Players with official USGA handicaps topped 3 million in 2022

When the USGA, R&A and several other international governing bodies of golf introduced the World Handicap System in 2020, a major goal for the initiative was inclusivity. The minds behind all the math wanted more people around the world to have handicaps while ensuring those handicaps and entered scores were more valid.

Fast forward to 2023 — thanks in part to a major uptick in golf participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and it’s clear the World Handicap System has hit a bullseye in regards to increasing inclusivity.

The number of golfers with an active handicap in the U.S. has surged nearly 17 percent in recent years from 2,596,357 in 2020 to 3,026,528 in 2022, the USGA has reported. It was the first time the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN) has surpassed 3 million participants, as nearly 420,000 players established handicaps for the first time in 2022.

The USGA has accomplished these gains in several ways, said Steven Edmondson, the ruling body’s managing director of handicapping and course rating. He said the upticks are largely a reflection of the ease in obtaining a handicap, the relative simplicity of maintaining a handicap online, the speed with which a handicap is available and the increased inclusion of nine-hole rounds as many player’s work-from-home arrangements allow them to get out for a quick game.

And most importantly for all those new golfers since the pandemic took off in 2020, the USGA has stressed that any golfer is eligible to have a handicap. Handicaps used to max at 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women, but those caps have been raised to 54 for both men and women in a move to increase inclusivity for all golfers.

“One of the biggest myths … is that I’ve got to be a good player to have a handicap,” Edmondson said. New and frequently intimidated players might say they only need a handicap if they’re playing competitions, “and it’s just not true. Those are the things we’re trying to message about and overcome.”

In fact, the average handicaps for men and women have risen in recent years as more new players join the GHIN system. The overall average handicap for male players is 14.0, while the average for players who joined the system in 2022 was 15.6. For women, the average handicap is 27.9, while the average for players who joined in 2022 was 31.7. This higher average reflects that less-experienced players — many who picked up the sport since COVID — have joined the ranks of those who possess…