What Is a Good Golf Score? (Here’s the truth!)

You just played an incredible round of gold after trying for days, and you might be wondering what a good golf score is. After all, to be a great golfer, you will need a lot of practice and patience. So, what is a good golf score?

In golf, golf scores less than 120 strokes are considered good or “respectable scores among amateur golfers. Additionally, scores below 120 strokes on an 18-hole course are considered by the golf community relatively good. At the same time, 90 stroke scores are considered average.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about golf scores, things that affect your performance, and how you can elevate your game.

Are you wondering how you can get good at playing golf without lessons? Here’s a detailed article to check out.

What Is a Golf Score?

Overall, every golfer’s goal is to complete the course with as few strokes as possible. Each hole has a par which defines the guideline number of strokes that should be taken to achieve that hole, ranging from 3 to 5 depending on the physical length of the hole. A golf score is defined by the number of strokes taken to complete the hole.

And a player’s final golf score is the sum of the strokes for all holes on the course, including any penalties you may have incurred.

The table below contains the rules of scoring in golf.

Strokes	Description	Terms In Golf
0	Par	Strokes equal to par
+ 1	Bogey	One stroke over par
– 1	Birdie	One stroke under par
+ 2	Double-Bogey	Two strokes over par
– 2	Eagle	Two strokes under par
+ 3	Triple-Bogey	Three strokes over par
– 3	Albatross or Double-Eagle	Three strokes under par
– 4	Condor or Triple-Eagle	Four strokes under par

What Is A Good Golf Score?

A good golf score is 90 or below over 18 holes for male amateur golfers and 100 or less for females based on the estimated average golf score for males of 95.7 and 107 for females.

Furthermore, a good golf score will depend on the kind of player you are. For example, if you are a beginner, a good golf score for you will vastly differ from that of a professional. You must understand a good golf score is based on various factors. 

1- Adult Beginners

Let’s first understand what is a good golf score or adult beginner. According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF) data, a good score for an adult beginner is 108.

Besides that, the data also finds that 4.5/10 players average more than a hundred strokes in each round. So, for you, 100 is a good score, to begin with. 

2- Professionals

Of course, a good golf score will be different for a professional than for an adult beginner. If we witness the top golfers in the world who play at least 52 and 82 rounds of golf a year, then their good average score lies between 68 and 69.

So, if you are a professional player, this will be a good score for you. 

3- Nine Holes 

You might also be wondering what a good golf score for nine holes is. Well, if an average adult plays nine holes, a good score will be 45.

However, if you are average at this game, then you must aim to score below sixty at the end of your nine-hole golf game. 

4- High School Golf Player 

Are you a high school golf player that plays golf after school is out for fun? If you do, then a good golf score for you will be around eighty.

And, if you are done with high school, and moving towards college, then a good score for you will be that of an adult beginner. 

The table below contains the average golf score by age

Age	Average Score of Eighteen Holes
7 and 10 years	144 and 180
10 and 20 years	89 and 180
20 and 30 years	90
30 and 40 years	91
40 and 50 years	92
50 and 60 years	91
60 and 70 years	91
Above 70 years	93 and 94

Now that you understand what is a good golf score according to various parameters, you must also know the good score according to age. We have given you an overview of the average golf score according to the age in the table above. This is based on the game of eighteen holes. 

And, kids here have the lowest score because they are still developing their skills and strength to play golf properly. Besides that, as the age of the golfer increases, their average stroke will become minimal.

As you can gauge from the table, the difference between a twenty-year-old player and a seventy-year-old player is that of four strokes in a game. 

Because of this, you will notice that older women and men play this game on the professional circuit. That is because if you want to become great at this game, you will require skill and experience. If you are still young, you must remain patient and become good at the game to get a great score in no time.

See also: Terminology You Should Know About!

Do Golf Scores Matter For Beginners? 

If you are below 85, you can consider yourself a good golfer. Above 90, you are most likely a beginner. Generally, a good score for a beginner would be between 90-100. As a beginner, you might think about what is a good golf score and if scores matter.

Well, golf is a challenging game, and there are many obstacles you must face to ensure that you play love. These include physical barriers such as trees, tall grass, water, bounds markers, and much more. 

That is not all, as you also have many other things to think about during the game, which include:

• The kind of club you must use 
• How far you should hit the golf ball 
• Will the wind affect your shot?
• Will you chunk or top the golf ball?
• Will you hook or slice the golf ball?
• And much more

All of these thoughts are normal to have while playing golf, especially as a beginner. However, we recommend that you trust your gut and don’t get caught in a web of thoughts, as that will hinder your progress.

You must practice consistently to improve your game and trust your intuition to make the right decision for you as you go along and become a great player. 

The key is steady progress, as you must keep playing and trust that your score will get better. When you get rid of these mental barriers, you will see your score improve considerably. 

See also: 10 Benefits And Drawbacks of Having a Strong Golf Grip.

Some Basics to Improve Your Golf Score

If you are new to golf and you are looking to improve your golf score, then you must focus on some basics. These include:

• Golf swing 
• Fitting of your equipment and clubs 
• Selecting the right club based on the shot
• Reading the greens 
• Understanding the basics of strokes
• Driving the golf ball 

It is no secret that golf is a difficult game. Even the best players in the world can have moments where they struggle to make good shots.

If you are someone who is looking to improve your golf score, there are a few things that you can do to help yourself out.

One of the first things that you need to do is take a look at your equipment. Are you using the best clubs for your game? If you are not, then you need to invest in some new ones. There is no point in using clubs that are not going to help you improve your score.

Another thing that you can do to improve your golf score is to practice as much as possible. The more you practice, the better you will become at the game. You should also try to find a good coach that can help you improve your swing. A coach will be able to give you tips and pointers on how to make your swing better.

Finally, you need to make sure that you are staying focused while you are playing the game. If you are not focused, you will not be able to make good shots. If you are constantly thinking about other things, you will not be able to keep your mind on the game.

Of course, the key is to conduct research on all these tips so that you can have an idea of what you need to do. Once you have this information, you can utilize it to improve your golf game in no time. 

See also: 15 Must-Have Golf Cart Accessories.

Wrapping Up 

That was an extensive guide to understanding what a good golf score is. Remember that if you are new to golf, then your golf score will not improve in a few days. You will have to give this game time and be patient so that you can see the results as time passes. 

Besides that, don’t compare yourself to others on the golf course. All of us have our own journey, and you will ace the score once you get better.