Holes are typically played in order from 1 to 18. In some cases, like when the course is especially busy, players may start on the 10th and finish on the 9th hole. Players will start on the 10th hole and play from 10 to 18. After 18, players will then play from the 1st hole to the 9th hole to complete their round.

The 9th hole marks the end of the “Out” section which means playing away from the clubhouse. The 18th hole marks the end of the “In” section which means playing back toward the clubhouse.

Black or gold tees are the furthest from the hole. These tees are usually only played from by professionals or very high standard amateurs. Most courses do not have black or gold tees. Blue markers reflect the tee boxes for local competitions. These tees are normally used by very good amateur players. If a course doesn’t have black or gold tees, the blue tee boxes are the furthest from the hole. White tees are the middle tees, most often used by golfers with middle to high handicaps. Red tees are the shortest member’s tees. These tees are the closest to the fairway and make the course much shorter than the other tees. Green tees are used by junior golfers or beginners.

Some cards also have a section for “women’s handicap. " Some holes may play differently for women and men and this is why some courses have separate sections. The handicap of each hole rarely overlaps with a player’s handicap. Match-play is one area of golf where both handicap’s are relevant. In match-play players play each other in 1 vs. 1 situations. If Player A has a handicap of 2 and Player B has a handicap of 7, the difference is 5. Player B will then be allowed an extra shot on the 5 hardest holes, or the 5 holes with the lowest index. If Player A gets a 4 on one of these 5 holes and Player B gets a 5, they tie because of Player B’s handicap.

The average golf course is a par 72, which means that the pars of all the holes added together equals 72. Par generally relates to length. Par 3s are the shortest holes on golf courses and par 5s are the longest holes. The most common par on a course is a par 4. If you look at the “Out” and “In” columns on the scorecard you will see the par for each set of 9 holes. A par 72 golf course will usually have 2 9 holes that are both par 36.

Some scorecards might only give you room for an initial.

When there’s a hole in 1, some players will mark it by writing a “1” with a circle around it to draw attention to it. If you make a mistake, cross out the wrong number and write the correct score next to it. Sign your initials next to the corrected score to show it was you who corrected it and not somebody else trying to cheat.

If the course is a par 72 and you took 80 shots, you were 8 over par. If the course is a par 70 and you took 65 shots, you were 5 under par.

If you took 77 shots on a par 72, you were 5 over par. Mark +5 in your section of the total column. If your friend took 68 shots on a par 72, they finished 4 under par. Mark -4 in their section of the total column. Even par, taking exactly the amount of shots you should, can be marked with a 0 or an “E. " Handicaps make things a little more tricky. If you have a -15 handicap and it takes you 85 shots to play a par 72, take 15 from 85. This leaves you with 70 shots on a par 72, or 2 under par. A player with a -3 handicap will take 3 from their total. If they take 72 shots on a par 72 course, they take 3 from 72 to give them 69, meaning they’ve shot 3 under par with their handicap. Your handicap is essentially an allowance to help you. Better players have lower handicaps and less-skilled players have higher handicaps.

This step isn’t very important in a casual round but it’s good to get used to marking a scorecard properly.