If you’re just starting out in the game of golf, scoring can seem like a foreign language — so it’s better to have a lower score? And what’s with all these plus and minus signs? What score is actually considered good?
There’s a lot to cover when it comes to golfing scoring. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to teach you all the ins and outs.
The Basics
The lower your score in golf, the better it is. If you ever watch pro tournaments, you’ll likely see a lot of scores hitting -10 and even lower. What this means is that the golfer is shooting that many strokes under par. So a -10 would mean a golfer is shooting 10 strokes under par.
What Does Par Mean?
Par is the number of strokes that it should take you to get the ball into the hole. In golf, there are three types of holes — par 3s, par 4s and par 5s:
- Par 3: The shorter of the holes. These can be anywhere form 100 yards to 300 on longer courses. Typically, they’re on the shorter side — within 200 yards — and can be reached with an iron. Ideally, you’d like to hit the green in one on these holes and then two-putt for par.
- Par 4: This hole is in between a par 3 and par 5. Par 4s can vary widely — from 250 to 500 yards. For these holes, you would like to reach the green in two and putt twice for your par.
- Par 5: This is the longest type of hole, ranging from 500 to 700 yards. You’ll use a driver off a tee and ideally two irons to reach the green. From there, you have two more putts for your par.
As you can see, par simply tells you how many shots you are allotted to break even on a hole. Now, if you go over or under that number, the pluses and minuses start to come into play.
Say you’re starting a new golf round. The first hole is a par 3. Unfortunately, you didn’t do enough warming up before the round, and you shank one of the first tee — no more than 30 yards. Shaking off the jokes from your friends, you step up to your second shot and this one goes better — landing on the far left side of the green. You have a long putt from there, which you put close, but you end up with a 4 on the hole.
4 is one more than par — one over — which is the same as bogey. That means after that hole, you have a +1 on the scorecard.
What Is a Hole-In-One in Golf?
A hole-in-one means you’ve made it in the hole on your first shot. This is extremely rare in the game of golf. When it happens, cherish it. Most people get only one and many of us might never get one at all.
You’ll typically see hole-in-ones on par 3 holes, as these are shorter and reachable. On rarer occasions, you may see a golfer get a hole-in-one on a par 4, although this would have to be a short par 4 that’s within striking distance.
Hole-in-ones are also known as aces.
What Is an Albatross in Golf?
The albatross, also known as the double eagle, occurs when a golfer gets a two on a par 5 or holes out from the tee on a par 4. Albatrosses are actually considered more difficult to attain than hole-in-ones, if you can believe it.
This is because with hole-in-ones there is often a lot of luck involved. Even mediocre golfers can sometimes find the green on a short par 3, and with a little help from a lucky bounce or mound, they can find themselves with an ace.
An albatross, on the other hand, requires much more skill. To reach a par 5 in two, you’ll need nearly perfect shots consecutively. This means you have to replicate your shot and put it on line each time — something that is usually reserved for more advanced golfers. The albatross is extremely hard to score. If you ever get one, keep that ball — it might be even more special than a hole-in-one.
What Is an Eagle in Golf?
An eagle is a score of two-under par. So this would mean getting a three on a par 5, a two on a par 4 and, technically, a hole-in-one on a par 3.
Eagles are a bit more common in golf, though still challenging to get. If you’re watching a pro tournament, you’ll probably see an eagle at some point. If you’re just out with your amateur buddies, it can be a lot more difficult. Still, it’s something to strive for and can do wonders for your golf score.
What Is a Birdie in Golf?
A “birdie” in golf is a score of one under par. A score of four on a par 5, a score of three on a par 4 and a score of two on a par 3. Birdies are common in golf and are usually what most advanced and even amateur golfers are aiming for. Assemble enough birdies in your round and you can end up with a great score.
What Is a Par in Golf?
A par in golf is the expected number of shots you should get the ball in the hole. A score of five on a par 5, a score of four on a par 4 and a score of three on a par 5. A par is a good thing — it means your score will stay the same. Although you won’t drop under par as you would with a birdie, you also won’t rise above par as you would with a bogey. No harm done, though also no benefit.
Par is often a good thing when you’ve had a couple of wild shots to get to the green. If you’ve hit from the rough and the bunker and then putted your way to par, this can be known as “saving” par, as you’ve rescued yourself from a bogey. Other times, you may miss an easy putt and settle with bogey when you really should have had a birdie.
Ultimately, it comes down to perspective. And when it comes to amateur golfers, pars are definitely a great thing. Shooting par on a course, after all, is considered a great accomplishment.
Most 18-hole golf courses will have a par of 72, which means if you add up all of your scores and it equals 72, then you’ve shot par.
When in doubt, aim for par.
What Is a Bogey in Golf?
A bogey in golf refers to a score of one over par. A bogey is a score of six on a par 5, a five on a par 4 and a 4 on a par 3.
For the amateur golfer, a bogey could be a good thing, especially if you have a couple of errant shots off the tee. For higher-level golfers and professionals, a bogey means you damaged your score slightly. While one bogey might not seem like that much of a hit to your score at first, if you acquire enough you could start to see your score rising.
This is the compounding nature of golf and it stresses the importance of every shot.
What Is a Double Bogey in Golf?
A double bogey is two over par. As you can probably tell, this is a score you’ll want to avoid in golf. You can sustain a couple of bogeys during a round and still play great, but notch a couple of double bogeys and your score could start to spiral.
What Is a Triple Bogey in Golf?
A triple bogey is three strokes over par. This is the dreaded golfing score — something you want to wipe away from your memory as soon as it happens. It can be detrimental to your golfing score.
Though it’s a high score, a triple bogey is still pretty easy to get. A shot out of bounds or into a hazard can set you up for a route toward a triple bogey. Still, the beginner golfer may just happy to get a single-digit number on the scorecard. In that case, a triple bogey may actually be a good thing.
What Is a Good Golf Score?
With all of these various terms and numbers, it may be challenging to figure out a score to shoot for. It’s always good to have a number in mind when you go out to play — it can give you a goal to shoot for and keep you motivated on the course.
A good golfing score will differ based on the level you’re at:
- Beginner: If you’re just starting out playing golf, a good score will be much higher — try to aim for less than 120 strokes over the course of an 18-hole round. A good score for a beginner golfer usually hovers somewhere around 108.
- Average: A score of 90 is generally considered to be a good score for the average golfer. A 90 means you shot an average of a bogey per hole for 18 holes — that’s pretty good.
- Scratch: For scratch golfers and professionals, the standards are high — shooting under 72 is considered a good round. 72 is par for most 18-hole courses, so this means that the pros are regularly getting scores under par and even much lower than par.
These are general scores, of course, and the number you’re aiming for will depend on your game and what you think is realistic. Sometimes it may be more beneficial for you to just go out and have fun without worrying about a score. Still, keeping a concrete number in mind will help you improve and keep you honest throughout your round.
What are Mulligans?
The term “mulligan” in golf simply means a do-over. So if you step onto the first tee and hook one into the trees, you may take a mulligan — which essentially forgives your first shot — and hit another ball. That ball will be the one you play on your next shot.
You won’t be seeing any mulligans on the pro tour, but it’s a way to give some leniency to the group of amateur golfers. Especially if you’re playing in a laid-back, relaxed Sunday golf round with your friends, there isn’t much harm in taking a few mulligans to get some extra practice in and gain some confidence during the round.
If you’re keeping score, however, and aiming for a certain number, it’s best to play without mulligans so you can get an accurate reading of your skill level.
What Does “Dormie” Mean?
Dormie refers to a golfer that leads a match by the number of holes that are remaining. So, for example, a golfer may be three holes up with three to play, or four holes up with four to play. Essentially, dormie means that the golfer who is down has no way to win the match, resulting in a draw-at-best for that golfer.
Dormie comes from the French “dormir,” which means to sleep. In essence, this is saying that a player who reaches dormie can fall asleep and still tie.
How Did Golfing Scoring Originate?
Where did all this crazy scoring originate, anyway? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when scoring for golf came together — many of the names like birdies, eagles and bogeys came far after the game of golf was established.
Golfing scoring may not have a definite origin — the names and terms seemed to have evolved throughout the years. Like many words, the ones that seemed to make the most sense to people and were catchy stuck.
In the 1890s, there was an official “ground score” designated for the Coventry Golf Club in England. In the 19th century, the term “bogey” actually referred to the ideal score on a course. The term was in reference to a popular song of that time called “The Bogey Man.” The song refers to a shadowy figure who calls out “I’m the Bogey Man, catch me if you can.”
Many golfers of the time felt as though they were continually chasing that shadowy figure on the course, always reaching for the perfect score. It wasn’t until later that the perfect score would change to “par.”
In the 19th century, the term “bird” was used in American slang for something good. Golfers would call it a “bird” of a shot if you got near the hole — eventually, the terms birdie, eagle and albatross would follow, becoming standard terms for the great game.
Factors that Affect Golfing Scoring
It can be helpful to know all about the various golfing terms and how it originated, but most of the time you’ll likely be concerned with how it’s impacting you on the course. Your score will be determined by a variety of factors like your skill level, the difficulty of the course and playing conditions.
Skill Level
The amount of time you’ve been playing golf and the frequency with which you play will have the most significant impact on your golf score. Obviously, for a beginner, your score is going to be high — likely to be over 100 for an 18-hole course. A more advanced golfer may shoot somewhere in the lower 90s.
Golf is a game that provides a wide array of scores for various players — your score will largely be dictated by how well you play the game.
Course Difficulty
How challenging is the course you’re playing? Pebble Beach will likely be a bit more difficult than your local course. A variety of factors — total length, bunkers, hills, water hazards and trees are just some of the many characteristics that determine how difficult a course will be to play.
Course rating and slope rating are two metrics that will help you determine how challenging a course actually is. These ratings put a lot of those factors into the formula to let you know how to adjust your score.
Playing Conditions
It probably won’t be clear and sunny every time you hit the links. Some days it may be gusting wind, while on others there could be a steady drizzle throughout the day. Poor weather conditions can wreak havoc on your game — even many of the pros struggle in windy and wet conditions.
Groupings
Sometimes it might not just be you contributing to a golf score — if you’re playing a scramble, your score may be dependent on others in your group. Often group scores will be much better than just one individual since you usually take the best ball from each shot.
What’s the Best Way to Keep Score on a Golf Course?
Now that you know all the essentials of golfing scoring, you could be wondering what the best way to track your score is. When you’re out there on the course, focused on the complicated mechanics of your swing, it can be easy to forget to mark down a number after each hole (especially if it was a particularly bad hole.
The traditional way to keep score is with a paper scorecard and a pencil. If you have a cart, you can keep it tucked into the wheel. Or you can keep it tucked into a pocket or a compartment in your golf bag.
There’s also a new, modern way to track your golf score — via app. There are a few different ones you can browse through that each offer a convenient and effective way to keep score. Some of them even provide yardages and maps of the course you’re playing. Since many people already have their phones on them while they’re playing, a scoring app offers an easy way to track your score.