What is a Good Golf Score? Tips for Improving Your Game
Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, with more than 123 million people engaging in the sport each year. Engagement includes viewing, studying, or learning the sport.
If you're one of the millions of people trying to learn golf, improving your golf score is paramount. But what makes a good golf score, and how do you know if your average golf score is passable or not?
If you're curious about improving your golf game, we're here to offer our assistance. Read on for a brief overview of what makes a good golf score. We'll also look at some golfing tips to improve your score.
What's a Good Golf Score?
Golf's scoring is different from most other sports. While sports like tennis, soccer, and football focus on higher scores, golf focuses on lower scores. It's better to end your day at 75 strokes than to end it at 80, for example.
Every time you hit the ball is a stroke, while some hazards like shooting it into the water or out of bounds can add strokes. While the rules vary, the same truth is always present: lower score, better game. Here are some of the things that can impact your golf score.
Going by Skill
One of the most important factors in whether you have a good golf score is your skill level. There are different decisions on "good" depending on if you're a professional, amateur, or somewhere in between.
Most players fall under "amateur." Amateur golfers are hobby golfers or players who only focus on recreation. They tend not to keep a strictly accurate average golf score and often increase mulligans and handicaps to focus on fun.
After them are the semi-pros, aka "pro-am" players. These are recreational golfers who are working toward competitions and are dedicated to improving their scores. These golfers tend to score in the 80s, though good semi-pros will score in the high 70s or lower.
Finally, professional golfers are golfers who are paid for their skills in golfing. These include the world's most famous golfers and local competitors that take on their city's tournaments. Professional golfers usually score in the 60s or lower.
Handicaps
Your handicap is a pre-set amount of strokes that you can deduct from your score. The higher the handicap, the more strokes you can take down. For example, shooting a 95 with a handicap of 10 makes your score an 85.
Generally speaking, players with lower handicaps are better players. Some players use negative handicaps - adding strokes to their score at the end of their play. Doing so is uncommon and isn't something that learning players should do.
What Affects Your Score?
Now that we know whether a score is categorized as good, what impacts your score? Here are some of the factors that help decide how many strokes you'll have other than your play.
Design of the Course
How the course is designed will impact your score innately. If a golf course is full of shorter holes, you'll naturally need fewer strokes to finish the course. 18 par 3s makes the whole course a par 54, while 18 par 4s makes the course a par 72.
Of course, this is an extreme example - a golf course will rarely have every hole at the same par. At times, your score will end up lower because of higher pars. That's because an eagle on a par 5 takes three strokes, while an eagle on a par 3 takes a hole-in-one.
Do your best to understand the course and know how many strokes are average for players. Don't let a long course make you think you've played worse just because your total strokes are higher.
Weather
Another impact you may have is the weather. If you're playing during a windy or stormy day, the weather will impact your game.
You can't always play around with the weather. If a competition is set and it happens to be a windy day, tournament holders likely won't cancel over just the wind. Severe weather such as thunderstorms can cause a cancellation.
Links and 9-Hole Courses
Finally, some types of courses focus on more compact play than standard courses. Links courses are a great example of this. These are courses that are more compact with shorter holes, with the main challenge coming from rougher geography and more challenging hole design.
9-hole courses are also common. As the name suggests, these are holes that are only the front or back nine instead of the full 18.
Ways to Improve Your Average Golf Score
Now that we know more about how courses and skill levels impact your score, how can you improve your score overall? Here are three ways to improve your average golf score.
Study Your Clubs
One of the most important skills you can have is knowing what club to use and when. Moreover, you should know how to use every club in your bag.
Mastering troublesome parts of your game, such as your short game or drive, will help you cut strokes off your ending tally. Do your best to find out which parts challenge you and fix them.
Know the Course
Knowing the course is also an effective tactic. If it's your first time playing a course, do your best to look it up and study beforehand. Otherwise, playing the same course repeatedly can help.
Practice Your Golf Swing
Your golf swing will matter every time you go to hit the ball. From your first drive's swing to your body's movement on the last putt, mastering your swing is crucial. Make practicing your swing one of your paramount priorities.
Mastering the Golf Course
Earning a good golf score can feel overwhelming, but with practice and understanding, you can master the greens. Understanding your clubs, knowing the course, and practicing your golf swing to improve your score in every manner of play.
At Panther Run Golf Club, we're dedicated to helping you improve your game. We offer golf lessons, membership opportunities, and a world-class golf course for you to master and practice. Contact us today to see how we can help you improve your average golf score.