Ava Romero
Golf scoring can be a complicated affair, with a lot of terminology to understand. The basic principle is simple: each time you hit the ball, it's a stroke, and the total number of strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole is your score for that hole. However, the term par is central to golf scoring. Par is a standard number of strokes for a hole, and different holes have different par scores, usually depending on the length of the hole. The lower your score in relation to par, the better. So, if you finish a hole in fewer strokes than par, your score is under par, and if it takes you more strokes, your score is over par.
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What You'll Learn
'Par' is the standard number of strokes for a hole
Golf scoring can be a little complex, but the central term is "par". Par is the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a course. The term has been used as a golf scoring term since 1911, and it is a measure of the difficulty of each hole. The lower your score in relation to par, the better you are performing.
Par is a standard number, but it is aimed at expert players. So, for beginners, trying to score par can be frustrating. The United States Golf Association (USGA) defines par as the "score that an expert player would be expected to make". Holes are given a par rating, usually depending on the length of the hole. For example, the USGA recommends holes up to 260 yards for men and 220 yards for women are considered a par 3. These are the shortest holes, where a skilled golfer is expected to reach the green in one stroke and putt twice to complete the hole. Par 4 holes are considered medium length, between 240 and 490 yards for men, and 200 to 420 yards for women. A golfer is expected to reach the green in two strokes and putt twice to complete the hole. Par 5 holes are the longest, exceeding 450 yards for men and 370 yards for women. These holes are expected to be reached in three strokes, with two putts to finish.
The total par score for a course is the sum of all the par scores for each hole, usually between 70 and 72 strokes. When looking at a leaderboard, you will see players' scores in relation to par. A score of -1 means a player is one stroke under par, while a score of +4 means they are four strokes over par. An "E" score means a player has achieved exactly the par score.
There are other terms to describe a player's performance in relation to par. A "birdie" is one stroke under par, an "eagle" is two strokes under, and an "albatross" or "double eagle" is three strokes under par. A "bogey" is one stroke over par, a "double bogey" is two strokes over, and a "triple bogey" is three strokes over par.
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The lower your score, the better
Golf scoring is simple: each time you hit the ball, it's called a stroke, and the total number of strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole is your score for that hole. The lower your score, the better.
For example, if it takes five strokes to get the ball in the hole, the score for that hole is 5. The total number of strokes for the entire round is your total score for that round. If you take 100 strokes over 18 holes, your score would be 100.
However, there is more to golf scoring than simple addition. When looking at a golf leaderboard, you may see positive or negative numbers next to each player's name, such as +3, -4, or -1. These numbers relate to "par," which is the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a course and for the entire round. Par scores vary depending on the length of the hole. For example, holes up to 260 yards for men and 220 yards for women are considered par 3, while holes that are 450 to 710 yards for men or 370 to 600 yards for women are par 5.
If a player has a score of "-1," they are one stroke under (better than) overall par. A score of "+4" indicates that the player is four strokes over par. An "E" on the leaderboard means the player is at "even par," meaning they have the exact par score.
There are also specific terms for scores that are significantly above or below par. For example, when a player scores a 3 on a par 4 or a 2 on a par 3, they are one under par for the hole, called a "birdie." An even rarer accomplishment is the "albatross" or "double eagle," which occurs when a golfer finishes a hole three strokes under par. On the other hand, if a player finishes a hole with one stroke more than par, it's called a "bogey." A "double bogey" means the player is two strokes over par, and a "triple bogey" means they are three strokes over par.
While the lower your score, the better you are performing, golf scoring can be complex, and it's important to understand the terminology and different scoring methods to fully grasp your performance.
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Different holes have different par scores
Golf scoring is simple: each time you hit the ball, it's called a stroke, and the total number of strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole is your score for that hole. The lower the score, the better. However, there's more to golf scoring than simple addition. The term "par" has been used as a golf scoring term since 1911, and it refers to the standard number of strokes for a hole. Par is the score that an expert player would be expected to make. Different holes have different par scores, usually depending on the length of the hole. Holes are generally assigned par values of 3, 4, or 5, based on the distance from the teeing ground to the putting green, and occasionally other factors such as terrain and obstacles.
For men, holes up to 260 yards are considered par 3, holes 240 to 490 yards are par 4, and holes 450 to 710 yards are par 5. For women, the par 3 threshold is up to 220 yards, par 4 holes are 200 to 420 yards, and par 5 holes are 370 to 600 yards. Holes longer than 670 yards for men and 570 yards for women are considered par 6, but these are rarely seen in professional competitions. Each course has a total par score, which equals the sum of the par scores for each hole. A typical 18-hole golf course will have a total par of around 72.
Scores that are above or below par on a hole have different names. When a player scores one less stroke than par, it's called a "birdie". Scoring two strokes less than par is an "eagle", and three strokes less is an "albatross". Four strokes less than par is a "condor", the lowest individual hole score ever made relative to par. On the other hand, one stroke more than par is a "bogey", two strokes more is a "double bogey", and three strokes more is a "triple bogey". Scoring a hole in one stroke is called an "ace", a rare feat that is most likely to occur on a par 3 hole.
When looking at a golf leaderboard, you'll see players' scores relative to par for all holes played thus far. For example, a score of +3 means three strokes over par, -4 means four strokes under par, and so on. If a player's score is "E" or even, they've scored exactly the par score.
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Golf courses usually have 18 holes
Golf is a sport with a rich history and a dedicated following around the world. At its most basic, a golf score is simple: each time you hit the ball, it's called a stroke, and the total number of strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole is your score for that hole. However, there is more to golf scoring than simple addition. The term "par" is central to golf scoring. It is a measure of the difficulty of each hole and serves as the benchmark for performance. Par is a standard number of strokes for a hole, but that standard is for experts. The United States Golf Association (USGA) defines par as the "score that an expert player would be expected to make."
Different holes have different par scores, usually depending on the length of the hole. The USGA recommends that holes up to 260 yards for men and 220 yards for women be considered a par 3. Holes that are 240 to 490 yards for men or 200 to 420 yards for women are par 4. Par 5s are the longest holes, often exceeding 470 yards, where players are expected to reach the green in three strokes and use two putts to finish. Par 3s are the shortest holes, typically less than 250 yards, where a skilled golfer is expected to reach the green in one stroke and use two putts to complete the hole. Par 4s are medium-length holes, usually between 250 and 470 yards, where a golfer is expected to reach the green in two strokes and use two putts to complete the hole.
In addition to the par score for each hole, each course has a total par score, which equals the sum of the par scores for each hole. That's what the positive and negative numbers on the leaderboard mean. If a player has a score of "-1," they are one stroke under (or better than) overall par. If their score is "+4," they're four strokes over (or worse than) par. And if their score is "E," they're at even par, meaning they've achieved exactly the par score.
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Scoring terms include 'birdie', 'eagle' and 'albatross'
The objective of golf is to complete each hole in the fewest number of strokes possible. The number of strokes a proficient golfer is expected to take to complete a hole is called the "par." Scoring terms like birdie, eagle, and albatross are used to describe how a golfer's score compares to the par for a given hole.
A "birdie" is a score of one stroke under par. The term "birdie" comes from early 20th-century American slang, where "bird" meant something excellent. The term "birdie" was first used in the context of golf in Maclean's Magazine in 1911, which described a golf shot as a "bird" flying straight down the course.
An "eagle" is a score of two strokes under par for a given hole. The term "eagle" is a natural extension of the bird theme for good scores, with the eagle being the national symbol of the United States. The term "eagle" was introduced to Britain from America in 1919, and by 1922 it was being described as "American golfing parlance."
An "albatross," also known as a "double eagle," is a score of three strokes under par. Albatrosses are incredibly rare, and achieving one is considered an extraordinary accomplishment in golf. The term "albatross" was first referenced in 1929, but the exact origin is unclear. The first recorded albatross was a hole-in-one on a 271-yard par-4 hole at the Durban Country Club in South Africa in 1931.
These scoring terms, along with others like "par" and "bogey," have a rich history in the world of golf, with some terms originating from the United States and Britain in the early 20th century.
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Frequently asked questions
Each time you hit the ball, it counts as one stroke. The total number of strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole is your score for that hole.
Par is a standard number of strokes set for each hole on a course. It is a measure of the difficulty of each hole and serves as the benchmark for performance.
The lower the score, the better. A golfer aims to finish a hole in as few strokes as possible. If you finish a hole in fewer strokes than the par, your score is under par, which is excellent.
Birdie: Completing a hole in one stroke less than par.
Bogey: Finishing a hole with one stroke more than par.
Eagle: Finishing a hole in two strokes less than par.
Golf courses usually have 18 holes, with a total par that typically falls between 70 and 72 strokes.
