Please select an artical from the list below:

• Scoring Explained
• Penalty Strokes
• Golf Handicaps
• Scoring Methods
• Golf Shots Explained

In brief, the aim of golf is to complete the course in as fewer strokes as possible.

Each hole has a par. The par for each hole defines the guideline number of strokes that should be taken to complete that hole. Par usually ranges from 3 to 5 depending on the physical length of the hole.

Your golf score is the number of strokes that you take to complete the hole. Your final golf score for your round of golf is the sum of the strokes for all holes on the course, plus any penalties (See penalty strokes) you may have incurred.

Each golf score in relation to par is defined in the table below:

In a traditional round of golf (using stroke play) the winner is the player with the lowest golf score, however many variations of the game do exist, each with their own methods of scoring (see scoring methods).

You can track your golf score for FREE here at My Online Golf Club. Please click here to register or sign in if you are already a member.

A penalty is usually incurred when the ball comes to rest in a location that does not allow the player to take the next stroke and requires the ball to be moved for play to continue. Examples are when the ball lands out of bounds, lands in a water hazard or is considered lost and a substitute is played. Penalties may also be given for a range of other offences.

Typically a penalty is added as a single stroke to a golfer’s score. Should a player drive their first stroke out of bounds, they must retake that stroke from the tee, with their second stroke being recorded as their third. In cases of more serious infractions such as cheating a player may be disqualified from the game.

When a ball lands in a hazard and needs to be dropped it must be done so behind the hazard on the plane of a straight line from the pin to the location where the ball first passed into the hazard area.

Some hazards, such as ditches run down the length of the fairway towards the green. These are known as lateral or red hazards and don’t allow the ball to be dropped as described above. In this instance the ball must be dropped no closer to the hole and within two club lengths of the point where the ball entered the hazard.

There is an additional type of hazard known as Ground Under Repair or GUR. This is a patch of the course which has been damaged and has been cordoned off to allow time for it to be repaired. Should a player's ball be found in GUR they are allowed to take a drop as per above, but without incurring a penalty.

A golf handicap is a measure of an amateur player’s ability to play golf. In short, a handicap is calculated as the average number of strokes above par a player is likely to score for any given round. Upon completion of a round of golf, each player subtracts their individual handicap from their score, resulting in a net score. This system allows golfer of differing degrees of skill to compete against each other.

A handicap can be zero or a negative number where a player consistently performs under par. In this instance the net score is calculated by adding the handicap value to the actual score achieved. A Player with a handicap of 0 or less is referred to as a scratch golfer. Handicaps are not used in professional golf and all players in a competition play off scratch.

Different countries have different rules for calculating a player’s handicap. In the UK, the Council Of National Golf Unions (CONGU) rules for calculating handicaps is used. Because no two courses are the same, some are easier to play than others. To account for this, each course is given a Standard Scratch Score (SSS). If the SSS is more than par, this course is considered to be more difficult than a one where the SSS is lower than par.

In reality there are many other factors to consider, but an initial handicap is essentially calculated using three score cards from the same course. The SSS is subtracted from the players score and their handicap is the resultant difference. Handicaps are then recalculated after each round of golf and may go down as well as up.

Handicaps fall into categories from 1 to 5 as per the table below:

To calculate if your handicap changes you need to take your net golf score (you actual or gross golf score, minus your handicap) and subtract from this the SSS of the course.

• If the result is more than 0 plus your buffer zone your handicap is increased by 0.1
• If the result is less than zero, you handicap is reduced by the reduction amount multiplied
  by the number of strokes below 0.
• If the result is between 0 and 0 plus your buffer zone, your handicap does not change.

For example, a golfer with a handicap of 14.3 plays a course with an SSS of 72. If they take 90 strokes to complete the course the resulting difference is: 90 -14 – 72 = 4. 4 is greater than 0 plus their buffer zone of 3 so their handicap increases to 14.4 (14.3 + 0.1).

If they took 84 strokes the difference would be 84-14-72 = -2. This would reduce their handicap to 13.7 (14.3 – (0.3x2)).

If they took 87 strokes the difference would be 87–14-72 = 1. 1 is more then 0, but less than 0 plus the buffer zone of 3, so the handicap does not change.

To find out more about how we calculate your free golf handicap here at My Online Golf Club see the Free Golf Handicap Calculator information page here

You can calculate your golf handicap for FREE here at My Online Golf Club. Please click here to register or sign in if you are already a member.

Golf scoring methods can be split into two categories, individual and team play.

Individual scoring methods include:

Stroke Play:- The player with the least number of strokes required to complete the course is considered the winner. See artical Scoring Explained for more information about stroke play.

Match Play:- In match play each hole is contested individually. The player who takes the lowest number of strokes on that hole wins the hole. If the number of strokes are even, the hole is considered to be halved. The player who wins the most holes wins the game. Should there be less holes left to play than are required for a player to lose the lead, the game is considered over and the remainder of the holes are not played. Dormie is used to refer to the situation where the number of holes remaining is equal to the leading player’s lead.

Stableford:- In Stableford play, players are awarded points for each hole. The number of points received is based on the number of strokes taken to finish the hole compared to the par of that hole, which is adjusted up or down depending on the players handicap. Unlike most scoring systems in golf, the player with the most points wins the game.

The UK points system is as follows:

If a player takes more than two strokes over par they do not need to complete the hole and take a score of 0.

Team scoring methods include:

Foursomes:- This is played between two teams of two players. Each team only has 1 ball and the two team members take turns hitting alternate shots using it. Player A tees off on the first hole, then player B takes the next shot. Player A then takes the third and so on. Irrespective of who putted the ball, player B will tee off on the second hole, player A the third, etc. Foursomes can be scored using either stroke play or match play.

Four Ball Better Ball:- This is also played between two teams of two players. Each player has their own ball and the team takes the score of the lowest scoring team member for each hole.

Greensomes:- This method is similar to Foursomes, except both players tee off and the best shot from the two is chosen. The player with the weaker first shot takes the second and play alternates from there.

Bloodsomes:- This is a variation of Greensomes where the opposing team chooses which tee shot play should continue from. The player whose tee shot was not chosen plays the second and play alternates from there.

Scramble:- This is a method whereby each player in the team (usually 4 players per team) tees off. The best shot is chosen and the location of the ball is marked. All team members then take their next shot from the marker. This allows the team to take the best shot from 4 everytime, resulting in much lower scores. For this reason the handicap for the team is 1/10th of the total combined handicaps of the players. Scramble is scored using stroke play.

Texas Scramble:- Texas Scramble uses the same rules as Scramble, but adds an extra requirment. The team must take at least 4 tee shots from each team member. This stops the issue of always choosing the player who has a significantly better tee shot, over the weaker players.

Some team games use a Shotgun Start whereby each team starts on a separate hole and a shotgun is fired to start the competition. This reduces the time required for the competition as all holes can be played simultaneously.

You can track your golf score for FREE here at My Online Golf Club. Please click here to register or sign in if you are already a member.

Most shots in golf can be categorised into the following types of shot:

Drive:- This is a long distance shot usually taken from the tee, but can also be taken from the fairway if necessary. The purpose of this type of shot is to move the ball the greatest distance possible towards the green. An amature golfer can expect to drive a ball about 200 - 260 yards with drives of over 300 yards achievable by some of the best golfers.

Approach:- This usually refers to the second or any subsequent shot that has the intention of delivering the ball on the green. Usually this is taken with an appropriate iron for the distance required.

Putt:- This is a short distance shot intended to roll the ball along the ground and is usually performed on the green. When putting, a golfer must consider the line to the hole with great care, taking into consideration the slope, both left and right as well as up and down, to ensure they aim correctly and strike the ball with the perfect amount of power. Accurate putting can often make or break a round of golf.

Lay-Up:- The purpose of a layup is to leave the ball in a favourable position to make the current shot safer or the following shot easier to take. An example would be if there was a water hazard between the fairway and the green, a player might lay-up on the fairway near the water hazard to avoid incurring a penalty by landing in the water, and take a second shot from there to land on green.

Chip:- A chip shot is a very short shot taken without using a full swing. They are typically employed as short approach shots, as a short distance lay-up shot or to get the ball out of a hazard.

Punch:- A punch shot keeps the ball close to the ground, usually to avoid hitting tree canopies or other low hanging hazards. A punch shot may also be used when hitting into strong winds to stop the ball climbing higher than wanted.

Flop:- A flop shot is the opposite of a punch and is designed to take the ball over objects. The ball takes a very high arced trajectory compared to the distance it travels forwards. Flop shots are also used when the player wants the ball to stop quickly upon hitting the ground.

A player may also choose to adjust a shot by discreetly changing how it is taken, resulting in differing types of spin being applied to the ball:

Draw:- This occurs when a right-handed player shapes the ball to travel from right to left. A left-handed player draws a ball from left to right. When a shot has too much draw or draws unintentionally it is referred to as a hook.

Fade:- This is the opposite of a draw where a right-handed player shapes the ball to travel from left to right. A left-handed player fades a ball from right to left. Too much fade or unintentional fade is known as a slice.

A ball can also be hit badly during a swing, resulting in a poor and often embarrasing shot:

Shank:- This occurs when the player miss-hits the ball. The club strikes the ball too near the joint between the club face and the shaft causing the ball to dramatically veer off to the right for a right-handed player or the left for a left-handed player.

Top:- The occurs when the club hits the ball above its horizontal centre. A lot of top spin is added and the ball usually rolls along the ground a very short distance.

Fat:- The occurs when the club hits the ground too much before the ball. This takes a lot of the power out of the shot while digging a large amount of material from the ground, meaning the ball doesn't travel very far. Golfers will often take a 'divot' (a small piece of the turf) when they take a shot from the fairway or rough, this is intended and is not the result of a bad shot.