How High A Golf Score Can I Take On A Hole?

April 5th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Golf Nut I was recently playing a round of golf with a foursome. We got to hole #12 a par 5. Three golfers all hit in the water on their 2nd stroke, then 2 of those golfers hit in the water on their fourth stroke. They both pick up their balls and head to the next tee. I ask this question because I am a beginning golfer.
My buddy makes a 9 but the two players that quit the hole said “We both took an 8″ so my buddy tells me that the correct ruling is you can’t hit over an 8 on any hole and shaves a stroke off his score.
I looked on the USGA site and it says any player failing to hole out is disqualified (Sounds a bit harsh for amateur golf, especially very amateur golf). Do you have any idea of the ruling on this? I’m sure the pick up and take an 8 isn’t right, I shoot 10′s and 11′s pretty regular, I could drastically improve my game if that’s the correct ruling. Any help would be greatly appreciated.





You really have two golf questions here so let’s take them one at a time. The Rules of Golf clearly state in Rule 3-2 that if any golfer fails to hole out and does not correct his mistake before he makes a stroke on the next tee, then he is disqualified. That, plain and simple, is the rule.
However, since you are a beginner, let me add this. I have only seen this enforced in tournament play. All golfers that I know and play with allow a frustrated partner to pick up and move on to the next hole. We have all been there where we just can’t seem to mentally finish a golf hole and the best thing for our round is to pick up and start again on the next tee. It’s technically against the rules but most golfers do it.
Now as to the recorded score. If you are following the rules, it’s a moot point because you are disqualified. However, the handicap system addresses this issue of what is the correct score to record. And this is how the golf groups that I play with handle this.
First, the USGA handicap system states: “If a player does not finish a hole or is conceded a stroke, record the most likely score for handicap purposes. A most likely score is the number of strokes already taken, plus in the golfer’s best judgment, the number of strokes needed to complete the hole from that point more than half the time.”
Second, the handicap system has a maximum score that a player should record on a hole when he scores a number significantly higher than normal. It is based upon his/her handicap. So when someone scores an 8, 9, 10, 11 etc. the score that they should record for turning in the card for their handicap goes as follows:
Handicap————Score to Record
9 or less———— Double Bogey
10-19———————7
20-29———————8
30-39———————9
40 and above————–10
Most golfers I know just use the above handicap rule and tell them to record a double through 10 depending on their handicap when a golfer picks up. It keeps it easy and consistent. So your buddy was wrong that the highest you can record is an 8.
Thank you for the question and good golfing.




There Are 9 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Katter on 8 April 2008:

    Another way to play it would be to pre determine the highest score per par prior to the start of the round. with this you can keep a good pace and tempers stay calm if you get into trouble on any hole. So if you have a par3 the highest pre determined score we would agree on would be a 6. On a par4 would be a 7 and par5 would be a 8. This helps keep the game going. But if playing to post and or for side points $$$ then we play it to the cup and adjust after the round.
    Enjoy the Game.

  2. Comment by HypnotherapyTrainer on 23 April 2008:

    I am like you and score pretty high, so I will also be interested to see if anyone has any insight on this question.

  3. Comment by Nick on 26 June 2008:

    I used to play with a group of guys where we typically played to the limit of double par, i.e, max on a par 3 was 6, par 4 8 and par 5 10. sometimes if the group varied we would go with double plus 1 so max on a par is 7, par 4 9, etc.
    Outside of the USGA rules have your group decide, particularly if you play with the same guys/gals most of the time.

  4. Comment by Kerry Flitter on 11 June 2009:

    I’ve never come across any of this in England – if it’s a stroke play tournament you count all your shots and if you pick up, you’re DQ’d.
    But MOST club competitions and friendly games in Britain use the Stableford scoring system (2 points for a par, 1 for a bogie 3 for a birdie etc after handicap adjustments) and once you can’t score because you’ve taken too many already, you pick up and write down 0 points.

  5. Comment by David Stargel on 16 June 2009:

    Kerry,

    The scoring described above is for what you turn in to your club for handicapping. Most tournaments and clubs continue doing what you indicating in your comments, i.e. actual total strokes or points according to the Stableford system (which I love to play by).

    But what you are supposed to turn in to whoever records your handicap is what I described above according the USGA for handicap calculations.

    Make sense?
    David Stargel
    The Golf Nut

  6. Comment by Ned on 6 August 2009:

    Handicap————Score to Record
    9 or less———— Double Bogey
    10-19———————7
    20-29———————8
    30-39———————9
    40 and above————–10

    Huh? I don’t get the above. Could anyone explain this in laymans terms? Each member of my foursome keeps a handicap on one free website or another and each feels strongly that double par is max and each has found language within each site to support that. In simple terms, is that cricket or not?

  7. Comment by David Stargel on 8 August 2009:

    Ned,

    Here is how you should do it. This rule is talking about score you turn in for your handicap purposes. Not what you record for competition or just to discuss what you shot that day. This is ONLY the number you turn in for handicap calculation. It works as follows:

    If you handicap is 9 or less, you turn in a double bogey. If your handicap is between 10 and 19 you turn in a 7, etc.

    Let’s say you shot a 96. And you are normally a 20 handicap. On one par 5 you shot a 9 because of some real problems. The score you talk about at the end of the round is a 96 and the score that you made on that hole is a 9.

    But if you turn in your scores for handicap purposes here is what you do when you turn in your card. You change the score on that hole to an 8 based on the above rule and change your total score turned in into a 95.

    Make sense?

  8. Comment by Rhiley on 6 September 2009:

    Another method that is a little more harsh is to play that your score on each hole can be up to as much as twice par. For example
    Par 3: max=+6 (meaning 9 strokes)
    Par 4: max=+8 (meaning 12 strokes)
    Par 5: max=+10 (meaning 15 strokes)

  9. Comment by tommy g on 7 May 2010:

    I don’t know what web site Ned’s friends are using but the Golf Nut is absolutely correct in his analysis. This is an example of an online handicap site which happens to be the one I use and the rules of posting scores are very clear

    http://www.myscorecard.com

Leave a Comment

CAPTCHA Image
*

If you have a Twitter username using the same email address, a link to your Twitter profile will be automagically added to your comment.