Score against par
Everything in golf is measured against par, the expected number of strokes on a hole. The terms below describe how far over or under par you are.
- Par
- The number of strokes a skilled player is expected to need on a hole or on the whole course. A hole is par 3, 4 or 5 depending on length. A normal 18-hole course is par 70 to 72.
- Par 3, par 4, par 5
- The hole's par by length. You reach a par 3 in one stroke, a par 4 in two and a par 5 in three, with two putts left for par on each.
- Birdie
- One stroke under par on a hole. Three strokes on a par 4 is a birdie. One of golf's most enjoyable numbers, and often worth extra in a side bet such as a birdie pot.
- Eagle
- Two strokes under par on a hole. Most common on a par 5 where you reach the green in two and hole the putt. Considerably rarer than a birdie.
- Albatross
- Three strokes under par on a hole, also called a double eagle. Most commonly two strokes on a par 5, though a hole-in-one on a par 4 counts too. Extremely rare — most golfers never make one.
- Bogey
- One stroke over par on a hole. Five strokes on a par 4. A bogey is a perfectly normal result for most amateurs and rarely costs you the round.
- Double bogey
- Two strokes over par on a hole. Six strokes on a par 4. A triple bogey is three over. In Stableford, a net double bogey scores zero and you pick the ball up.
- Hole-in-one
- The ball in the hole from the tee, one stroke. Possible mainly on a par 3. Also called an ace. Tradition says whoever makes one buys the group a drink.
Handicap and a fair match
The handicap system lets players of different standards meet on equal terms. Strokes are allocated via stroke index, and the difficulty of the course is factored in through slope and course rating.
- Handicap
- A measure of your playing strength under WHS. The lower the number, the better the player. A beginner might be on 54, a regular club player around 15 and an elite amateur close to 0.
- Course handicap
- The number of extra strokes you actually receive on a particular course from a particular tee. Worked out as handicap times slope divided by 113, plus the difference between course rating and par. It is the course handicap that gives you your strokes in a match.
- Stroke index
- The difficulty ranking of the holes from 1 to 18 on the scorecard. If you get three extra strokes they fall on the holes with stroke index 1, 2 and 3, in other words the hardest, so the help lands where you need it most.
- Slope
- A number between 55 and 155 describing how difficult the course is for an average player compared with a scratch player. 113 is average. A higher slope gives more course handicap strokes.
- Course rating
- How many strokes a scratch player is expected to need on the course from a given tee, often with a decimal such as 71.4. Together with slope and par it forms the basis of your course handicap.
- Scratch
- A player off handicap 0, who on average plays to the course rating. Playing to scratch means going round in the course rating without receiving any extra strokes.
- WHS
- The World Handicap System, the global handicap system introduced in 2020. It means a handicap worked out in one country behaves the same way on a course in another.
- Gross
- Your score without handicap strokes deducted, in other words the number of strokes you actually took. The gross winner is whoever plays the lowest raw score regardless of playing strength.
- Net
- Your score after your course handicap strokes have been deducted. Net is what decides most club competitions and social wagers, because it compares players fairly across standards.
The course and the shots
The words for the game itself and the parts of the course. Most of them come up on your very first round.
- Tee
- Two meanings. The teeing ground where each hole begins, often in different colours by length. And the little peg you put the ball on before the tee shot. Playing a forward tee means a shorter course.
- Tee shot
- The first stroke on a hole, played from the tee. On par 4s and par 5s usually with a driver for distance, on short par 3s with an iron down towards the green.
- Fairway
- The closely mown part of the course between tee and green. Finding the fairway off the tee gives you a clean lie and an easier approach to the flag.
- Green
- The finely mown surface around the hole where you putt. Reaching the green in the right number of strokes, known as a green in regulation, leaves two putts for par.
- Rough
- The longer, unkempt grass outside the fairway and around the green. The ball settles deeper and the shot becomes harder to control. Semi-rough is the intermediate step between fairway and rough.
- Bunker
- A hollow filled with sand, placed by the fairway or the green as a hazard. You may not ground the club in the sand before the shot. An up and down from a bunker is called a sandie.
- Putt
- A rolling stroke on the green with the putter, towards or into the hole. The number of putts per round says a lot about your form. Two putts per green is the benchmark for par.
- Tee up
- To put the ball on the peg before the tee shot. You may only tee up on the tee, never out on the hole. Teeing it lower or higher affects the ball flight.
- Fore
- The warning shout when your ball is heading towards other players. Hear fore and you should protect your head and turn away. A golfer's most important safety word.
- Honours
- The right to tee off first on the next tee, which goes to whoever had the lowest gross score on the previous hole. A courtesy rather than a requirement, and often skipped in social play to keep the pace up.
The club and playing for money
The practical side of a round, from the green fee at the desk to the small wagers within the group.
- Green fee
- The fee you pay to play a round at a course where you are not a member. It varies by course, season and day of the week, and is often cheaper on weekdays and evenings.
- Gimme
- A short putt your opponent concedes so you do not have to play it, common in match play and social golf. The ball counts as holed. It does not apply in stroke play, where every putt has to be played.
- Mulligan
- A replay without penalty after a poor shot, usually on the first tee. Not permitted under the rules but a common agreement in social golf. Decide in advance whether mulligans apply.
- Side bet
- A smaller wager alongside the main game, tied to a single achievement. Common side bets are closest to the pin, longest drive and the birdie pot, and they stack freely on top of the format.
- Pot
- The sum of all the players' stakes in a wager. The winner takes the pot, or it is split when tied. In points formats such as Stableford the pot is collected and paid out to whoever has the most points at the end of the round.
- Stake
- The amount each player puts into a wager, for example 20 a hole in skins or 50 in a birdie pot. The stake determines what each result is worth.
Wager Golf keeps track of all of these for you. You tap in the strokes, the app works out the net with the correct WHS strokes according to stroke index and shows who owes whom. If you want to dig deeper into a particular game there are guides to every game format, from skins and match play to Nassau and scramble.