Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit.
A scratch golfer is a common term used in golf. It refers to someone who shoots at par or better than par. So, in other words, a scratch golfer is simply a very good golfer!
If you’re reading this article because someone has called you a scratch golfer, you should be very flattered!
In this article, we will explore what a scratch golfer is, how you can become one and whether the goal is one you would like to strive for!
Hopefully, you will find plenty of helpful information on scratch golfers below.
Definition Of A Scratch Golfer?
A scratch golfer is someone who has the ability to hit par on all the holes on the golf course in one day.
This means that a scratch golfer is a great golfer with 0 handicaps. It takes years of hard work and practice to get to this skill level and so it is a very honorable title to have!
While only very good golfers can call themselves a scratch golfers, you do not have to be completely perfect to achieve it. Everyone makes mistakes!
What Makes Someone A Scratch Golfer?
As we mentioned, no golfer is flawless, but the amount of mistakes that a golfer makes contributes to whether or not he can be categorized as a scratch golfer. Scratch golfers usually follow along the lines of the following statistics:
- The golfer will hit the green two-thirds of the time.
- They average around 1.67 putts for each hole. This is a very impressive statistic!
- The average drive for a scratch player is 250 yards.
- Scratch golfers will not hit the sand at least 60% of the time.
- They get the ball to the fairway half of the time.
Being consistently good at the game is what categorizes a scratch golfer.
Can You Be A Scratch Golfer?
Anyone can become a scratch golfer and we’re here to tell you how to get on the path to achieving your goal!
In order to become such a successful golfer, you will have to work very hard and pay very close attention to the skills that you will need to become one.
While it is possible, the chances that you will successfully be able to lower your handicap to reach 0 are quite low. You may lower your handicap from when you first started out, but it is quite difficult to reach 0.
We believe that you can do it, though! If you put your mind to it, and you believe in yourself then you will have the strength to keep trying even if you make mistakes.
The trick is to make sure that we pick ourselves up after each mistake, learn from them but don’t dwell on them. This gives us a fighting chance of becoming scratch golfers!
Top-level golfers never make the same mistakes twice as they learn from their mistakes.
About two percent of golfers manage to reach scratch golfer levels so it is quite difficult but definitely possible!
How Can I Become A Scratch Golfer?
As golfers, we are expected to get better over time. Only 1 out of 50 of us will become scratch golfers. So if you want to become a scratch golfer, you should follow the rules below.
Plenty of practice. In order to achieve a scratch level, you should ensure that you are practicing out on the course almost every day.
Golf will have to become the center of your life if you wish to become a scratch player.
Be patient. You will have to ensure that you do not get frustrated or angry when you do not play as well as you had hoped to.
You have to ensure that you are fully concentrating and you don’t let a mistake distract you from the game.
Judge the risks. While it can be tempting to go for the more difficult, and in turn, more impressive shots, sometimes you are better off simply going for the easier option.
This will keep the ball in play and mean that you will reach your goals easier in the long run.
If you attempt to try these tips and tricks then you will likely set yourself aside from the average golfer.
Should I Aim To Be A Scratch Golfer?
Many people love to play golf because of the fun side of the sport and the social aspect. If this is you, then perhaps aiming to become a scratch golfer is not the best thing to do.
We want to keep enjoying the sport, so you should only strive to be a scratch golfer if it is something you want.
Is Becoming A Scratch Golfer A Reasonable Goal?
Around 2 percent of golfers are able to become scratch golfers.
While this is possible, it is true that not everyone will be able to achieve the goal, and so you should consider whether it is important to you to be able to continue to enjoy gold if you give yourself such a serious task.
We recommend only trying to achieve this goal if you really want to because you don’t want your frustrations and the pressure of trying to reach this level to come in the way of how much you enjoy the support.
It will take a lot of patience to become a scratch golfer, which can be very frustrating. Considering this before you set your goals is important.
Final Thoughts
A scratch golfer is a very good golfer, categorized by having a handicap of 0. If you want to make it your goal to become a scratch golfer, we support you in this decision!
Hopefully, you will find the guidance in this article about how to become a scratch golfer to be helpful to you.
However, not everyone should strive for this goal. For many, golf is an enjoyable and fun sport to partake in during your spare time.
Adding the goal of scratch golfer has the potential to take away from this enjoyment so it is worth thinking through the goal before you set it for yourself!
Good luck and we are right behind you on every step of your golfing journey!
