It’s easy to sit around with some beers at the 19th hole and hypothesize about who plays golf in America, how they score and how much they play. The National Golf Foundation has provided much of that data through the years, and now, for the first time, the USGA is sharing some of its most compelling numbers from the World Handicap System.

The USGA released on Tuesday the “2024 Golf Scorecard,” along with a redesigned and more interactive GHIN Rewind mobile app system that allows golfers to see a personalized recap that highlights their year’s golf activity, scoring highs and lows, milestones and other fun stats.

The Golf Scorecard data was compiled from the record 77.2 million scores posted to GHIN in 2024 by 3.35 million golfers. Those numbers alone show the rise in participation, with golfers’ posts going up by six percent compared to 2023 and up nearly 30 percent since 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic began. The USGA reports that 670,000 men and 80,000 women are new to the index system since 2020. (It should be noted that the majority of golfers do not have an official handicap index, with the NGF pegging the total number of on-course participants in the U.S. at 25 million.)

There are numerous standout statistics in the report, including what is most likely the biggest question for everyone: How does my handicap index compare to other golfers? According to the report, the average handicap was 14.2 for men and 28.7 for women. The most prevalent index range for men was 15.0-19.9 (27 percent), followed by 10.0-14.9 (26.7 percent) and 5.0-9.9 (20.2 percent). For women, 20.0-29.9 was the largest category at 19.7 percent, followed by 30.0-34.9 (17 percent) and 20.0-24.9 (16.4 percent).

Another tidbit that is indicative of why people play golf—94.5 percent of posted scores were for recreational rounds rather than tournament competition. Also, 25.4 percent of men and 23.7 women posted at least one competitive score, meaning that about 75 percent of golfers didn’t compete at all.

The USGA is touting a significant increase in nine-hole scores posted after the rules were changed for 2024 that gave the WHS the ability to use an “expected score” formula to take nine-hole scores and adjust them to 18-hole score differentials. This year, a record 13.7 million nine-hole scores were posted, up eight percent from 2023 and 30 percent from 2020. People who established an index in 2024 were more likely to play nine holes, and women played nine at a 50-percent rate compared to men at 26 percent. With shorter courses now being able to obtain Course and Slope ratings, there were more than 180,000 rounds posted at more than 350 short courses nationwide.

“It’s been exciting to see year-over-year trends develop as the World Handicap System has matured, shedding light on how and where the game is being played in the U.S.,” Steve Edmondson, USGA Managing Director, Handicapping and Course Rating, said in the USGA’s press release.

The new GHIN Rewind system should be appealing to many golfers. Among the data golfers can see about their own game for the year: average score, total rounds played, best and most challenging rounds, courses played, days and months played, hardest and easiest courses, and most played courses. The 2024 data is from January through Nov. 30. Golfers have to post at least three rounds in the year to see their statistics.

To access the GHIN app, it can be downloaded on iOS or Android. For more information about the app and its features, visit the GHIN website.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com