The game, the course, the golfer.

What the words on the card mean, how a handicap is worked out, and what is custom rather than rule.

Golf runs on jargon, and nobody explains it. This is the terms you will actually hear on the course and in the clubhouse, grouped by where you will meet them, with links to the full…

The three numbers (index, course handicap, playing handicap), how the index is calculated from your last 20 scores, the two ways to get one in the UK, and a worked course-handicap example.

Short, direct answers to the things golfers actually ask: scoring formats, handicaps, the terms on the card, and the etiquette that keeps a round enjoyable for everyone.

Stableford scoring awards points at each hole based on your score against a fixed target, usually par adjusted for your handicap, with more points meaning a better round, rather than…

Under the World Handicap System, a golfer's handicap index is calculated from their best recent scores, each adjusted for the difficulty of the course and tees played, and updated after…

A single-figure handicap, under ten, is a strong marker of a golfer's game, scratch is zero rather than the top of the scale, and most club golfers play off a higher figure than that.

Par is the number of strokes a scratch golfer is expected to take on a hole or a full round, set hole by hole mainly by yardage, and used as the baseline every other score is measured…

A bogey is a score of one stroke over par on a hole: two over is a double bogey, three over a triple, and so on up the same simple ladder.

An albatross is a score of three strokes under par on a single hole, also called a double eagle, and one of the rarest scores in golf, since it usually means holing out from well off the…

A birdie is a score of one stroke under par on a hole: two under is an eagle, three under the rare albatross, and the most commonly celebrated good score in amateur golf.

A mulligan is an informal do-over, replaying a shot with no penalty added to the score, that has no basis in the official Rules of Golf and exists purely as a casual custom among…

Put your lead hand above your trail hand on the grip: left above right for a right-handed swing, right above left for a left-handed swing. The overlap, interlock and ten-finger methods…

A full golf set covers five categories: a driver, fairway woods, irons, wedges and a putter: and the Rules of Golf cap the total at fourteen clubs in the bag for any round that counts.

Golf etiquette means acting honestly, considering other players and caring for the course. Rule 1.2 sets these expectations: serious misconduct can lead to disqualification, and a local…

The 70/30 rule in golf is a commonly-cited practice guideline, not an official rule, suggesting golfers spend roughly 70% of practice time on the short game and 30% on full swing, since…

An eagle is a score of two strokes under par on a single hole. On a par 4, that means holing out in two. On a par 5, three. It's rarer than a birdie and more achievable than an…

Paste your last 20 Score Differentials - the per-round figures your club's app or England Golf record already shows - and this works out your Handicap Index exactly as World Handicap…

The one place a golfer keeps going back to, and what can honestly be made from a photograph of it.

A golfer's home course is the one subject nobody sells them, because it is different for every golfer. This is what happens between a photograph of that ground and a framed picture on a…

A golfer with every gadget still owns nothing about the place they play. That is the gap, and it is the only one left once you accept that you are not going to out-buy their bag. They…

Who it is for, and when. A retiring club captain and a dad who plays twice a year want different things.

Retirement is the moment a keen golfer gets their weekdays back. Quiet Tuesday tee times, the midweek fourball, the trip away that work always squeezed. So the gift marks an opening…

The twenty paintings, what each one actually shows, and which wall it is for.

Start with the golfer’s interests and what you know about them. A favourite course photograph, a ready-made artwork or something useful for their next round can each be a good choice.

Compare ideas by the golfer’s interests, your budget and the details you know. For course types, players and rules, browse all guides or the short answers.