What Is a Score of 3 on a Golf Hole Called?

Did you just play a hole of golf using only three strokes? Write down a "3" on your scorecard and give yourself a pat on the back. A "3" is always a good score on a single hole. But is there any special term, any golf terminology, that applies to a score of three?

What a score of three is called depends on the par rating of the golf hole being played. Each hole on a golf course carries a par rating. A hole's par is an estimate of the number of strokes an expert golf is expected to need to play that hole. If a hole is a par-4, then four strokes is the expected number a very, very good golfer will need to play that hole.

So the scoring term that applies to completing a hole in three strokes is dependent on the hole's par.

These are the scoring terms golfers use for a score of three on each of the common pars:

• On a par-3 hole, a score of 3 is called a par.
• On a par-4 hole, a score of 3 is called a birdie.
• On a par-5 hole, a score of 3 is called an eagle.

And if a golfer encounters a par-6 hole, and plays that hole in just three strokes, that is a double eagle or an albatross (those two terms are interchangeable).

Birdie is the term for a score of one stroke less than par; eagle is the term for two strokes under par. If a golfer matches par — uses the same number of strokes as the hole's par rating — then "par" is also the term for that score.

More definitions:

• What is a score of 2 on a golf hole called?
• What is the golf score called 'Hangman'?
• Eagle vs. birdie: what's the difference?