The latest figures from England Golf<\/a> show the current averages are 17.38 for male players and 28.09 for female players.<\/p>\n The numbers are not directly comparable \u2013 somewhat different handicap systems for a start \u2013 but wouldn\u2019t we have expected a more dramatic shift? Should handicaps be lower?<\/p>\n NOW LISTEN TO THE NCG GOLF PODCAST<\/p>\n ALSO AVAILABLE ON:<\/p>\n Apple Podcasts:\u00a0Listen Now<\/a><\/p>\n Spotify:\u00a0Listen Now<\/a><\/p>\n Amazon Music:\u00a0Listen Now<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf people\u2019s handicaps are not moving that makes a lot of the noise online quite strange when people are talking about the game being easier,\u201d said my colleague Tom Irwin on an episode of The NCG Golf Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that 40-year period we\u2019ve had the advent of metal woods. We\u2019ve seen a ubiquitous shift from steel shafts to graphite shafts in drivers, and graphite shafts in irons for people who need it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the development of more specialist clubs with bespoke features like grind and bounce on wedges. We\u2019ve seen golf balls change night and day from 40 years ago. They spin less, fly further, but there\u2019s no compromise on how they feel.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s before you get into how much course maintenance has improved in that time, how much smoother greens are, how better prepared bunkers are, how much tighter cut fairways are.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is also before you get into TrackMan data, how much teaching has improved, the experience at ranges. There are all these advantages that are afforded the modern golfer, which would make you think that scores were getting lower among club golfers. But they\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n So why aren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n Why isn\u2019t the average golf handicap getting lower?<\/p>\n On the podcast, I rather dismissively claimed it was because we couldn\u2019t be bothered. That\u2019s not quite true.<\/p>\n A few years ago, when I was determined to reach single figures, I put in the work. I had structured lessons, spent time on the range, I practised properly and I played a lot of golf.<\/p>\n I got down to 9 in old money \u2013 and to 7.3 when the World Handicap System arrived.<\/p>\n But life has changed.<\/p>\n I play less, partly because of work, partly because of home. I have a 10-year-old. Disappearing on a whim to hit balls as I once did isn\u2019t really an option. Family time matters.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got other interests too \u2013 notably a football season ticket \u2013 and that\u2019s shaved hours off the time I might once have devoted to golf, particularly at weekends.<\/p>\n Technology gains are real. I\u2019m nearly 50 and hit the ball roughly the same distance I did at 25.<\/p>\n That has been remarkable for my longevity. But does it really help to get the ball into the hole in fewer shots? Or does it allow me to stay where I am for longer?<\/p>\n Courses are better than ever. But they\u2019re also longer and, in summer, green speeds are faster. How many clubs were regularly running at 9 on the Stimpmeter in 1983? I\u2019ll bet very few. Now it would be unusual if they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n Faster, truer greens are magnificent. They are a joy to putt on. They\u2019re also more challenging.<\/p>\n Coaching is superb. Whether through in person lessons or influencers, we understand more about the golf swing \u2013 face, path, biomechanics, ball flight laws \u2013 than ever more.<\/p>\n But knowledge can scramble the brain, as can the lure of a quick fix.<\/p>\n Do we practise properly? Do we expect an instant dopamine hit from a single lesson, only to discover that golf \u2013 like life \u2013 doesn\u2019t work that way? Do we track our performance with any real honesty?<\/p>\n We have access to so much more than we did, but has the application just not scaled at club level?<\/p>\n That\u2019s before we touch on psychology and the peculiar pressure of hitting a shot when it matters. Even if mattering is only winning the midweek medal.<\/p>\n Some will argue the handicap system itself is part of the problem. Critics say it rewards mediocrity, that determined pot hunters can manipulate it \u2013 hiding their ability until a board competition comes around.<\/p>\n But perhaps we also should give ourselves a break. \u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen amazing advances in the last four decades and yet the game remains very difficult. It still demands time, repetition, and patience.<\/p>\n And while technology has blurred the edges, it can\u2019t practise for us \u2013 or find an extra hour in the week.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve made information, tools, and courses better. But what hasn\u2019t changed is the person holding the club. It\u2019s still ultimately down to us.<\/p>\n Now have your say on the average golf handicap<\/p>\n What do you think about this average golf handicap opinion? Are we off the mark when it comes to improvement? Are golfers getting better in your experience? Let us know in the comments, or get in touch on X<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ask most golfers whether they want to get better and they\u2019ll say they\u2019re determined to improve. But do…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-453571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"
Range](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/golfballrollbackpic1-1024x683.jpg\")
Range balls | Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n