Photo by Benny Hassum on Unsplash The PGA Championship is the second major of the calendar year, typically played in May. Organized by the PGA of America (distinct from the PGA Tour), it carries full major championship weight and a rich history that includes some of the sport's most dramatic finishes. Here's a complete guide to what the PGA Championship rewards, who historically performs best, and what to expect in upcoming editions. The PGA Championship's Unique Identity Among the four major championships, the PGA Championship is sometimes unfairly dismissed as the "fourth" major — the one that follows the Masters, US Open, and Open Championship in prestige. This is an undeserved reputation. The PGA Championship has produced some of the sport's greatest moments and is played at world-class venues on a rotating basis. What makes it distinct is its field composition: unlike the other majors, the PGA Championship traditionally includes the top 20 players from t...
Golf scoring can seem confusing when you first encounter it — terms like birdie, par, stroke play, match play, and net score all get thrown around before you understand the basic counting system. Here at The Birdie Putt, we explain everything from scratch, starting with the simplest concept and building to the more nuanced scoring formats you'll encounter as you get into the game.
The Basics: Counting Strokes
Golf scoring starts with one simple rule: count every time you swing the club with intent to hit the ball. A stroke is any swing where you're trying to hit the ball — practice swings don't count, but a missed swipe at the ball that you intended to hit does count. Add up your strokes for each hole, write the total in the appropriate box on your scorecard, and total them at the end of the round.
Par, Birdie, Bogey, and Beyond
Par is the benchmark number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to take on each hole, including two putts. Holes are generally par-3, par-4, or par-5. If you match par on a hole, you've made "par." Here are the names for scores relative to par on a single hole: Albatross (or Double Eagle): 3 under par (extremely rare, making it on a par-5 in just 2 shots or a hole-in-one on a par-4). Eagle: 2 under par. Birdie: 1 under par. Par: equal to par. Bogey: 1 over par. Double Bogey: 2 over par. Triple Bogey: 3 over par.
As a beginner, you'll be intimate with bogeys, double bogeys, and worse. That's completely fine — these terms are just labels for counting, not judgments. Every golfer on earth has taken a triple bogey.
Stroke Play
Stroke play is the most common format in recreational and professional golf. You count every stroke on every hole across the full round (18 holes) and total them at the end. The lowest total score wins. In casual rounds among friends, stroke play is what you're playing when you just say "let's play a round."
Match Play
Match play scores hole by hole rather than adding up total strokes. You win a hole by taking fewer strokes than your opponent. The match is won by the player who wins the most holes — not by the overall lowest score. You can win a hole with a 7 if your opponent took an 8. Match play rewards aggressive playing strategy on individual holes and creates a genuinely different psychological experience from stroke play.
Net Score vs. Gross Score
When playing with handicaps, gross score is your actual total strokes (no adjustment). Net score is your gross score minus your handicap allowance — the adjusted total that accounts for your skill level. A 20-handicapper shooting 95 has a net score of 75, which is competitive with a scratch golfer (0 handicap) shooting 75 gross. Net scoring allows players of different skill levels to compete fairly — one of golf's most democratic and wonderful aspects.
Learning to score properly makes the game more meaningful and trackable. Keep an honest scorecard from your very first round — even if the numbers are high — and you'll have a baseline to measure improvement against that will motivate you for years.
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