Golf scorecard

What is a golf scorecard?

The scorecard is the sheet—whether on paper or electronic—on which the score for each hole is recorded. In a friendly round, it is used to keep track of one’s play. In a competition, it serves as the official record: it determines the player’s score and is used to calculate their handicap.

What can you find on a scorecard?

• Hole numbers, from 1 to 18, often divided into “outbound” (1 to 9) and “inbound” (10 to 18).
• Distances for each hole, depending on the tees (colored markers).
• The par for each hole and the total par for the course.
• The difficulty of each hole (1 through 18), which indicates which holes the strokes awarded to players are placed on, based on their skill level.
• The score boxes for each player, including the first-leg, second-leg, and overall totals.
• Signature boxes the player's and the scorer's names, as well as the date and, in a competition, the name of the event.

How do you fill out a scorecard?

In stroke play competitions, it is not the player who keeps track of his or her own score; it is a marker, usually a fellow player. Each player keeps track of another player's scores—and often their own as well—for comparison.

• Enter the raw score for each hole—that is, the actual number of strokes, including penalties.
• We check the scores with the player after each hole or at the end of the round.
• In Stableford, a hole that is abandoned may be left unscored or marked with a "X": it counts as 0 points.

What do the Rules of Golf say?

Rule 3.3b sets forth the responsibilities in stroke play:

• the marker certifies the scores for each hole by signing the scorecard;
• the player checks each score, resolves any disputes with the committee, signs the scorecard, and returns it promptly;
• if a hole score is lower Based on the actual score, the player is disqualified; if it is higher, the score is upheld;
• A scorecard that is not signed by the player or the scorekeeper also results in disqualification.

As of the 2023 edition of the Rules, the player is no longer responsible for adding up scores or indicating his or her handicap on the scorecard: the committee calculates the totals and the net score, unless a local rule provides otherwise. Players remain responsible for the accuracy of each hole score.

In match play, the scorecard does not serve this official purpose: the result is determined by the number of holes won.

The scorecard and the handicap

Competition scorecards are used to calculate a player's handicap according to the World Handicap System, which is administered in France by the FFGolf. For this calculation, each hole is capped at a net double bogey, and the score is then compared to the course's difficulty.

How to Use Your Scorecard Properly

• Score at the start of the next hole, not on the green, so as not to hold up the players behind us.
• Review the map Hole by hole before signing: this is the most common—and most costly—mistake.
• Add some statistics in terms of the friendly aspects of the game (fairways hit, greens in regulation, number of putts) to figure out what to work on.