Your number, explained.
This is a first lesson in golf scoring. It is for the new player who just heard "nice bogey" and did not know if that was a compliment. Par, the names, how it adds up, and what a first score means.
Every score has a name
Golf counts strokes against par. The names just say how far from par you landed.
Par is the target
Every hole has a par of three, four or five. It is the number of strokes a very good player expects to take. Take four on a par four and you made par.
Bogey is one over
Five on a par four. This is a normal score for most players on most holes. "Nice bogey" is a real compliment.
Birdie is one under
Three on a par four. Rare enough to remember. Some players remember every one.
Eagle is two under
Three on a par five, or two on a par four. Tell everyone. They will ask which hole.
Double is two over
Six on a par four. It happens. Write it down and walk to the next tee.
How it adds up
Eighteen holes. Add every stroke. That total is your score.
A full course usually adds up to a par of seventy two. So a ninety is eighteen over. People say "shot ninety" or "plus eighteen". Same thing.
Penalty strokes count too
Some shots cost a stroke without a swing. Three you will meet early.
- Water
- Ball in the pond. Add one stroke, drop a new ball, keep going.
- Out of bounds
- Past the white stakes. Add one stroke and hit again from where you were.
- Lost ball
- Could not find it. Same as out of bounds. Add one, hit again.
Your first ninety
Write down the real number. Ninety, a hundred and ten, whatever it is. It is a starting line, not a verdict.
Three habits from day one. Count out loud on the hole. Write it on the green, not in the cart. Count the penalties.
Do that and every number after the first one means something.
Your first round counts
A first ninety only means something if the second round is written next to it. Big Fairways keeps a lifetime scorecard, every round and every course, and personal stats that only you see. It keeps one card for the whole group, so nobody hands you a pencil and a look. It tracks fairways, greens and putts when you are ready for that. Free, and the account takes about twenty seconds. Start your card on Big Fairways.
Ask the question
The one you did not want to ask on the first tee. There are no silly ones here.