Thursday night’s presidential debate, hosted by CNN, focused on a topic no one could have predicted:golf handicaps.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump The issue arose during a debate about their fitness and, therefore, their ability to serve as heads of state at the ages of 81 and 78 respectively. In the midst of this debate, Bide claimed that he had lowered his golf handicap to six as vice-president, only to later correct it to eight.
President Joe Biden plays golf at the Buccaneer Golf Course on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, December 30, 2022. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
For any avid golfer, this figure was particularly surprising. Trump himself did not believe it.
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And so an argument usually reserved for this course made its way to the debate stage.
But to better understand the argument, we must first understand its basics.
What is a golf handicap?
A golf handicap, or handicap index, is a number used to describe a player’s ability or potential. It represents the number of strokes a player is expected to play over par on a particular course.
Professional golfers don’t keep a handicap.
A score below 10 is considered low, a score below 18 is considered average, and a score above 19 is considered high. A score of zero would be considered a scratch level golfer.
Biden’s estimated six or eight points means he’s averaging 70 or 80 points per round.
President Joe Biden stands at his podium during the first presidential debate of the 2024 election between him and former President Donald Trump at CNN studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
US OPEN CHAMPION BRYSON DECHAMBEAU OFFERS TO SETTLE GOLF HANDICAP DEBATE BETWEEN TRUMP AND BIDEN
What is the average?
According to data from January 2024 collected by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the average handicap index for men was about 14 and for women 28. Only 20% of male golfers had a handicap index between 0.5 and 9.9.
How does Biden compare to the pros?
It would be unfair to compare an average golfer to a PGA Tour pro: the difficulty of the courses they play on would not be up to par.
And even though professionals don’t take this data into account, some have calculated what their indices would be if they did.
Tiger Woods of the United States reacts on the 18th green during the second round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2024, in Augusta, Georgia. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
In 2020, golf statistics guru Lou Stagner did just that. According to his numbers from 2016 to 2020, Rickie Fowler was first with a best index of +8.4, or the number of shots better than the scratch (0).
Kevin Na and Tiger Woods had a best rating of +8.3. The average rating for a PGA Tour pro was around +5.4.
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The golf handicap debate may never be settled, but Bryson DeChambeau, who averaged a +5.8 handicap, has offered to help settle it.
“Let’s settle this whole handicap debate, I’ll host the golf match on YouTube.”
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