How many strokes would you need to beat Scottie Scheffler, the World No.1?
The average golf Handicap Index for men in the US is 14, while for women it’s around 27. In the UK, it’s similar with men at 16 and women at 28.
Before the Tour Championship at East Lake, where Scheffler starts two strokes ahead of others, he shared how he makes games with friends fun.
Scheffler revealed that he gives his friends up to 20 strokes but still usually wins. He said it’s all about using the handicap system to make things fair: “Most of it’s just strokes… I can go out there with whoever it is and we can come up with some sort of a fair match just based on the handicap system.”
Handicap Systems and Fair Play:
Scheffler doesn’t have an official WHS number but says, “Depends on the game, but at home I’m typically playing to a plus seven. I used to be a plus five.” This means his friends might get two strokes per hole.
Fans might think this makes games more exciting and unpredictable.
“If you’re going out there with a 12-13 handicap,” Scheffler added, “you don’t know what will happen. If we’re playing Wolf there is a lot of volatility.”
A study showed that PGA Tour players from 2016-2020 had an average Handicap Index of +5.4. The best was Rickie Fowler at +8.4 during that period.
Have you ever wondered what the USGA index would be for a PGA Tour pro if they posted scores like we do?
Yeah, me too.
Shot out to my buddy Clay Ballard (@TopSpeedGolf) for the idea.
Index of avg tour pro:
▶️ +5.4Best index achieved:
▶️ Fowler +8.4— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner)
Scheffler isn’t sure what his current Handicap Index would be but noted his scoring average is around 68.659 in 2024—about 3.5 strokes under par each time.
He continued: “If I’m at home… I’m giving somebody 20 strokes… It’s tough to figure out.”
Justin Thomas also chimed in saying he’d be upset if another pro offered him strokes during practice rounds: “I’d be pretty pissed if Scottie and I played a practice round and he’s like, do you want a stroke on this nine?”
Thomas explained further: “I definitely have some buddies that I play with… I’ll be like, do you want some strokes or what do you want? They kind of look at me, and I know right then that I’ve already won the match.”
What do you think about pros giving each other shots?
