2026 End of Season Statistics
Share
2026 was our biggest season yet at 235 event days, and prize winners were better players than the field: pairs winners averaged an 11.87 handicap against a field average of 12.47, the reverse of 2025.
Season at a glance
| Events | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pairs | 188 | 202 | +14 |
| Scrambles | 14 | 9 | -5 |
| Singles | 9 | 6 | -3 |
| Overseas | 9 | 18 | +9 |
| Total | 220 | 235 | +15 |
- Winners got lower, the field did not. Average winning handicap fell in singles (every division), pairs (-0.51) and scrambles (-1.87), while the average field handicap rose in pairs (+0.70) and scrambles (+1.48).
- Scoring is flat. The average pairs winning score is 45.53 points against 45.47 in 2025, and gross winners averaged 38.68 points against 38.62.
- Fewer 50+ scores, but a higher peak. 11 events reached 50+ points (5.45%) against 13 in 2025 (6.91%), and the top score rose from 51 to 55.
- Singles gross winners were stronger. The lowest gross score was +0.5 over par for a 0 handicap, against +3.0 in 2025.
Singles
Winning handicaps fell in Divisions 1 to 3 in 2026 after rising in 2025, and the best gross score of the year was only half a shot over par.
Singles winners' handicaps fell in Divisions 1 to 3 in 2026, reversing the 2025 rise.
| Division | 2025 avg hcp | 2026 avg hcp |
|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | 7.90 | 7.47 |
| Division 2 | 14.11 | 13.20 |
| Division 3 | 15.47 | — |
| Division 4 | 19.81 | 22.97 |
| Average player in the field | 12.61 | — |
The change is in who won, not in who entered. Division 4 ran at three of the six events (average 22.97), so it cannot be compared with 2024.
The best singles gross score was half a shot over par in 2026, the best in five years. Lowest gross score of the season, shots over par for a 0 handicap (36 minus Stableford points). Lower is better.
| Year | Best gross (over par) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | +4.25 |
| 2023 | +2.35 |
| 2024 | +1.27 |
| 2025 | +3.00 |
| 2026 | +0.50 |
The lowest gross score was 35 points off a 0 handicap, against 33 in 2025. The gross winners averaged a 3.03 handicap. With six singles events in 2026 (nine in 2025) one result moves these averages a lot.
All scores from our Singles events are posted to WHS, with players' handicaps being adjusted accordingly.
Pairs: handicaps and scores
Pairs prize winners were 0.6 shots better than the average player in 2026, the reverse of 2025, while winning scores barely moved.
Both halves of the winning pair got lower. Player 1 averaged 10.30 (down 0.50 on 2025) and Player 2 averaged 13.43 (down 0.68), so the average winning handicap fell from 12.38 to 11.87. The average player in the field went the other way, up from 11.77 to 12.47, so winners were not helped by weaker opposition.
Average winning score held at 45 to 47; 2026 set the five-year high (55) and low (35). Handicap winning score, pairs events: average (dot) with lowest and highest of the season (line).
| Year | Lowest | Average | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 42 | 47.03 | 54 |
| 2023 | 41 | 46.60 | 52 |
| 2024 | 39 | 44.96 | 51 |
| 2025 | 37 | 45.47 | 51 |
| 2026 | 35 | 45.53 | 55 |
The average winning score was 45.53 points, against 45.47 in 2025 and 44.96 in 2024. The spread widened at both ends: the lowest winning score fell from 37 to 35 (Turnberry, April) and the highest rose from 51 to 55 (Great Barr). This extreme high score was in the peak of summer where the dry conditions led to the ball running a long way and scores in events increasing over this dry period.
In four-ball events all scores are sent to WHS — they are then screened for the scoring criteria (42+ points as a team, with the individual score being the team's counting score on 9+ holes) if this criteria is met and the five-year average is 9.2 events a year with 50+ points, so 2026 sits just above it. 2024 was the outlier, with only two.
Gross winning scores have stayed between 38.2 and 38.7 points since 2023. Average Stableford points of the pairs gross winners. The 2022 figure is the 2025 report's recalculation.
| Year | Gross winners avg (pts) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 37.10 |
| 2023 | 38.60 |
| 2024 | 38.15 |
| 2025 | 38.62 |
| 2026 | 38.68 |
Gross winners averaged 38.68 points, level with 2025 (38.62) and 2023 (38.6). Their average handicap in 2026 was 3.54 (Player 1 2.17, Player 2 4.91).
Pairs 2026: event by event
Across the 202 pairs events, winning scores rose through the season, and winners were mostly lower-handicap players than the field they beat.
The 20-event average winning score rose from 43.2 in spring to 47.4 by event 158, then eased. Handicap winning score of each of the 202 pairs events in the order supplied (dots) with the 20-event average (line). 2025 average was 45.47.
Split into thirds the average winning score rose from 44.48 to 45.85 to 46.25 points, while Player 1's average handicap fell from 11.47 to 9.75 and 9.69. The lowest winning scores came early (35 at Turnberry in April, 37 at Sandwell) and at the very end (37 and 39 at Turnberry in October).
| Part of season | Events | Gross winners (pts) | Handicap winners (pts) | Player 1 hcp | Player 2 hcp | Field hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First third (events 1–67) | 67 | 38.19 | 44.48 | 11.47 | 13.50 | 12.63 |
| Middle third (68–135) | 68 | 39.06 | 45.85 | 9.75 | 13.86 | 12.39 |
| Last third (136–202) | 67 | 38.78 | 46.25 | 9.69 | 12.93 | 12.39 |
88% of pairs events (177 of 202) were won with 42 to 49 points. Number of 2026 pairs events by handicap winning score, in two-point bands.
| Winning score band | Events |
|---|---|
| 34–35 | 1 |
| 36–37 | 2 |
| 38–39 | 2 |
| 40–41 | 9 |
| 42–43 | 25 |
| 44–45 | 56 |
| 46–47 | 62 |
| 48–49 | 34 |
| 50–51 | 9 |
| 52–53 | 1 |
| 54–55 | 1 |
2026 pairs results supplied (202 events)
14 events were won with 41 points or fewer and 11 with 50 or more. Gross scores ranged from 32 to 46 points, with 26 events needing 42 or more to win the gross. In 12 events both gross winners played off scratch or better, and the best handicap among gross winners was -5.3 (Inspiration Club).
The winning pair's average handicap was below the field average in 117 of 202 events (58%). Player 1 was below the field average in 138 events (68%) and Player 2 in 92 (46%). In 25 events (12%) the same pair would have won both the gross and the handicap prize — this is why our rules say you cannot win both and prizes are spread out so there are more winners from different pairs.
Winners' handicaps follow the field. Winning scores were 1.3 points lower in the lowest-handicap fields than in the highest.
| Field average handicap | Events | Handicap winners (pts) | Gross winners (pts) | Player 1 hcp | Player 2 hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 11.5 | 38 | 44.53 | 38.45 | 7.72 | 11.80 |
| 11.5 to 12.99 | 94 | 45.72 | 39.04 | 10.25 | 13.29 |
| 13 or more | 70 | 45.81 | 38.31 | 11.77 | 14.51 |
The 11 events won with 50 or more points were spread across the season. The highest, Great Barr (55), was won by the same pair that won the gross, in the highest-handicap field of the year (15.02).
| Event | Winning points | Winning players' handicaps | Field avg hcp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barr | 55 | 8.8 and 15.4 | 15.02 |
| Bowood | 53 | 11.4 and 16.6 | 13.18 |
| The Northumberland | 51 | 6.0 and 22.3 | 13.73 |
| Beau Desert | 51 | 7.6 and 20.2 | 11.39 |
| Foxhills Longcross | 50 | 9.0 and 9.0 | 12.50 |
| Rotherham | 50 | 24.0 and 18.0 | 13.20 |
| Cornwall Day 3 | 50 | 17.0 and 10.0 | 13.50 |
| Reddish Vale | 50 | 16.0 and 10.0 | 11.90 |
| Dumfries Day 1 | 50 | -0.9 and 13.0 | 12.21 |
| Beverley & East Riding | 50 | 20.0 and 15.0 | 13.09 |
Scrambles
Scramble winners were much better players than the field in 2026: handicap winners averaged 10.90 against a field average of 15.11, a gap of 4.2 shots against 0.9 in 2025.
Gross winning teams averaged a 6.05 handicap (7.11 in 2025) and handicap winners 10.90 (12.77). The average player in the field was 15.11, the highest of the four years: up 1.48 on 2025 and 0.19 on 2023.
Gross winning scores rose 0.88 to 58.78 strokes and handicap winning scores rose 0.71 to 51.52. Gross is 0.65 better than 2023 but 3.88 worse than 2024; handicap is 1.68 better than 2024 but 1.94 worse than 2023.
Nine scrambles ran in 2026 against 14 in 2025 and 21 in 2024, so one event moves these averages noticeably.
| Event | Gross score | Gross team avg hcp | Winning team avg hcp | Winning score | Field avg hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth | 60 | 8.20 | 9.50 | 51.5 | 15.35 |
| Weymouth | 58 | 10.13 | 10.13 | 50.8 | 14.90 |
| Ely | 61 | 4.20 | 9.30 | 52.7 | 14.20 |
| Farleigh | 55 | 1.70 | 7.90 | 50.1 | 14.70 |
| Cardrona | 62 | 6.00 | 15.30 | 51.7 | 16.20 |
| Seaford | 56 | 2.00 | 9.00 | 57.0 | 15.20 |
| Portal | 61 | 9.40 | 13.70 | 51.3 | 16.10 |
| Southwick Park | 58 | 3.80 | 9.50 | 48.5 | 14.90 |
Farleigh had the best gross score (55) and the lowest-handicap gross team (1.70); Southwick Park had the best handicap score (48.5). Cardrona had the highest-handicap winning team (15.30) and the highest field average (16.20).
Closing note
At Golf Pairs we like to collect data from our events and share it with our players — we believe transparency is very important in golf and as paying customers you should be able to see this data and make your own opinion. We will continue to collect data moving forward and share it with you.
Thank you for supporting Golf Pairs in 2026 — we look forward to welcoming you back to some awesome events in 2027!