vary across studies. According to another study by the National Golf Foundation, most golfers score 102. Only 10% score less than 100 regularly. That number is lower than the others, and it shows the challenge breaking 100 creates. It is important to understand that the results of whatever statistics you look at assume that the rules have been followed. Many casual golfers are fairly relaxed with some aspects of the game and scoring and this will skew the results somewhat.
If you adhered to the rules and laws strictly it is possible that the number of golfers breaking 100 would be a bit lower. While we expect all golfers to be honest, the system is not perfect and there are a few inaccuracies in any system. Sometimes it is due to intention while some occasions comes down to ignorance.
The stats do at least give you some indication of where the average golfers sit. 100 is still a significant milestone, and it’s understandable that many golfers set it as an early goal as they progress in their abilities. Pair this goal with a few golf lessons, and that goal becomes achievable in a single season.
The Best Tips To Break 100
“It is often said that 60 – 65% of all shots are struck within 100 yards of the hole. With this in mind, avoid spending all your time driving at the range, and instead focus often on your accuracy with your high irons, wedges, and putter.” Brendon Elliott, PGA Professional
Playing the Short Game: As Brendon mentions, short shots play a major role when you want to break 100. That means it’s often much more important to focus on chip shots and putts than on increasing the distance of your drive. Of course, a good drive off the tee (and consistent drive accuracy) plays a role too. You’ll have a much easier time breaking 100 if you’re shooting from the fairway. Hazards play a major role for those who have trouble hitting this goal.
Improving Fundamentals: Fundamental shots help you stay on the fairway, out of hazards, and (most importantly) in bounds. Players seeking to become a better golfer should, according to our PGA professionals, spend more time at the driving range and on the practice greens. Mastering fundamental swings will help you earn better golf scores. And improved fundamentals also means avoiding stroke penalties. Hitting out of bounds is a quick way to add strokes to a scorecard.
Dedicate Time this Season: Dedication remains the best way to improve performance on the course. Whether you hit a par three before your next round with the guys or spend another hour at the driving range, the only way to become a better golfer is, of course, to golf. Every round you play also sounds toward your total amount of practice. You’ve heard of the 10,000 hours rule, right? The golfers with the lowest scores often spend extra time taking lessons.
Take Fewer Putts: Improving your putt can make one of the biggest early impacts on your golf score. Our resident golf pro shared some of his advice how to read greens. His video also talks about avoiding common mistakes new golfers tend to make once they’re close to the stick.
What percentage of golfers never break 100?
If you’re doing the math, you’ll notice that only 11% of male golfers never break 100. That’s self-reported data, which means the sample set may be more likely to brag about a better golf score than to submit their true data (that likely aligns with their handicap index). If you account for some players massaging their scores, you can assume around 15-20% of adult golfers never break 100 in their golf game.
What percentage of female golfers break 100?
The data shows that both male and female golfers break 100 at about the same rate. Remember that tee position plays a role, and a major-league drive isn’t nearly as important as shots from close to the green. Female golfers break 100 about 89% of the time.
What Do the Professionals Average?
Current PGA statistics show that the top professionals consistently average less than 70, while many are marginally above this number. While most golfers will not reach these low scores it shows you what can be done. Remember that it becomes harder to shave off a stroke or two the lower your average becomes.
How Does the Golf Course Affect the Average?
The difficulty of the course also plays a role in the percent of golfers who break 100. While the stat is, of course, 100% for professional golfers, it’s still higher than you might expect for amateurs. According to our data, more than 85% of players report breaking 100. That number isn’t much lower on difficult courses. Note that many golfers self-select their difficulty. You won’t find nearly as many poor golfers on harder courses, so the number stays pretty high.
Final Thoughts
Breaking 100 all comes down to a personal challenge. It is in your interests to measure yourself accurately to know when you have reached that goal. However you measure the averages, what is encouraging is to know that many people are breaking 100 and even 90. These are realistic goals for most dedicated golfers. Keep setting targets and goals and measure your progress. The more you practice and play the more your game will improve.
Read more: What Is A Good Score In Golf For 18 Holes
Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
