I've been playing since I woke up this morning and it's pretty cool!
Now to confess: I've never been interested in playing golf in the real world, so I don't know much about it - but it's fun on TT, perhaps because it's something new to do.
I wasn't sure of how the scoring worked and whatnot so I decided to look it up and post some info here for those of you that are as clueless as I am.
Granted, this is from Wikipedia and we all know how unreliable it can be, so if any of you know more and feel inclined to correct this info, please feel free to add to the thread.
And a last note: I'm not sure of how much TT follows real golfing as I haven't gotten very far with it (obviously) so some of this stuff may not be applicable.
Par
A hole is classified by its par, the number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play to the hole. For example, a skilled golfer expects to reach the green on a par-four hole in two strokes, one from the tee (the "drive") and another, second, stroke to the green (the "approach") and then roll the ball into the hole with two putts. Traditionally, a golf hole is either a par-three, -four or -five; some par-six holes exist, but are not usually found on traditional golf courses.
Primarily, but not exclusively, the par of a hole is determined by the tee-to-green distance. A typical length for a par-three hole ranges between 91 and 224 metres (100–250 yd), for a par-four hole, between 225 and 434 metres (251–475 yd). Typically, par-five holes are at between 435 and 630 metres (476–690 yd), and nontraditional par-six holes are any longer distance. These distances are not absolute rules; for example, it is possible that a 500-yard hole could be classed as a par-four hole, since the par for a hole is determined by its 'effective playing length'. If the tee-to-green distance on a hole is predominantly downhill, it will play shorter than its physical length and may be given a lower par rating.
Many eighteen hole courses have four par-three, ten par-four, and four par-five holes, though other combinations exist and are not less worthy than courses of par 72. Many major championships are contested on courses playing to a par of 70 or 71, and it's not rare to find a worthy test (especially in the British Isles) playing to a par of 69 or lower. In many countries, courses are classified, in addition to the course's par, with a course classification describing the play difficulty of a course and may be used to calculate a golfer's playing handicap for that given course (c.f. golf handicap).
The par scoring system can be seen as a way to facilitate the comparison of all golfers' progress around the course in stroke play by providing a common reference score. For example, if player A after completing hole #4 has a cumulative score equal to par (say, 16 strokes), and player B has a cumulative score equal to -1 after hole #6 (say, 23 strokes), then one is able to see more easily that player B has played relatively better than player A, than by comparing their cumulative numbers of strokes (16 vs. 23).
Course and tournament scores
A golfer's score is determined by how many shots have been taken by the golfer relative to par. If a course has a par of 72 and a golfer takes 75 strokes to complete the course, the golfer's reported score is +3, or "three-over-par". This means that the golfer has taken three shots more than par to complete the course. If a golfer takes 70 strokes, their reported score is -2, or "two-under-par".
Tournament scores are calculated by totaling the golfer's score relative to par in each round (there are four rounds in professional tournaments). If each of the four rounds of a tournament has a par of 72, the tournament par would be 288 and the golfer's score would be recorded relative to the tournament par. For example, a golfer could record a 70 in the first round, a 72 in the second round, a 73 in the third round, and a 69 in the fourth round. This would give the golfer a tournament score of 284, or four-under-par.
Hole scores
Scores on each hole are reported in the same way that course scores are given. Nicknames are given to scores on holes ranging from five-under-par to five-over-par.
Bogey
One-over-par (+1). "Going round in Bogey" originally meant an overall par score, starting at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in 1890, and based on a popular music hall song "Here Comes the Bogey Man". Nationally players competed against "Colonel Bogey" and this in turn gave the title to a 1914 marching tune.
As golf became more standardized in the United States, par scores were tightened and recreational golfers found themselves scoring over par, with bogey changing meaning to one over par. In professional play, bogeys usually result either when a player's ball lands in a hazard (such as a bunker, rough or water hazard) that makes it difficult or impossible to reach the putting surface in the 'regulation' number of strokes - or when a player takes one more putt than would be expected, having reached the green in regulation. Bogeys are relatively common, even in professional play - so much so that it is considered somewhat noteworthy if a player manages to complete a 'bogey-free' round - and they are standard for most casual and club players. A player with a handicap of eighteen would be playing to his or her handicap if they scored a bogey on every hole.
Two or more shots 'dropped' to par result in scores known as a Double-Bogey (two shots over par), Triple-Bogey (three over par) and so on. However, because of the obscurity of higher tuple names, it is more common to hear very high scores referred to by the number of strokes rather than by name. For example, a player having taken 12 shots to negotiate a tough par-three would be far more likely to say "I took a 12" than "I shot a nonuple bogey."
Par
Even (E). The golfer has taken as many strokes as the hole's par number. In theory, pars are achieved by two putts, with the remaining shots being used to reach the green. For example, on a par-five hole, a player would be expected to take three shots to reach the green and two shots to putt the ball into the hole.
Birdie
One-under-par (-1). These most commonly occur when a player's approach shot lands sufficiently close to the hole that he or she requires only one putt to hole out. The term is believed to have originated during a game at the Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, NJ in either 1899 or 1903[citation needed]. It seems that one day, three golfers - William Poultney Smith, founding member of Pine Valley, his brother Ab Smith, and George Crump (who was later to build Pine Valley, about 45 miles away) - were playing together when Crump hit his second shot only inches from the cup on a par-four hole after his first shot had struck a bird in flight. Simultaneously, the Smith brothers exclaimed that Crump's shot was "a bird." Crump's short putt left him one under par for the hole, and from that day the three of them referred to such a score as a "birdie." In short order, the entire membership of the club began using the term and, since as a resort the club had a lot of out-of-town visitors, the expression spread and caught the fancy of all American golfers. The Perfect Round (score of 54 on a par 72 course) is most commonly described as scoring a birdie on all 18 holes.
Eagle
Two-under-par (-2). Eagles most commonly occur on par-fives, when golfers with enough strength can drive to the green in two strokes rather than the expected three, and then hole out with just a single putt. Such also occasionally takes place on short par-fours where a strong golfer drives the tee shot to the green. Less commonly, a player will hole his or her approach shot (either the second shot on a par-four or the third shot on a par-five) to achieve an eagle. Naturally enough, a hole-in-one on a par-three hole also results in an eagle.
Albatross
Three-under-par (-3) which is also sometimes called a double eagle despite the fact that it's technically an eagle and a half. These are extremely rare, and most commonly occur on par-fives with a strong drive and a holed approach shot. Holes-in-one on par-four holes (generally short ones) are also albatrosses. The most famous albatross was made by Gene Sarazen in 1935, which propelled him into a tie for first at The Masters Tournament. He won the playoff the next day. The sportswriters of the day termed it "the shot heard 'round the world". Chip Beck, a more recent touring pro, made an albatross hole-in-one on the par-four ninth hole at the Omaha Classic, a Nationwide Tour event, in 2003. The Players Championship at Sawgrass in May 2007 saw USA's Hunter Mahan making an albatross, followed with another albatross the next day by Australia's Peter Lonard. 16-year old Tadd Fujikawa from Hawaii made one at the Omega European Masters in September 2007, on a long 628 yard par five.
Condor
Four-under-par (-4). Also known as a vulture, triple-eagle or a double-albatross. Scored by hitting a hole-in-one on a par-five or getting the ball in the cup in two strokes on a par 6, (there are no par-6s in the professional game). A condor was scored by Mike Crean on hole 9 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver in 2002. The hole was a par-five at 517 yards. Crean, helped by the high altitude, scored an ace.
The meaning of MULLIGAN:
Golf. a shot not counted against the score, permitted in unofficial play to a player whose previous shot was poor.
PS: Thanks to mods/admin for making this a sticky!