A bad golf score depends, naturally, on the perspective of your skill on the course. Some players' love for the game converts any score, no matter how high, into a grand day out. Others may just be starting and can find progress from a few good strokes out of 100-plus. Once you've become a regular player, statistical measures can indicate how you've fared on a particular trip around the links. Take heart after a bad round, though--another opportunity lies ahead.
First Time Out
If you're just learning the game, a good day is posting a score played under the Rules of Golf. You can't tell what's a personal good score or a bad one until you establish a baseline. Replaying shots, improving the lie of a shot and not completing the hole is for hacks. Play the game as it was meant--by the rules. Count every stroke and learn where you stand so you can begin to improve.
The Bogey Golfer
Playing "bogey golf" these days means shooting 1-over on each of the 18 holes, or 90 for a par-72 course. Back in 1890, according to Robert Browning's History of Golf 1955, bogey was first considered the score that a good golfer would make on a hole. By that standard, still fair today, above 90 could be considered a "bad round" for a regular player.
Old Man Par
The use of "par" in golf dates to 1870, when golf writer A.H. Doleman asked top pros of the day what would be a perfect score for an upcoming Open Championship at Prestwick. Beating "Old Man Par," as Bobby Jones once called it, is a standard set for accomplished golfers, so most players shouldn't consider above par to be a bad score.
Playing to a Handicap
Once you have posted 20 rounds under the rules, the U.S. Golf Association considers you able to calculate a handicap that provides a valid statistical indication of your potential for a round. Matching that potential is called "playing to your handicap. To calculate a target score for a round, add your course handicap to the course rating and round off to a whole number. That gives you a score to shoot for, but remember that because handicaps are based on your best recent scores, you're statistically supposed to match or beat that score 20 to 25 percent of the time.
Match Play
If you can't tackle Old Man Par but still are eager to compete, there's always the players in your group. When playing with strangers, work on getting the ball in the hole before them. With a regular group, play straight up or with handicaps, and play to win. Golfers have developed many games to play during a round. Just don't be ultra-competitive and turn a losing score--or a winning one--into a bad one for everyone else.
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