All articles

Everything on The Practical Round, organised by topic.

Course Strategy

• Course Rating vs Slope Rating: Read Both Numbers — Course Rating describes a course's difficulty for a scratch golfer under normal conditions; Slope Rating describes relative difficulty for other golfers…
• Golf Course Management for Beginners: A Simple Plan — Golf course management for beginners is the practice of choosing a target and club that suit the player's real carry distance, shot pattern, conditions,…
• Match Play vs Stroke Play: Compare the Same Scores — Match play compares holes won, lost or tied; regular stroke play compares total strokes, including penalties.

Golf Etiquette

• Golf Course Etiquette for Beginners: First-Round Guide — Golf course etiquette for beginners means protecting people, playing at a prompt pace, avoiding distractions, and leaving the course ready for others.