When it comes to the golf scorecard, beginner golfers need a little help to understand what goes into creating an overall score.
With all of the boxes and information printed on a scorecard by most golf courses, a novice golfer can certainly lose their focus when playing golf.
In this article, we’ll break down each of the defining features of the golf scorecard.
From what the circles and squares mean to how your scorecard can create your handicap number, we’ll provide an easy-to-follow guide to have you ready on the first tee box.
How to read a golf scorecard for beginners?
If you are just starting to play golf, one of the biggest things you need to learn is how to read a golf scorecard.
On the golf course, there are several areas of interest to help you navigate the golf course you are about to play.
You might see a color mini-replication of each hole on the scorecard to help you navigate the tee boxes, water hazards, or out-of-bounds areas.
Even a more experienced golfer needs these designs to understand how to play each hole on the golf course.
But the pictures don’t tell the entire story of each hole. Underneath the hole number, you’ll find a series of yardages corresponding to different tee boxes.
You might find yardages for championship tees, blue tees, white tees, and junior tees. Each yardage is important for your course’s handicapping system, along with the course rating.
For women golfers, the golf course may have listed a series of yardages on the bottom of the score card to help with your handicap allowances.
The great thing about modern scorecards is how expansive they’ve gotten over the years. Now, it is common to have a scorecard with eight playing spots on the card.
Not only can you keep the score of the playing field in your group, but also the number of fairways and greens you hit during your day on the links.
What do the numbers on golf scorecards mean?
A number on the scorecard notes a golfer’s correct score on a hole. Essentially, a scorecard works as a grid.
Along the top are hole numbers, and the columns underneath each hole provide a box for the golfer to input their score.
Along the left side of the card, there’s a row for golfer’s to place their name and then record each hole’s score as they make their way through all 18 holes.
What do the circles and squares mean on a golf scorecard?
One of the biggest questions that beginner golfers have when looking at a scorecard is why there are circles and squares around some of the numbers.
In most cases, the symbols note holes with extra strokes for casual golfers.
Circle
When a score is circled, that represents a birdie on that hole. A birdie is one stroke under par.
So, for a par 3 hole, a score of two would be circled on the golf score card. While all birdies are certainly positive, a golfer’s handicap is influenced by how well they do on tougher holes.
So if the hole handicap number ranks the hole as one of the toughest on the course and the golfer birdies that hole, their course handicap will reflect this achievement.
Square
A square surrounding a score on a hole represents a bogey. A bogey is one stroke over par.
On a par 5, a score of six would be a bogey. As described above, not all bogeys are built similarly regarding your handicap ranking.
A bogey on a tough hole is far less punitive with your handicap than a bogey on an easy hole.
Double Circle
If you eagle a hole, your score gets the special denotation of a double circle.
An eagle is two strokes below par. You’ll typically see eagles on par 5s when a golfer scores three, but a hole-in-one is also technically an eagle on the golf scorecard.
Eagles on the most difficult holes are a huge boost to your overall net score. Depending on the course’s relative difficulty, an eagle can certainly improve your average score concerning your handicap.
Double Square
A double square signifies a double bogey on the golf scorecard. A double bogey is two strokes over par and quite the hit to the gross score you post that day at the golf course.
On a par 3, a score of five qualifies as a double bogey.
Triangle
If you see a triangle surrounding a score, that denotes a triple bogey or worse on a hole.
Triple bogeys are three strokes over par and typically signal an errant tee shot off the tee box or several strokes lost due to a water hazard or out-of-bounds area.
Unfortunately, Beginning golfers will see many triangles on their final scorecards, while scratch golfers rarely surround their golf scores with the symbol.
It is common for beginning golfers to see a few triangles for every nine holes they play at their favorite golf club.
As these golfers improve, they’ll see fewer triangles on their golf scorecard and more circles and squares.
How do you count your total score on a golf scorecard?
One of the easiest ways to get your gross score is by counting the number of strokes over each of the two nine holes you played, then combining the score for a final tally over 18 holes.
An expert golfer can quickly scan their scorecard and add or subtract the number of birdies and bogeys from their front and back nine to get a final score.
But that high skill level for counting the number of strokes takes time to accomplish.
How do handicaps work on a golf scorecard?
If you know your handicap, then it’s easy to get your net score. The net score is the total score minus the golfer’s handicap.
For example, if you score 100 on the golf course and your handicap is 20, then your overall net score for the day is 80.
After your round, you can input that day’s scorecard into a calculator that progressively calculates your total handicap.
But that new handicap only affects future rounds. It does not affect how your current handicap determines your overall net score for the day’s round.
What is a course rating?
You’ll see a course rating for every tee box on every scorecard. Typically, the course rating number is in parenthesis next to the name of the tee boxes.
Different tee boxes carry varying distances for golfers of varying skill levels. Each tee box allows golfers to play the length of the hole based on their handicap and skill level.
A playing partner with a very low handicap will typically play a tee box furthest from the hole.
While a junior golfer will play the red tees on most scorecards as it is positioned much closer to the green.
A course’s rating signifies how difficult the course is for a scratch golfer playing a stroke play round.
A tougher golf course regularly hosting PGA tournaments will have a much higher score than a local municipal course where most golfers are there to enjoy a casual round.
What is a slope rating?
A slope rating accurately assesses how difficult a golf course will be for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer. Using the formula (Bogey Rating – Course Rating) x 5.381 equals a course’s slope rating.
A course handicap can be found by taking the Handicap Index x (Slope Rating / 113) + (Course Rating – Par Score for Course).
The USGA offers an online Handicap Calculator that quickly helps you find the course’s handicap.
How do you read a golf match play score?
If you are enjoying a match play round with other golfers, the scoring is much different than stroke play scoring.
Each player can win, lose, or draw specific holes for this golf game. However, the overall score on each hole for a golfer only matters to their opponent’s score.
For example, Golfer A scores a seven on a par 5. In stroke-only play, that would be a terrible score, but in match-style golf, if Golfer B scores an eight, then Golfer A wins the hole.
On the scorecard, how many strokes you score doesn’t matter nearly as much as noting who won the hole.
If a golfer wins a hole, place a plus sign (+) under the hole alongside their name. For the other golfer, place a minus (-) next to their name to note the lost hole.
If no one wins a difficult hole and the two golfers post the same score, then you’ll leave the hole blank.
At the end of the first nine holes, tally the pluses against the minuses to find out which golfer is leading the match.
On the back nine, golfers may not finish the entire 18 holes if one golfer has clinched the match, so it’s essential to pay close attention to the score.
If Golfer A is up five holes with four holes left to play, then Golfer B cannot win the match. In this scenario, Golfer A is declared the winner.