The Proper Golfer

For the new player, using your handicap can be a daunting and confusing task. In this section of the Knowledge Center, we try and explain some of 'the basics' to help get you started.

On your scorecard, the 'fairways' box stands for fairways hit on the drive, and the 'greens' box stands for greens hit in regulation. Note that to they are not required to calculate your handicap - only for purposes to tracking statistics.

Greens in Regulation

A par is defined as the number of strokes an expert player should take to get the ball from the tee into the hole. But, even though the player may be an expert, they are expected to take two putts on the green. So on a par 4, an expert is supposed to drive the ball, hit their next shot onto the green, and two-putt, while on a par 3, an expert should hit their ball from the tee onto the green and then two-putt.

A 'Green in Regulation' means that you reached the green in the same manner as the above 'expert.' On a par 4 this means having your ball on the green after your second shot (lying 2). On a par 5 this means having your ball on the green lying 3, and on a par 3 this means driving the green. Note that 'on the green' means on the green - balls lying on the fringe do not count.

So, even though everyone eventually reaches the green, on a par 4 you have to do it on your second shot for it to count as a 'Green in regulation.'

Fairways Hit on the Drive

This statistic refers to the number of times during the round your drive landed in the fairway (the fairway, not the light rough). It is similar to the greens in regulation, except that the maximum number per round is less than 18. This is due to the fact that you are supposed to drive the green on a par 3, and as a result we don't count those holes for the fairways statistic. At the bottom of your scorecard, we calculate, as a %, the total # of fairways hit on the drive out of 14 (average # of par 3's on the course).

Most people like to track this number because, in combination with Greens in Regulation and Putts per Hole, it gives them an indication of the weaker parts of their game. For example, if you have high percentages for the first two, but you hit, on average, too many putts per hole, you have an indication that you should spend more time on the practice green than on the range with your driver.

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