How to read a golf scorecard: Yardage, par, stroke index and more

Unlike in most sports, the objective of golf is to shoot as low a score as possible.

Of course, in other formats like Stableford, where points are awarded per hole, the aim is to score as high as possible.

Scores are kept throughout the round using a scorecard, but for beginners looking at a scorecard for the first time, all of the columns and rows and different numbers can be confusing.

Below, we've explained how to read a golf scorecard.

Hole

Quite simply, the number of the hole. On a nine-hole course, the nine will be repeated on the scorecard as holes 10-18. Generally, players start on the first hole and play them in numerical order. Sometimes, players will start on the 10th hole, playing the final nine holes first, then going back to the first hole to play the second nine holes.

Yards

Red yards

Marked on the card as 'red yards', this indicates the distance to the hole from the red tees. Red tees are the closest to the hole and are often referred to as "ladies' tees", but they're also used by junior or beginner golfers.

Players of all abilities are allowed to play off red tees if they so choose.

Yellow yards

Yellow tees are most commonly used by amateur golfers and are in between red and white tees in terms of distance.

White yards

White tees are the next longest after yellows and are typically used in competitions, or by better players looking for a sterner test.

Blue yards

Used on championship golf courses, blue tees are the furthest from the hole and present golfers with the toughest challenge.

Par

Par on a scorecard signifies the number of strokes you should require to complete the hole. For example, a par-3 should take three strokes.

Stroke index (SI)

The stroke index of a hole indicates the hole's difficulty in relation to the rest of the course. A hole marked as stroke index 1 should be the hardest on the course, with 18 the easiest.

Stroke index is also used for handicapping purposes. For example, if Player A has a course handicap of 10, they'll receive a shot on the hardest 10 holes on the course. If Player B has a course handicap of 20, they'll receive a shot on every hole, and two shots on the two hardest holes.