How to Score in Golf – Understanding Scoring Formats

Scoring in golf isn’t just about hitting the ball; it’s about strategy and knowing the rules of the game. Knowing and understanding golf scoring formats can help guide your focus, improving your golf score and enhancing your overall experience on the course. In this guide, we’ll delve into the intricacies of scoring in golf, covering everything from basic stroke play to the more nuanced formats like Stableford, Ambrose, and Match play.

Basics of How to Score in Golf

Scoring is usually completed on a golf scorecard which is unique to each golf course. When you pay or register for a round of golf you will be given a scorecard. Most courses still use physical cards which you write on with a pencil. Some golfers use apps to record their score as well, to help them keep records of how well they played.

Scoring usually involves swapping cards with a playing partner, you will record their score for them on their card which you will hold for the duration of the round. You will record their score as the player and you’ll also record your score as the marker on their card. They will do the same with your scorecard. After each hole, each player will confirm with their marker how many strokes they had on that hole.

If their count is different to yours, you should discuss it there and then to reach a conclusion for that hole, not at the end of the round.

Now let’s look at some different golf scoring formats:

Stroke Play

Stroke play is the most common scoring method in golf, where the total number of strokes taken over the entire round determines your score. Each player counts every stroke, from tee to green, and the player with the fewest strokes at the end of the round wins. For example, if Player A completes the round in 80 strokes and Player B finishes in 85, Player A wins by five strokes.

Stroke play is the most common and simplest forms of the different golf scoring formats, it is often used in professional tournaments such as the US Masters or British Open. When it comes to professional tournaments, their score is displayed in relation to the par score, rather than displaying the total amount of strokes they have played. For example, the leader might be on -10 (meaning their total amount of strokes up until this point is 10 under par) and second might be on -8, and so on.

Related article: What is a Par in Golf?

Stroke Play Using the Handicap System

Whilst professionals do not have handicaps, the vast majority of golfers do. A handicap brings golfers down to a level playing field. A handicap represents the number of strokes a player is expected to shoot above or below par on an average round of golf.

When playing Stroke, you still add up all of your strokes to get your gross score for the round of golf. Using our earlier example where Player A scores 80 and Player B scores 85, Player A wins by 5 strokes. However, let’s assume that Player A has a handicap of 5, and Player B has a handicap of 12. To work out the net score for each player you simply subtract the handicap from the gross score:

• Player A: gross score = 80. Minus 5 handicap, equals net score = 75
• Player B: gross score = 85. Minus 12 handicap, equals net score = 73

Stableford Scoring System

Stableford scoring offers a more forgiving approach, particularly for amateur golfers. Instead of counting every stroke, players earn points based on their score relative to a fixed target for each hole (usually their handicap). Typically, players score points as follows:

• Double Eagle: 5 points (-3 target score)
• Eagle: 4 points (-2 target score)
• Birdie: 3 points (-1 target score)
• Par: 2 points (target score)
• Bogey: 1 point (+1 target score)
• Double Bogey or worse: 0 points

At the end of the round, the player with the highest total points wins. This format encourages aggressive play and speeds up the pace of the game. The above scoring example is based on the par for each hole.

Example: If a player scores a birdie on a par 4 hole, they earn 3 points. If they score a bogey on a par 3 hole, they earn 1 point. If you are putting for a double bogey, you are allowed to pick up your ball and move to the next hole because you can no longer score any points.

Stableford with a Handicap

When using a handicap you need to determine what your ‘target score’ or ‘net par’ is per hole. This is easy to work out if you have a handicap of 18, because you simply add 1 shot per hole i.e. a par 4 gives you target score of 5. Once you have discovered your ‘target score’ for the hole you can work out how many points you score for that hole based on the number of strokes you play for that particular hole.

If your handicap is 19, you will get 2 extra strokes on the most difficult hole on the course, and 1 extra stroke for the other 17 holes on the golf course. If your handicap is 20, you will get 2 extra strokes on the 2 most difficult holes, and 1 extra stroke for the other 16 holes. To determine the hole index (difficulty) look for the index column on the scorecard.

Ambrose (or Scramble)

Ambrose scoring is a team-based format where players work together to achieve the best possible score on each hole. After each player hits their tee shot, the team selects the best shot and all players play their next shot from that position. This process continues until the ball is holed. It’s a popular format for corporate golf days and social events, promoting camaraderie and teamwork.

Example: In a team of four, if Player A hits the best tee shot, all players in the team will go and pick up their golf balls and play their second shot from that position, and so on until the ball is holed.

Other rules can vary, such as a minimum amount of shots to be taken from each individual player.

Determining Ambrose Handicap

There are many ways to work out your handicap for Ambrose, most of the time, the Club or organization running the competition will let you know the format being used.

The most common form is to combine the handicaps of those in the team and divide by the number of team members x 2. For example, if you have a team of 4 you can add all of your handicaps together and divide it by 8. If you’re playing in teams of 3, add your handicaps together and divide by 6. Depending on the specific rules, you will usually have to round to the nearest whole number.

Match Play golf scoring

Match play is a head-to-head competition where the objective is to win individual holes rather than tallying strokes over the entire round. Players or teams compete against each other, with the winner of each hole earning a point. If one player/team has a lower score on a hole than the other, they win that hole. The match continues until one player/team wins more holes than remain to be played, thus winning the match.

Example: Player A wins the first hole, Player B wins the second hole, and they halve the third hole. Player A is 1 up after three holes.

Match Play with a Handicap

If using your handicap, it is not necessarily the player with the fewest strokes who will win an individual hole. Instead it goes off their net par, for example, Player A has a handicap of 18 so their net par will be 1 stroke greater than actual par on each hole. If Player B has a handicap of 19, their net par will be 1 stroke greater than actual par on 17/18 holes and on the hardest rated hole they’ll get 2 strokes. Let’s say the hardest rated (indexed) hole is a par 4, then it will be a net par 5 for Player A and a net par 6 for Player B. If Player A shoots a 5 and Player B scores a 6 then it will be a tie for that hole.

Note: Handicaps are rarely used for Match Play, usually these competitions will be graded, matching up players of similar abilities and handicaps.

Conclusion

Scoring in golf is not just about keeping track of strokes. It’s also about understanding the nuances of each scoring method and applying them strategically on the course. Whether you prefer the traditional stroke play, the forgiving nature of Stableford, the teamwork involved in Ambrose, or the competitive spirit of Match play, mastering these scoring methods can enhance your enjoyment and success on the golf course. So, next time you tee off, keep these scoring methods in mind to help understand the game of golf, and your own game of golf better.