Scores on a hole
| Term | To par | On a par 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Condor | −4 | – (a hole in one on a par 5) |
| Albatross or double eagle | −3 | 1 |
| Eagle | −2 | 2 |
| Birdie | −1 | 3 |
| Par | 0 | 4 |
| Bogey | +1 | 5 |
| Double bogey | +2 | 6 |
| Triple bogey | +3 | 7 |
| Quadruple bogey | +4 | 8 |
A hole in one, or ace, is usually a birdie on a par 3, and an albatross on a par 4. Past a quadruple, most golfers just say the number.
On the scorecard
Many golfers mark scores with shapes so a round reads at a glance:
- A circle for a birdie, two circles for an eagle.
- A square for a bogey, two squares for a double bogey or worse.
- No mark for a par.
Your total
- Gross score: every stroke you took, penalties included.
- Net score: gross minus your handicap strokes. A 95 with 18 strokes is a net 77.
- Even, over, under: your total against par. A 76 on a par 72 is 4 over (+4); a 70 is 2 under (−2). Even par is written E.
- Adjusted gross score: your gross with each hole capped at net double bogey, the score your handicap uses.
Handicap words
- Scratch golfer: a 0 handicap, expected to shoot about the course rating.
- Plus handicap: better than scratch, written with a +, like +2. Plus handicaps give strokes back.
- Bogey golfer: about a 20 handicap for men, 24 for women.
- Stroke index: the row on the card that ranks the holes from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest), used to give handicap strokes. Often labeled Handicap or Hcp.
Handicap, course handicap and playing handicap.
Slang you'll hear
- Snowman: an 8 on a hole, from the shape of the number.
- Up and down: getting the ball in the hole in two shots from off the green, usually a chip and a putt.
- Sandy: an up and down from a bunker.
- Gimme: a short putt your opponent concedes without you holing it. In match play the rules allow it; in stroke play you have to hole out.
- Mulligan: a do-over shot in casual golf. Not in the rules, and not for a score you post for your handicap.
- Green in regulation: on the green with two putts left for par. GIR explained.
Every round you finish in Greens shows your putts, drops and a breakdown of your birdies, pars, bogeys and worse, above the hole-by-hole scorecard.
Updated November 13, 2026 by the Greens team.