How Many Double Bogeys Does the Average Golfer Make?
doubles-or-worse per round: 20-handicap vs scratch. Big numbers ARE the handicap.
Values rounded from published datasets; ~ marks interpolated bands. Sources below.
What this means for breaking 90
This is the most important table on this site. Scratch golfers aren't scratch because they make birdies — they're scratch because they avoid disasters. Arccos data shows the double-bogey count marches in lockstep with handicap, and most doubles aren't caused by the first bad shot: they're caused by the hero recovery after it. Cutting three doubles a round — through decisions, not swing changes — is the fastest route from 95 to 89 that exists.
Drills that move this number
How many double bogeys can I make and still break 90?
Breaking 90 means shooting 89 — bogey golf with one hole to spare. Every double is a hole you must offset with a par. Keep doubles to 2–3 a round and bogey your way home, and 89 happens without birdies.
What causes most double bogeys?
Not the first mistake — the second. Arccos data points to penalties and failed hero recoveries as the main engines of doubles. The conservative punch-out that guarantees bogey beats the miracle shot that risks a triple, mathematically, almost every time.
Where does YOUR game sit on this table?
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