Playing on a golf course is a time to be outdoors and relax by yourself or enjoying the company and quaint conversation with others. Many that participate do so for this very reason. However, golf is not only a leisure activity, but can be described as a game and a sport as well. A game allows one to have a goals and challenges, while a sport is played competitively and is governed by a body of rules. In both instances, keeping score is a measure of how well you did on that particular day for personal reasons or to decide how well you fared against an opponent(s).

There are many terms used to keep score, but the most important is par as it is central to many of the other terms. Par is technically the score or the number of strokes in which an expert player who plays errorless is expected to make on any given hole or the entire round of golf. Par for each hole depends upon the length. Although there are no specific lengths of a hole to par, there are guidelines set forth by the United States Golf Association for a regulation length golf course.

The unique thing about golf compared to other sports is that each golf course it set up differently due to the surrounding geography, therefore there are no set rules on how many par 3's, par 4's or par 5's that each must have. While par 6 holes do exist they are extremely rare, so we will not address it any further although the same ideas apply. The concept of a par 3 is that the golfer reaches the green in one stroke and then takes two putts to put the ball in the hole or to hole out. A par 4 is designed so that it takes two strokes to reach the green and two putts to hole out. Lastly, a par 5 is designed so that it takes three strokes to reach the green and two putts to hole out. When a player reaches the green in the number of stroke outlines above, the term is called green in regulation.

In the case of a par 4 hole, it may take a player three strokes to get the ball on the green and only one putt to get the ball into the hole. The player's score is 4 or par on a par 4 hole. The player may not reach the green in three strokes, but holed out with a chip or a full shot with no putts necessary. Again the score would be 4 and result into a par as well. The most important consideration is the total number of strokes taken per hole. At the end of your round, you add up all the scores per hole to get your final score. Par is generally 70 to 72 for an 18-hole course, but only a small percentage of those that play this game will equal this score.

What happens when you do not take the suggested number of strokes per hole? Well nothing, other than to right down the score on your scorecard and go to the next tee to play the next hole. It may take one, two, three or more stokes for you to hole the ball out. Part of the tradition of golf is the nomenclature as there are certain terms used to describe your score regardless if the hole is a par 3 or a par 5.

• Take one more stroke than par and it is called a bogey.
• Take two more strokes than par and it is called a double bogey.
• Take three more strokes than par and it is called a triple bogey.
• Take four more strokes than par and it is called a quadruple bogey.

There are even more terms for scores worse than these. But what happens if the golfer excels and takes fewer strokes than what is considered par for that hole?

• Take one less stroke than par and it is called a birdie.
• Take two less strokes than par and it is called an eagle.
• Take three less strokes than par and it is called a double eagle or an albatross.

It is important to carefully write down or keep track of your own score after each hole in competition. You might not keep your scorecard at all the times in competition. Instead, you may carry and write down the scores of your playing partner's, while he or she will keep track of yours. A prime example was in the 1968 Maters tournament when Roberto DeVicenzo made a birdie on the 17th hole in front of millions of TV viewers. Instead of a 3 on his scorecard, his playing partner Tommy Aaron inadvertently wrote down a 4. At the end of the round, each player will exchange scorecards, after which the player will check to see if it is correct. In this case, DeVicenzo didn't catch the error and signed the card. Once signed, the score become official. The disastrous one stroke mistake cost him a playoff with eventual champion Bob Goalby.

By signing a higher scorecard, you accept the score you signed for. However, if you incorrectly sign for a lower score than what you really have, you will be disqualified. All of the information above is the method of scoring in what is referred to as "stroke play".

There is another method of scoring in "match play". In match play you do not keep track of the number of strokes you had per hole, rather if you won, lost or had a draw on the hole with the person you are playing against. For example, you and your playing partner are playing a par 4. You take 5 strokes to get the ball in the hole, while your playing partner records a 6. In this case you one the hole and the scoring says you are "one up". One the next hole, both of you record the same score. This is referred to as a draw and you are still "one up". Let's say on the next hole, you take 4 strokes, but your playing partner has already taken 6, but has yet to hole out. The beauty of match play is that player can pick up his ball with no penalty and you simply win the hole. When you proceed to the next hole you are now "two up".

Understanding scoring in golf is not that complicated. But if you do have a question, you can always ask a more knowledgeable playing partner or speak with the golf pro or one of his assistants after the round. The Rules of Golf booklet by the USGA will also be a great source to answer many of your questions.