Ask 15 "average golfers", you'll get 16 answers. It all depends. From your article which Ed helpfully digested, the average American golfer plays 46 rounds a year. The average golfer also has a 15 handicap, which sounds like I might need to give it up.
Of course I'm not average in many ways:
The average American golfer...
- Is 46 years old - I'll be 35 tomorrow
- Practices one hour and 11 minutes per week - not happening with three kids under 5, I'm lucky to get to the range 4 or 5 times a year,
not counting warm-ups with a few hits at the club's range before a
round
- Has an average household income of $100,980 - I wish. I make enough but not that much
- Spends $3000 a year on golf - Pfft. The only club I've ever bought new is my putter, I play Noodles at a buck a ball instead of top-tier
$5 balls, I'm hitting the same irons I bought 5 years ago used, in a
bag I've had for nearly 10 back when there was a TopGolf range in
walking distance. Half my equipment was either a gift or a
hand-me-down. I don't even pay my own green fees, my in-laws pay less
to bring me along on their home course than they pay themselves. I I
don't think I've spent $3000 on the game to date
- Plays 46 rounds per year - More like 20 for me
- Has probably called a penalty on himself (90 percent said they've done it at least once) - Well yeah, them's the rules, but I've also
used my "underhand wedge" to clear a tree or rock, putted into holes
with the flag still in, and taken dozens of gimmes; when you're not
playing for money and a pace of play is enforced, you do what you
must
- Has a handicap of 15.1 - 30-cap at least, my best round ever is a 102
- Loses 1.3 balls per round - More like 3-6, though I haven't hit one in the water in months; I tend to lose them in tall grass under trees
just off the fairway, which annoys the heck out of me cause it would
be playable if I could just find the darn thing
- Has played for 23 years - Only been playing actual rounds of golf for about 7 years, so I've got 16 more years of experience and 11 more
in age to step my game up to "average"
