What is a scratch golfer and how good are they?
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Handicaps are what make the game of golf great. They one golfer to play against any other golfer and the contest (in theory) should be pretty close. However there is a group of golfers who play off scratch, but what exactly does that mean? And how good are they in reality?Now if you play golf, you've probably heard there's a player at your club who plays off scratch. What playing off scratch means is that player has a handicap of 0 (or better). If your handicap is 15, you expect to be about 15 over every time you play; a scratch player expects to play level par or better whenever they play.The term scratch also encompasses players who are better than 0, or said to have a positive or plus handicap. For example, a +3 handicap golfer has to add three shots to their score in a nett competition.The USGA love their numbers, and they define a male scratch golfer as being able to hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two strokes. In comparison, a female scratch...