How to keep score in mini golf

Mini golf looks simple until the scorecard comes out. Most rounds are decided by a stroke or two, so counting them properly is the difference between a fair win and an argument at the eighteenth hole. This guide explains how mini golf scoring works, what par means on a course card, and how to keep an accurate score whether you are playing alone or with a group of six.

Stroke play: the standard way to score

Almost every mini golf round is played as stroke play. Each player counts every swing of the putter, including the short tap-in that finishes the hole, and writes that number on the card for the hole they just played. When the round ends you add up all the numbers for every hole. The player with the lowest total wins. A hole in one is written as a 1 and is the best score possible on any hole. A ball that needs four swings is written as a 4. Nothing is deducted for a bad hole, which is why a single blow-up hole can cost you the round.

What par means on a mini golf card

Par is the score a skilled player is expected to make on a hole. Mini golf rarely uses the par 4 and par 5 you see on a full size course. Most holes are par 2, meaning two strokes to reach the cup. Holes with a ramp, a windmill, a narrow bridge or a water feature are usually marked par 3, because the obstacle costs an extra stroke. If you finish a par 3 hole in two strokes you are one under par, which is a birdie. Finishing in four strokes on a par 3 is a bogey, one over par. Par gives you a target to measure your round against even when you are playing alone, because your total against par tells you more about your putting than the raw number does.

Filling in a scorecard hole by hole

The most common scoring mistake is trying to remember your score at the end of the round. Write the number down as soon as you hole out, while the hole is still fresh. One row belongs to each player, and one column belongs to each hole, so a four player card is four rows tall. A digital card does the adding for you: PuttPuttScore records one stroke at a time, shows a running total next to every player name, and moves to the next hole automatically once everyone has entered a score. It also keeps a par for every hole, so you can see at a glance who is under par and who is chasing.

Ties, penalties and house rules

Every course has house rules, and they should be agreed before the first putt. The most common one caps a hole at six strokes so that a single disaster does not hold up the group behind you. A ball that leaves the carpet is normally replaced where it crossed the edge and played without a penalty, while a ball that goes into a water feature usually costs a stroke and is dropped at the marked spot. If two players finish with the same total, compare their scores on the hardest hole, or send them back to play one sudden death hole. Settling the tie rule up front keeps the celebration honest.

Scoring for groups of three or more

Groups of three to six work exactly like stroke play with one card and one row per player. The only thing that changes is pace: enter each player's score as they finish the hole rather than waiting for the whole group, otherwise someone will forget a stroke. Playing in a larger group also makes the card more interesting to read afterwards, because PuttPuttScore compares each player's score hole by hole and highlights where the round was won and lost. If you play the same course regularly, save it once and every future round starts with the right number of holes and the correct par already filled in.

Mini golf scoring questions