Golf Score Calculator

1. Enter your front nine total, the out score.
2. Enter your back nine total, the in score.
3. Enter the par of the course.
4. Read your total score and how many strokes it is over or under par.

A golf score to par is your total strokes compared with the par of the course. Par is the number of strokes an expert is expected to need, so a score of plus five means you took five more strokes than that target, and level par means you matched it exactly.

Scores are almost always described this way rather than as a raw total, because to par works on any course. Plus ten is plus ten whether the par is 70 or 72, which makes it easy to compare rounds and to follow a leaderboard where players may have started on different holes.

Splitting the round into the front nine, called the out score, and the back nine, called the in score, also shows where the round was won or lost. A steady out and a poor in points to fatigue or a tough closing stretch, while the reverse suggests a slow start.

1. Add your front nine and back nine strokes for the total.
2. Subtract the course par from the total.
3. A positive number is over par; a negative number is under par.
4. Zero is level par, written as E on most leaderboards.

Individual holes are described with their own names, such as birdie for one under and bogey for one over, but the round as a whole is summed and then compared with par in exactly this way.

You go out in 45 and come home in 47 on a par 72 course. The total is 45 plus 47, which is 92. Subtracting the par of 72 leaves plus 20, so you shot 92, twenty over par. The two nines are close, so the round was fairly even from start to finish.

A better ball-striker might go out in 38 and back in 36 on a par 70 course. The total is 74, which is four over par. The stronger back nine of 36 shows a player who finished well, a good sign of composure over the closing holes.

Total Strokes

Every extra stroke moves your score one further over par.

Course Par

The same total is a different score to par on a par 70 course than on a par 72 course.

Front and Back Balance

An uneven split shows where the round changed, even though only the total sets the score to par.

Tees Played

Harder tees usually raise the total, though par itself often stays the same.

Score to par for common totals on a par 72 course.

Breaking 90 and then 80 are the classic milestones as a golfer improves.

After a Round

Total your card and see the score to par at a glance.

Tracking Progress

Compare rounds over time to watch your average score to par fall.

Following Golf

Understand why leaderboards show plus and minus figures instead of raw totals.

1. Comparing Raw Totals

An 80 on a par 70 course is worse than an 80 on a par 72 course; always compare to par.

2. Miscounting a Nine

Add each nine carefully, as a single missed stroke changes the whole score to par.

3. Confusing Gross and Net

This is your gross score to par; net scoring subtracts a handicap first.

4. Forgetting the Par

Enter the correct par, since the score to par depends entirely on it.

The calculation adds two nines and subtracts par. It reports your gross score to par and does not apply a handicap.

Add your front nine and back nine for the total, then subtract the course par. A 92 on a par 72 course is plus 20.

Level par, shown as E, means your total matched the course par exactly, with no strokes over or under.

The out score is your front nine total and the in score is your back nine total; together they make your round.

Score to par works on any course, so a leaderboard can rank players fairly even on different pars or start holes.

This is your gross score to par. Net scoring subtracts your handicap first, which this tool does not do.

Breaking 100, then 90, then 80 are the usual milestones; level par is expert level.

Yes. The same total is a different score to par depending on whether the course is a par 70, 71 or 72.

Holes use names like birdie for one under and bogey for one over, while the full round is summed and compared with par.

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

• Par (score) (Wikipedia).
• Golf (Wikipedia).
• Score (golf) (Wikipedia).