How to Write Golf Scores

Understanding your scorecard is the first step to tracking your progress and truly getting a feel for your game. This guide will walk you through everything, from the simple act of counting strokes to speaking the lingo of birdies and bogeys. By the end, you'll be able to fill out any scorecard with total confidence.

The Absolute Basics: What Is Par?

Before you can write down a score, you need to understand what you're measuring it against. In golf, that standard is called Par.

Par is the pre-determined number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to take to complete a hole. Every hole on the course has its own Par, which is based primarily on its length. You will almost always encounter three types of Par holes:

• Par 3: These are the shortest holes, typically under 250 yards. The expectation is one shot to get onto the green and two putts to get the ball in the hole. Total: 3 strokes.
• Par 4: These are the most common holes, with a moderate length usually between 251 and 470 yards. The standard is two strokes to reach the green and two putts. Total: 4 strokes.
• Par 5: These are the longest holes, generally over 471 yards. An expert is expected to reach the green in three shots and then take two putts. Total: 5 strokes.

A standard 18-hole golf course usually has a total Par between 70 and 72, which is just the sum of the Par for all 18 holes.

Marking Your Score: The Stroke-by-Stroke Method

The foundation of all golf scoring is simply counting the number of times you hit the ball. This is called your gross score. Here's how to do it correctly.

Step 1: Count Every Swing

It sounds simple, but this is a point of confusion for many new players. Every time you make an intentional swing at your golf ball, it counts as one stroke. This is true whether you hit it 300 yards down the fairway or miss it completely (a "whiff"). If you intended to hit it, it's a stroke.

So, from your first drive to your final tap-in putt, keep a running tally in your head for each hole.

Step 2: Don't Forget the Penalties

Sometimes, things don't go as planned, and you have to add penalty strokes to your score. While the complete rulebook is extensive, here are the most common situations you'll encounter:

• Lost Ball or Out of Bounds (OB): If you hit your ball and can't find it within three minutes, or it comes to rest beyond the white stakes (out of bounds), you add a one-stroke penalty. You must then go back and play your next shot from the same spot you hit the original from. This is often called "stroke and distance."
• Penalty Area (Water Hazard): If your ball ends up in an area marked by red or yellow stakes (like a pond or creek), it's a one-stroke penalty. You have a few options for where to play your next shot, but the most common is to drop a ball outside the penalty area, no closer to the hole, near where your ball last crossed into it.
• Unplayable Lie: If your ball is in a spot where you simply can't hit it (like deep in a thick bush), you can declare it unplayable. This also costs you one penalty stroke and gives you several options for dropping the ball within a certain distance.

Adding penalty strokes is honest golf. For every penalty, you simply add one stroke to your total score for the hole.

Step 3: Putting It on the Card

Let's walk through an example. You're playing a Par 4.

1. Your tee shot lands in the fairway. (1 stroke)
2. Your second shot sails toward the green but lands in a water hazard. (2 strokes)
3. You take a one-stroke penalty. (Now at 3 "strokes" on paper)
4. You drop a new ball and hit your next shot onto the green. (This is your 4th shot)
5. You need two putts to get the ball in the hole. (5th and 6th shots)

The total number of strokes you took is six. In the box for that hole on the scorecard, you'd simply write the number 6.

Thinking Like a Golfer: Scoring Relative to Par

While writing down the raw number of strokes is perfectly fine, you'll hear golfers talking in a different language on the course. They describe their scores in relation to Par. Learning these terms will help you sound like a seasoned player and understand the game on a deeper level.

The Good (Under Par)

• Birdie: A score of one stroke under the Par of a hole. Scoring a 3 on a Par 4 is a Birdie.
• Eagle: A score of two strokes under Par. This most often happens when you make a 3 on a Par 5.
• Albatross (or Double Eagle): The rarest of them all! This is a score of three strokes under Par, like making a 2 on a Par 5.

The Standard (Even Par)

• Par: Your score matches the Par of the hole. Making a 4 on a Par 4 is a Par.

The More Common (Over Par)

• Bogey: A score of one stroke over the Par of the hole. Scoring a 5 on a Par 4 is a Bogey.
• Double Bogey: Two strokes over Par. That 6 we scored on our Par 4 example earlier was a double bogey.
• Triple Bogey: Three strokes over Par (a 7 on a Par 4), and so on for quadruple, quintuple, etc. Any of these is also affectionately known as a "snowman" if you make an 8.

How to Fill Out a Standard Scorecard: A Walkthrough

A scorecard can look a bit busy at first, but it’s organized logically. Let’s break down the different boxes.

Player Names & Hole Information

At the top, you'll find rows to write the names of everyone in your group. Below that, each hole is listed with several key pieces of information, most of which are printed for you: yardage from different tees, the Par for the hole, and a number labeled "Handicap" or "Index." This last number ranks the ERI on the course from hardest (1) to easiest (18) and is mainly used for handicap calculations.

The Grid: Writing Your Scores

This is where you'll do your work. For each hole, you write your gross score (the total strokes you took) in the box corresponding to your name. At the end of the front nine holes, you add up your scores from holes 1-9 and write the total in the box labeled "Out."

You do the same for the back nine, adding holes 10-18 and writing that sum in the "In" box. Finally, add your "Out" and "In" scores together for your 18-hole total, which you write in the "Total" box. This final number is your Gross Score for the round.

"Gross" vs. "Net"

You'll often see a final row on the scorecard for a "Net" score. This is only used if you have an official handicap. A Net Score is your Gross Score minus your handicap strokes. It’s a system designed to let golfers of different abilities compete against each other fairly. If you don't have a handicap, you can just ignore this line.

Advanced Scoring Formats: What About Stableford?

Sometimes, you'll play in a tournament or a a friendly game using a different scoring system, with Stableford being one of the most popular. Instead of counting total strokes, Stableford awards points based on your score relative to Par on each hole.

The goal is to get the highest point total possible. A common point system is:

• Albatross (3-under): 5 points
• Eagle (2-under): 4 points
• Birdie (1-under): 3 points
• Par (Even): 2 points
• Bogey (1-over): 1 point
• Double Bogey (2-over) or worse: 0 points

Players love Stableford because one disaster hole doesn’t sink your entire round. If you have a nightmare and card a 9 on a Par 4, you simply record "0" points and move on with a fresh start on the next tee. It’s a great for maintaining pace of play a positive mindset.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to keep score isn't just about rules, it's about connecting with the rhythm and language of the game. It boils down to counting your strokes honestly, knowing a few key terms like Par and Bogey, and being systematic when you add everything up on the scorecard.

As you get more comfortable tracking your game, you'll naturally start thinking about how to improve those numbers. Instead of just knowing you made a 6, it helps to understand exactly *why* it happened. This is where we can help. With Caddie AI, you get instant feedback and personalized strategy to turn those double bogeys into bogeys, and bogeys into pars. We help you analyze your rounds to see the real patterns, so you can practice smarter and make better decisions on the course, removing the guesswork and building the confidence to play your best golf.