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You MUST post your score if you’ve completed 7 out of 9 holes or 14 out of 18 holes. How? You add your handicap strokes to the pars of the holes you did not complete to get your score. For example, let’s say you completed 15 holes before it began to rain and your handicap is 18 (one stroke per hole). You add one stroke to the pars of 16, 17, and 18 and then add those scores to what you got on the first 15 holes.

If you play in a tournament of any kind,  your score should be posted with a “T” or “tournament” indication. These scores are given a little extra weight in figuring your handicap.

You can even post your score in a fourball event where the best score of two players is taken on each hole and you may not have to finish out a hole or two. You simply put down the score you most likely would have had if you had completed the hole.

It’s important to post every score you shoot. That’s how you get an honest, accurate handicap.

Do you carry a scorecard each time you play a round of golf? If so, what do you record on it? You might be thinking, “What do you mean – what do I record on it? My score, of course!”

If used creatively, a scorecard can give you a lot more information and feedback than just what you scored. You may have made 5 on a par-4, but how did you do it? There are all kinds of ways to make a 5. A few scenarios:

• Good tee shot; poor second and third shots; close chip and one putt.
• Tee shot OB; penalty stroke; great tee shot; awesome iron to green; one putt.
• Good tee shot; second shot in greenside bunker; two shots out; one putt.
• Two shots to get on the green; 3 putts.
• Two shots to get near the green; 2 chips and one putt.

I’m sure  you get the drift.

Wouldn’t it be nice to take a second look at your scorecard and know how you arrived at your score? Here are some ways to do that:

• Keeping track of putts is easy. Instead of just writing “5.” you write “5/2.” A putt is considered any shot that originates on the green.
• Create a few small symbols which have meaning for you: and use them to indicate when you hit your tee shot in the fairway;, when you get on the green in regulation, bunker shots  or penalty shots, etc.
• Circle your pars/birdies. Perhaps put a square around bogeys.

After the round, you can look back at your scorecard and analyze your strengths and weaknesses on that day. Over time, you’ll begin to  notice trends which may assist you in setting goals for yourself and using your practice time more effectively.