Golf Score Terms: The Ultimate List
From bogeys to eagles, handicaps to penalty strokes, golf scoring terms help us add it all up and measure how we did out there!
Table of Contents
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘A’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘A’.
Golf Score Term: “Ace”
Definition
An ace, also known as a "hole in one" is when a golfer makes their tee shot. This is most common on par 3 holes.
Usage
“You won't believe what happened on the golf course today. I made an ace!”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Ace
An ace, also known as a "hole in one" is when a golfer makes their tee shot. This is most common on par 3 holes.
Golf Score Term: “Aggregate Score”
Definition
Aggregate score is the cumulative score a golfer holds over multiple rounds and is most common in golf tournament scoring. Most PGA Tour events are 4 total rounds and the winner is the golfer with the lowest aggregate score over those 4 rounds.
Usage
“Tiger Woods had an aggregate score of 275 during the 2019 Masters and won the tournament by a shot. ”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Aggregate Score
Aggregate score is the cumulative score a golfer holds over multiple rounds and is most common in golf tournament scoring.
Golf Score Term: “Albatross”
Definition
An albatross describes a score of 3 under the designated par for the golf hole. This is equivalent to a hole-in-one on a par 4 hole, a score of 2 on a par 5 hole, and is not possible on a par 3 hole.
Usage
“An albatross is one of the rarest scores in golf.”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Albatross
An albatross describes a score of 3 under the designated par for the golf hole.
Golf Score Term: “All Square”
Definition
When a match is "all square", that means that two golfers are tied. This is most commonly used in match-play formats like the Ryder Cup.
Usage
“The match is all square heading into the final hole!”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
All Square
When a match is "all square", that means that two golfers are tied.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘B’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘B’.
Golf Score Term: “Birdie”
Definition
A birdie in golf is a golf term to describe a score made on a golf hole where the golfer takes one stroke less than the designated par for the hole. This is often expressed as "one stroke under par" or more commonly, just "one under".
Usage
“Wow, great birdie on that last hole!”
Origin
According to the USGA, the term "birdie" originated at Atlantic City Country Club in 1899 when Ab Smith remarked, "That was a bird of a shot!".
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Birdie
A birdie in golf is a golf term to describe a score made on a golf hole where the golfer takes one stroke less than the designated par for the hole.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘C’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘C’.
Golf Score Term: “Course Rating”
Definition
In golf, the "course rating" is a term related to golf handicaps and describes how difficult a golf course is relative to other courses.
Usage
“The course rating for this course is 75.6 from the championship tees. It's a tough one!”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Course Rating
In golf, the "course rating" is a term related to golf handicaps and describes how difficult a golf course is relative to other courses.
Golf Score Term: “Course Record”
Definition
Every golf course keeps track of its course record, generally from the championship tees. This is the lowest documented score ever on the course.
Usage
“Tiger Woods shot the course record in the final round.”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Course Record
Every golf course keeps track of its course record, generally from the championship tees. This is the lowest documented score ever on the course.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘D’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘D’.
Golf Score Term: “Double Bogey”
Definition
A double bogey is when a golfer makes a score 2 over the designated par. For example, if you make a 6 on a "par 4", you have made a double bogey. For beginners, a double bogey is a decent score and will be very common. For pros, it's considered a bad hole, and many pros will go multiple full rounds of golf without having a single double bogey. But they still make them!
Usage
“Dang, I made a double bogey again!”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Double Bogey
A double bogey is when a golfer makes a score of two over the designated par for the hole.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘E’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘E’.
Golf Score Term: “Eagle”
Definition
An eagle in golf is a golf term to describe a score made on a golf hole where the golfer takes two strokes less than the designated par for the hole. This is often expressed as "two strokes under par" or more commonly, just "two under".
Usage
“Rory Mcilroy made a magnificent eagle on the last par 5!”
Origin
According to the USGA (United States Golf Association), back in 1899, there was a golf match played at Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey where one of the players, Ab Smith remarked, "That was a bird of a shot!". Back in that day, "bird" referred to anything excellent, so he was essentially remarking, "What an excellent shot". Following this logic, an eagle was a more esteemed term than "birdie" while an albatross (double eagle) was even more esteemed than an eagle.
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Eagle
An eagle is when a golfer makes a score that is two shots under the designated par for the hole.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘F’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘G’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘H’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘H’.
Golf Score Term: “Handicap”
Definition
Based on the score a golfer shoots and the assigned difficulty rating of the golf course they played, they will get a "handicap" which is an approximation for how good a golfer is.
Usage
“My handicap is a 6 right now, but I hope to get it down to a 3 by the end of the year.”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Handicap
Based on the score a golfer shoots and the assigned difficulty rating of the golf course they played, they will get a "handicap".
Golf Score Term: “Hole in One”
Definition
A hole-in-one, also known as an "ace" is when you hit a shot from the tee box and make it in the hole. In the golf world, if you are playing with a group and make a hole-in-one, it is tradition to buy drinks for everyone in the group after the round. That is why a golfer who recently got a hole-in-one might say, "That hole-in-one drained my bank account!"
Usage
“Great hole-in-one! Now you have to buy all of us drinks after the round!”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Hole in One
A hole-in-one, also known as an "ace" is when you hit a shot from the tee box and make it in the hole.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘I’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘J’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘K’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘L’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘M’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘N’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘O’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘O’.
Golf Score Term: “Out of Bounds”
Definition
Marked with white stakes, out-of-bounds areas on the course require the golfer to re-hit and add 2 penalty strokes to their score.
Usage
“I sliced it out-of-bounds on the last hole and had to take penalty strokes.”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Out of Bounds
Marked with white stakes, out-of-bounds areas on the course require the golfer to re-hit and add 2 penalty strokes to their score.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘P’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘P’.
Golf Score Term: “Penalty Stroke”
Definition
A penalty stroke is when a golfer gets penalized for hitting a bad shot or committing a rules infraction and must add 1 or more strokes to their score.
Usage
“I hit it in the water and had to take a penalty stroke on that hole.”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Penalty Stroke
A penalty stroke is when a golfer gets penalized for hitting a bad shot or committing a rules infraction and must add 1 or more strokes to their score.
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘Q’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘R’:
Golf Score Terms Beginning With ‘S’
Below are all the golf terms beginning with the letter ‘S’.
Golf Score Term: “Slope Rating”
Definition
Similar to course rating, the slope rating is an approximation of how difficult a course will play for a high handicapper, or "bogey golfer".
Usage
“The slope rating for this course is 134.”
Deep Dive
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Golf Term
Slope Rating
Similar to course rating, the slope rating is an approximation of how difficult a course will play for a high handicapper, or "bogey golfer".