A scratch golfer is anyone who can play to a handicap of zero on any given golf course. These people would essentially be the best of the amateur golfers. By definition, a scratch golfer would get no strokes or shots in a match against other golfers who have higher handicaps. The scratch golfer would shoot around par on any course they play.
Golfers obviously come in all ability levels. At one end of the spectrum would be a newbie who is just learning the game and at the other end would be the scratch golfer. This person would have a history of shooting just under or just over par depending on the difficulty of the golf course. No golfer always shoots par or better, including professional golfers. The scratch golfer would consistently shoot right around par. If a scratch golfer were to have an official handicap through a professional golf organization, that handicap would be zero or into the plus numbers. Yes, even a few elite golfers have what’s called a “plus handicap”. A plus handicap is very rare. It means that a golfer has consistently shot better than par in the past and essentially has to beat par when they tee it up on a given course to play up to their lofty handicap.
So, this begs the question where did the term scratch golfer originate? Well, there really is no definitive time or place to point back to in the past. It is generally assumed it actually ties back to running where a line would be scratched into the ground. The best runners would start the race behind the line and the slower runners would be given a lead depending on their ability. Like in golf, it essentially evens out the playing field so golfers of all skill levels have an equal chance to win any given match.
We’ve mentioned handicapping multiple times. It’s a term in golf that refers to an official system that ranks golfers by their past recorded scores giving them the ability to compare and compete against another golfer. It levels the playing field. Handicaps are used both formally in organized tournaments and both informally in groups playing competitive rounds. Handicapping has been around the game of golf a very long time. Like many things in the game, handicapping has its origin back to Scotland in the 17th century.
There was a student named Thomas Kincaid in Edinburgh who journaled about golf and talked about the practice of giving and getting strokes based on the ability of the player. Years later the system of handicapping would take the players last thee scores and create an average score that when compared to par created a differential or their handicap. These days, handicapping has become a lot more dialed in and organized.
Handicapping has becoming standardized through the years and most recently been brought under a worldwide umbrella system called the World Handicap System. This big umbrella system now includes the USGA, R&A, Golf Australia and the other large handicapping systems and professional organizations. The new system takes into account almost every factor imaginable to be as precise as possible. This includes factors like the weather the day where the round was played. Now, scratch golfers and all golfers alike around the world can compare themselves and play competitively no matter their skill.