Questions
Golf questions, answered.
Short, direct answers to the things golfers actually ask: scoring formats, handicaps, the terms on the card, and the etiquette that keeps a round enjoyable for everyone.
Find a score, a term or a rule below. These answers are part of the game guides, with links to The R&A's rules where they apply.
Scoring & handicap
- What is Stableford scoring? Points instead of strokes, and why club competitions prefer it.
- How is a golf handicap calculated? The World Handicap System arithmetic, spelled out.
- What is a good golf handicap? What the number means next to everyone else's.
- What is the 70/30 rule in golf? A practice split people quote constantly and rarely follow.
Terms on the card
- What does par mean in golf? The number everything else on the card is measured against.
- What is a bogey in golf? One over, and the odd history of the word.
- What is a birdie in golf? One under, and where the bird came from.
- What is an albatross in golf? Three under, and one of the rarest scores in golf.
- What is an eagle in golf? Two under, and the one club golfers remember.
Playing the game
- What is a mulligan in golf? The shot nobody counts, and why it isn't in the rules.
- How do you hold a golf club? Three grips, and what decides which one suits.
- What clubs are in a golf set? Fourteen, at most. Here's what they each do.
- What is golf etiquette? The unwritten half of the game, written down.
Why we answer golf questions here
This site is a place to learn about golf as well as find golf artwork and gifts. You can read the rules and explanations without choosing a product. Continue with the game, explore course photographs and their possibilities, or browse all guides and topics.
Written by Craig Fearn, The Golf Gift Co. Last updated .