How to Read a Golf Scorecard: Tees, Par and Handicap

To read a golf scorecard, find the row for the tees you're playing: it gives each hole's length. The par row shows the expected strokes per hole, and the handicap row ranks the holes from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest), which tells you where you get strokes. Out, In and Total add up each nine and the round.

This guide walks through a real scorecard, the front nine at Erin Hills, No. 1 on TheGrint's 2026 Top 100 U.S. Public list. It covers what every row means, how to choose your tees and how to mark your score.

You can see the scorecard for more than 37,000 courses free in TheGrint's golf course directory, and TheGrint keeps score on the same layout when you play.

How do you read a golf scorecard?

You read a golf scorecard one row at a time: each set of tees has its own yardage row, while the par and handicap rows apply to every tee. Here is the front nine at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, from two of its seven sets of tees:

1. Find your tees. Pick the row for the tees you're playing. From the White tees, the 1st hole at Erin Hills is 485 yards.
2. Check the par. The 1st is a par 5, so a skilled player is expected to take five strokes.
3. Check the handicap row. The 1st is handicap 3, the third-hardest hole on the course.
4. Read the totals. Out is the front-nine total: 3,099 yards and par 36 from the White tees.

What does each row on a golf scorecard mean?

Each row on a golf scorecard gives one piece of information about every hole. Most scorecards have the same core rows, in roughly this order:

• Hole: the hole number, 1 to 18. Holes 1 to 9 are the front nine and holes 10 to 18 the back nine.
• Tee rows: one row per set of tees, usually named by color, with each hole's length in yards or meters. The 7th at Erin Hills is 607 yards from the Black tees and 503 from the White tees.
• Par: the number of strokes a skilled player is expected to need. Most holes are par 3, 4 or 5. Erin Hills is par 36 on each nine and par 72 in all.
• Handicap: the order of difficulty, from 1 to 18. Some scorecards label it stroke index or HCP.
• Out, In and Total: Out totals the front nine, In totals the back nine, and Total is the full 18.
• Course Rating^™ and Slope Rating^™: many scorecards list these for each set of tees, usually beside the tee name or at the end of the row. They're used to work out your handicap strokes for those tees.

The paper card also has blank rows for each player's name and score, and lines at the bottom for the scorer and the person attesting the card.

What does the handicap row on a golf scorecard mean?

The handicap row ranks the holes by how hard they play for most golfers, and it tells you which holes you receive strokes on. Handicap 1 is the hardest hole and handicap 18 the easiest. The odd numbers usually go to one nine and the even numbers to the other, so strokes are spread across the round.

Here's how it works. If your Handicap Index^® gives you a Course Handicap^™ of 15 from the tees you're playing, you get one stroke on each hole ranked 1 to 15. You don't get strokes on the three easiest holes, ranked 16, 17 and 18. At Erin Hills, the front-nine hole ranked 17, the 9th, is one of those.

The handicap row is the same for every set of tees on most scorecards, although some courses give women's tees their own row. For the basics, read what a golf handicap is.

How do you choose which tees to play?

Choose the tees whose total yardage fits how far you hit the ball, not the tees your group always plays. The scorecard gives the total for every set of tees, so you can compare them before you arrive.

• Compare total yardage: Erin Hills plays from 5,078 yards to 7,772 yards depending on the tees, a gap of almost 2,700 yards.
• Don't go by color alone: tee colors and names vary by course, so a White tee at one course can be much longer than at another. Compare the yardages.
• Start forward if you're new: shorter tees mean more greens within reach and a quicker round.

How do you mark your score on a golf scorecard?

Write your total strokes for each hole in the box under that hole number, then add up the front nine in the Out column, the back nine in the In column and the full round in Total.

• Count every stroke: include penalty strokes in the hole's total.
• Mark your strokes: many golfers put a dot in the box on holes where they receive a handicap stroke.
• Common symbols: some golfers circle birdies and put a square around bogeys. The letters on TheGrint's Scorecard List mean something different; that post explains them.

If you keep score in TheGrint, the app adds up each nine for you and tracks fairways, greens and putts on the same hole-by-hole layout.

Where can you find the scorecard for any golf course?

You can find the scorecard for any golf course in TheGrint's golf course directory, which has more than 37,000 course pages. It's free, and you don't need an account.

1. Search or browse: search for a course, club or city by name, or browse by region, then by state or country and city.
2. Open the course page: a club with more than one course lists each course separately, with its own scorecard.
3. Read the scorecard: every set of tees has its own row, with par and handicap below. Switch between yards and meters at the top.

Each course page also shows TheGrint Rating, a score out of 100 from golfers' reviews and rankings, and TheGrint Difficulty, which shows how hard the course plays based on golfers' scores. See the hardest golf courses golfers rank among the best for what that data shows.

How does TheGrint help you keep score?

TheGrint puts the scorecard on your phone: every course page in the directory has an Open in TheGrint button, and the app covers scoring, GPS and leaderboards on the course.

• Live scoring: keep score for your group hole by hole, with games and live leaderboards included free.
• GPS distances: free GPS on more than 40,000 courses, on your phone and on Apple Watch and Wear OS.
• King of the Course: each course has a weekly King of the Course leaderboard of the best scores posted there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Out and In mean on a golf scorecard?

Out is the total for the front nine, holes 1 to 9, and In is the total for the back nine, holes 10 to 18. The names come from older links courses, where the front nine played out from the clubhouse and the back nine came in. Total adds the two together for the full round.

What does HCP mean on a golf scorecard?

HCP is short for handicap. On a golf scorecard, the HCP row ranks each hole by difficulty, from 1 for the hardest hole to 18 for the easiest. It shows which holes you receive strokes on. With a Course Handicap of 10, for example, you get a stroke on the holes ranked 1 to 10.

What does par mean on a golf scorecard?

Par is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to need to finish a hole. Most holes are par 3, par 4 or par 5, depending mainly on length. Add them up and most 18-hole courses are par 70 to 72. Erin Hills, for example, is par 36 on the front nine and par 72 in all.

How can I find a golf course scorecard online?

Search for the course by name in TheGrint's golf course directory at thegrint.com/golf-courses, or browse by region, state or country and city. Each course page shows hole-by-hole yardage, par and handicap for every set of tees. The directory has more than 37,000 course pages and is free to use.

Can I read a golf scorecard in meters?

Yes. Many courses outside the U.S. print hole lengths in meters, and every scorecard in TheGrint's golf course directory can switch between yards and meters using the toggle at the top of the scorecard. The par and handicap rows stay the same; only the hole lengths and totals change.

Keep your next scorecard with TheGrint

Look up the course, check the scorecard and pick your tees in the directory, then keep score in TheGrint for free with GPS distances, live scoring and games for your group. Get started with TheGrint.

Handicap Index^®, Course Handicap^™, Course Rating^™ and Slope Rating^™ are owned or licensed by the United States Golf Association^® (USGA^®) and/or The R&A. All rights reserved.