How to Play Golf: Rules, Par and Scoring for Beginners
Updated
In golf you hit a ball from a starting area, the tee, into a hole on a green in as few strokes as possible. A round is usually 18 holes, every swing counts as one stroke, and penalty strokes are added when a ball is lost, out of bounds or unplayable. In the most common format, stroke play, the lowest total wins.
The rules are written jointly by The R&A and the USGA, and the full text is on the R&A rules site. Their underlying idea is printed on the rule book itself: play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair.
This guide is about the sport. Golf solitaire, the card game, is covered in solitaire types explained.
The parts of a golf hole
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Teeing area | Where each hole starts, between two markers. Only here may you set the ball on a tee peg |
| Fairway | The short grass between the tee and the green, where you want the ball to land |
| Rough | Longer grass along the fairway that slows the ball and makes the next shot harder |
| Bunker | A sand trap. Before your stroke you may not touch the sand with your club in a practice swing or backswing |
| Penalty area | Water such as a pond or stream, marked red or yellow |
| Green | The very short grass around the hole and flagstick, where you putt |
| Out of bounds | Everything beyond the course boundary |
A course has 9 or 18 holes. Some holes run straight from tee to green; others bend left or right, which golfers call a dogleg.
How to play a hole, step by step
- Tee off. Your first stroke on each hole is played from the teeing area, and you may put the ball on a tee peg for it.
- After everyone has teed off, the ball farthest from the hole is played next. On the next tee, the player with the lowest score on the last hole goes first, which is called having the honor.
- Hit approach shots toward the green, playing the ball as it lies.
- Putt on the green until the ball drops into the hole.
- Count your strokes, add any penalty strokes and write the score down before the next tee.
In stroke play there is no penalty for playing out of turn, and the rules encourage "ready golf": whoever is ready plays, as long as it is safe. An 18-hole round takes about four hours.
Clubs: which one does what
- Woods, with the driver as the longest, send the ball farthest, usually from the tee or the fairway.
- Irons are for shorter shots, approaches to the green and getting out of trouble such as bunkers.
- Hybrids mix woods and irons and often replace the long irons.
- The putter rolls the ball along the green into the hole.
You may carry at most 14 clubs in a round. Which club you use for which shot is entirely your choice.
Par and the names of scores
Par is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to need on a hole, counting two putts. It depends mostly on length: par 3, 4 and 5 holes are the common ones, and an 18-hole course usually adds up to a par of 70 to 72.
| Name | Strokes on the hole | Example on a par 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Albatross | 3 under par | 1 |
| Eagle | 2 under par | 2 |
| Birdie | 1 under par | 3 |
| Par | Equal to par | 4 |
| Bogey | 1 over par | 5 |
| Double bogey | 2 over par | 6 |
A ball holed with the first stroke from the tee is a hole in one, or an ace. On a par 3 it also counts as an eagle.
Stroke play and match play
- Stroke play: you add up every stroke over the round, and the lowest total wins. This is the format professionals play most.
- Match play: each hole is a separate contest. The lower score wins the hole, an equal score halves it, and whoever wins more holes wins the match. A match can end early: six holes up with five to play is a win "6 and 5".
The penalties beginners meet most
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Ball lost or out of bounds | One penalty stroke, and you play again from where you hit the last stroke |
| Ball not found in 3 minutes | It counts as lost |
| Relief from a penalty area | One penalty stroke |
| Unplayable ball, by your own choice | One penalty stroke, with several places to drop; not allowed in a penalty area |
| You make the ball move | One penalty stroke, with some exceptions |
| Playing the wrong ball | Two penalty strokes |
| Your putt hits another player's ball on the green | Two penalty strokes in stroke play, when both balls were on the green |
Two strokes is the general penalty in stroke play, used for most breaches of the rules. In match play the general penalty is loss of the hole.
Golf games to play in a browser
Browser golf keeps the core of the game, aim and power, and drops the walking. The games below set each shot with a drag, a tap or a click.
- Speedy Golf plays an 18-hole, par 72 course in a few minutes. You tap the arrows to aim and tap Swing three times; a caddy works out the shot, though the game warns the caddy is not always right.
- Pro Golfer Game asks you to aim, adjust power and finish each course in the fewest strokes, around obstacles, with the mouse.
- Endless Golf sends you across deserts and snowy fields: pull back to aim, watch the wind indicator, and reach the hole in as few shots as you can.
- Crazy Golf III compares itself to real golf played on hills, over 23 levels that each play differently.
- Infini Golf gives you one hole after another; set the direction and the force, and collect dollars to get new balls.
- 3D Golf Adventure mixes mini golf with a 3D course of water hazards and walls.
A few shorter, puzzle-style takes:
- Extreme Golf 2d is played with one click and release, and the levels get harder as you go.
- Golf Golf sets physics puzzles where you aim and throw the ball into the hole.
- PocketGolf sends a paper ball across doodle fairways: drag away from the ball to aim, release to shoot, and sink it in as few strokes as possible.
- Disc Golf Game Master swaps the ball for a disc but keeps the scoring idea: land it in the target in as few throws as possible.
Short courses with windmills, bumpers and portals are a different skill; mini golf tips covers them. More are in the golf games collection and in sports games.
Golf rules questions beginners ask
What happens if you hit the ball out of bounds?
You take a one-stroke penalty and play another ball from where you hit the last stroke. This is called stroke and distance: the shot counts, the penalty counts, and you replay it.
How long can you look for a lost ball?
Three minutes from when you or your caddie start searching. After that the ball is lost, with the same stroke-and-distance penalty as out of bounds.
What is an unplayable lie?
If your ball sits somewhere you cannot hit it, such as under a bush, you may declare it unplayable anywhere except in a penalty area. You add one penalty stroke and choose one of the relief options in Rule 19 of the rules of golf.
How many clubs can you carry?
Fourteen at most. You may carry fewer, and you may pick any club for any shot.
Golf comes down to counting: fewer strokes, fewer penalties, and a ball played where it lies.
