Understanding the Points System: A Comprehensive Guide on How Golf is Scored

Golf is often associated with rich, green fairways, stylish wardrobe and precision shots. However, few people put much thought on the scoring system of this elite sport. The points system, albeit sophisticated, brings a whole different dimension to the game of golf. In fact, understanding golf's points system not only provides a basis for gauging one's progress, but it also forms a fundamental part of the game strategy.

Golf's scoring system is predominantly based on a golfer's number of strokes to complete a round, typically consisting of 18 holes. Unless the format of play states otherwise, the player who uses the fewest strokes to complete a round, wins. This format of play is popularly referred to as stroke play or medal play.

In stroke play, every shot counts and penalties add to the score. A penalty may be given for various situations including hitting the ball into a water hazard or out of the course boundaries, double-hitting the ball, and taking an incorrect drop. The total number of strokes taken by a player plus any penalty strokes constitutes the total score for a round.

In contrast, there is also match play where the game is played by holes. A player (or team) is said to win a hole if they use fewer strokes to hole out. Unlike in stroke play, penalties do not add to the score, instead, they result in the loss of a hole. The player or team with the most holes won at the end of the round is declared the winner.

Apart from stroke play and match play, golf also has other variations of scoring, such as Stableford system. This format involves points awarded in relation to a fixed score at each hole. The player is awarded points based on their stroke play score for each hole. The goal is to amass the highest number of points over the rounds of play.

Different tournaments might use different scoring systems. For instance, the Ryder Cup – a tournament between the best golfers in the USA and Europe – uses a match-play format. The Presidents Cup also uses a match-play format while most professional tours use a stroke-play format.

To the untrained spectator, terms such as birdies, eagles and bogeys may seem like alien concept. However, these are essential terminologies used in golf to describe specific achievements on the golf course. A birdie, for instance, refers to a score of one under par on a hole.

Golf is a complex sport filled with a series of rules and guidelines, many of which can seem baffling to beginners. Among the layers of rules, understanding the scorekeeping system in golf holds crucial importance. Therefore, in this segment, we aim to unpack the rules of golf, focusing on scorekeeping, thus providing you with a comprehensive guide on how golf is scored.

Firstly, golf is primarily scored by counting the total number of strokes a golfer takes on each hole during a given round. The goal in golf is to have the lowest possible score – to take as few shots as possible to send the ball into the hole. The score for each hole is then added up to provide the total score of a round. This traditional method of scorekeeping is known as "stroke play."

However, apart from stroke play, there is also "match play." Instead of counting the total number of strokes, match play involves counting the number of holes that the golfer has 'won' in comparison to their opponents. If a golfer completes a hole using fewer strokes than their competitors, they "win" that hole.

A crucial term in golf scorekeeping is par, which essentially refers to the pre-determined number of strokes that a golfer should ideally take to get the ball into the hole. If scorekeeping were a language, then "par" would certainly be an essential vocabulary word. For example, if a hole is a par 3, it means that the golfer is expected to take three strokes to complete the hole. Similarly, a hole could be par 4 or par 5 as well.

Now, let's explore some specialized terminologies. If a golfer is successful in sending the ball to the hole in less number of swings than the par, terms such as birdie (one stroke under par), eagle (two strokes under par), and double eagle or albatross (three strokes under par) are used. On the contrary, the term "bogey" indicates one stroke over par.

A very important point to consider while deciphering the golf rules regarding scorekeeping is the penalty shots. Whenever the ball goes unseen, goes out of the field of play, lands in a water hazard or unplayable areas, or if there's an infringement of the rules, golfers must add a penalty shot to their score for that hole.

Then comes the concept of handicaps.