Do you say your total score or your score in relation to par?

[sisyphus]

I've found that most folks confuse terms more and more now that they are using udisc, and pulling 'par' numbers out of thin air, depending on which of the twenty course layouts they keyed in. Heck, a lot of our dgcr listings have been adjusted (erroneously) lately. It may be an ego boost for a newer player to report "minus 26" on a course that's really 'off', while 'old school' players do all counting based on par 54 and even they seem confused when playing layouts with an unusual number of holes), but it's not 'helpful' to talk either way. So I will try to steer the discussion toward total score (the only accurate way to be comparing apples to apples).

 

[EarthRocker]

And this is why Par is meaningless in the context of a hole. Not to say it's Ultimately Without Meaning, just that it doesn't matter when you're writing down an actual score. In the end, it's Aggregate, people.

"What'd you get on the last hole?" - Cardkeeper
"Was it a par four or five?" - Idjit McAbacus
"#!^&*!$%&^%$#. Give me a number please. Somewhere between two and ten, probably."

 

[ChrisWoj]

When someone asks how you played do you tell them your total score ("65") or your score in relation to par ("5 over")?

In my area (Upper Michigan) everybody gives their score in relation to par ("3 over", "2 under", etc.).

This depends entirely on what course I'm playing and who I'm playing with. If I'm at a course that is only Par 3's? I'll give score relative to par. If I'm at a local course where there are par 4's? Number of strokes. That's because local golfers around here can't figure out if they want to give a score with the Par 4's included or not, and I don't feel like asking them if they're counting Par 4's as Par 4's every time we talk about scores. If I'm with friends I golf with a lot and I know for sure how they're referencing it, I'll give score relative to par on those layouts.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

My first inclination is that no one really cares how I shot, so it doesn't really matter.

I generally only say "# over/under" par if it's widely accepted the course par is 54.

 

[ray1970]

Well, after reading some of these posts I think announcing a score for a single hole versus your final score for a round are two different things.

If I'm playing a round and someone wants to know what I had on the previous hole I am giving them a number. Hopefully a 2 or a 3 and not a 4 or a 5. Sometimes I might not even know what par for a particular hole is during play but I know how many throws it took me to finish the hole.

After the round, when I see that the course par was 62 and my final score was 60 then I know I shot -2 and if someone asks my score for the round I'll tell them I was two down for that round.

 

[coupe]

I plead the fifth.

I'd rather down a fifth ... occasionally to celebrate, but usually to forget …

 

[autocrosscrx]

In relation to par. I don't even know what par is at some of the layouts I play the most, but I know I shot 3 more than whatever that number is on Sunday.

 

[DavidSauls]

Just to be hypocritical, for the next few days I'll be telling everyone I shot under par at Stoney Hill today.

Because I know what par is here, and know that I haven't done that in about 10 years. So I'll be saying it until I'm out of breath, or friends, whichever comes first.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Anytime I hear somebody say they shot "three down" I assume that's a 51, just out of decades of habit. (or 69 on a 24-hole layout). We used to even say, "You're at least going to double-bogey (Hudson Mills) Monster #14, so you'd better deuce at least two others to make up for it." Everything's par 3 in 1998, baby.

 

[coupe]

Just to be hypocritical, for the next few days I'll be telling everyone I shot under par at Stoney Hill today.

Because I know what par is here, and know that I haven't done that in about 10 years. So I'll be saying it until I'm out of breath, or friends, whichever comes first.

Well, OB.VI.OUS.LY, you need to take lessons on setting par from this guy.

 

[BionicRib]

Depends on the course and my audience

 

[runningDoc]

Total score is quick to compute and recall if you use base 3 on 18 holes = 54 regardless if there's many par 4 or 5.

If there are extra holes (like three extra holes) then it's base 3 on 21 holes = 63. So on and so on

It's quick to keep a running tally in your head that way.

Total score for me.

Before playing a course I'll ask what par is then sometimes look up what a SSN (average score that's roughly 1000 rated round) to know if you're doing/did well/did REALLY WELL. This applies to the different layouts/setups of a course too.

 

[DavidSauls]

I'll point out that if you answer with total strokes, the listeners should be able to translate -- whether they're translating to over/under course par, or over/under "par 3". And if the listener also tends to relate to total strokes, you're there.

If you answer by any other method, it may require a qualifier of what method you're using, and in the case of course par, perhaps the additional item of what the par for that particular course actually is.

 

[Tripper]

What is this score thing you keep talking about? I just go out and chuck circles.

 

[ohtobediscing]

If its league or a tourney, then total score.
If its casual, then over/under.

Lately, my casual-round friends and I don't even keep score, just celebrate/laugh at shots.

 

[XDrocker]

make it easy, start over and make it a poll.

my guess, it would be over 90-95% for, relation to par.

 

[glassila]

make it easy, start over and make it a poll.

my guess, it would be over 90-95% for, relation to par.

I agree, a high percentage of players give their score in relation to par vs total score. That's what I figured, but I wasn't sure.

Yeah, I should have made it a poll, but I think the topic is more or less played out now.

 

[foxdawg10]

when i give my score per hole, it is an actual number. At the end of the round, I'll give my total shots. I agree with some of the comments here, it was much easier and relevant to give score related to par when everyone used the same par - 54.

As an aside my pet peeve is when I ask someone their score and they tell me in relation to par, but then their mind goes blank when I ask how may shots they took.

 

[glassila]

when i give my score per hole, it is an actual number. At the end of the round, I'll give my total shots. I agree with some of the comments here, it was much easier and relevant to give score related to par when everyone used the same par - 54.

As an aside my pet peeve is when I ask someone their score and they tell me in relation to par, but then their mind goes blank when I ask how may shots they took.

That would be me! In my area, nobody and I mean NOBODY gives their total score when you ask them what they shot.

 

[foxdawg10]

That would be me! In my area, nobody and I mean NOBODY gives their total score when you ask them what they shot.

lol. It used to be that way around here until the courses blew up in quantity and number of tees / pins. It made talking in terms of par irrelevant because nobody was comparing apples to apples.