This post is to both to introduce a player to the terms and means of how a golf game is scored and later in this post it will show and explain, how some of the players here are acheiving those -17 and -18 scores and that is explained towards the end of this post.
First it will introduce those of you who are new to golf and reading this post to the meanings and how a game is scored. some of the information given is from Brent Kelley on Ask.com and from articles in "Golf World" magazine.
This insert here as follows is from Brent Kelley-
So if you're new to the game of golf and you keep hearing references to birdies and bogeys, eagles and pars.
What are those things?
Answer: They are terms that describe different types of scores on an individual golf hole.
Start with par, because all golf scoring terms are defined in relation to par. "Par" refers to the number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to need to complete the play of one hole on a golf course (or of the full golf course,
but the one-hole definition is the one that is relevant here.)
Golf holes of different lengths will require more or fewer strokes by a golfer. And regardless of length, the par number of a hole always allows for two putts. So a 150-yard hole is one on which the expert is expected to hit the green with his tee shot, take two putts, and, therefore, require three strokes to finish that hole. So that hole is designated
a par-3.
A very good golfer - or a very lucky golfer - might complete a hole in fewer strokes than the par. And of course, most of us aren't "experts" at golf, and so on most holes we'll need more strokes than the par.
That's where those other terms - birdies, eagles, bogeys, et.al. - come into play. They describe a golfer's performance on a hole in relation to the hole's par:
•A birdie is 1-under par
•A bogey is 1-over par
•An eagle is 2-under par
•A double bogey is 2-over par
•A double eagle (very rare) is 3-under par (also called an "albatross")
•A triple bogey is 3-over par
Given that a par-5 hole is the highest par most golfers will ever see, there is a limit to how far under par a golfer can go.
But a hole-in-one - knocking the ball in the hole with your first shot - is also called an "ace." Scores over par can keep going
up, and you just keep adding to the prefix, as in quadruple bogey, quintuple bogey, and so on.
Here's what the golf scoring terms mean for holes with pars of 5, 4 and 3.
Par-5 Hole
•Double eagle: On a par-5, means you finished the hole in 2 strokes
•Eagle: You finished the hole in 3 strokes
•Birdie: You finished the hole in 4 strokes
•Par: You finished the hole in 5 strokes
•Bogey: You finished the hole in 6 strokes
•Double bogey: You finished the hole in 7 strokes
•Triple bogey: You finished the hole in 8 strokes
Par-4 Hole
•Double eagle: On a par-4, means you finished the hole in 1 stroke - a hole-in-one (very, very rare on par-4 holes)
•Eagle: You finished the hole in 2 strokes
•Birdie: You finished the hole in 3 strokes
•Par: You finished the hole in 4 strokes
•Bogey: You finished the hole in 5 strokes
•Double bogey: You finished the hole in 6 strokes
•Triple bogey: You finished the hole in 7 strokes
Par-3 Hole
•Double eagle: Double eagles are not possible on par-3 holes
•Eagle: You finished the hole in 1 stroke (a hole-in-one, in which case you'd call it a hole-in-one or an "ace," rather than an eagle.)
•Birdie: You finished the hole in 2 strokes
•Par: You finished the hole in 3 strokes
•Bogey: You finished the hole in 4 strokes
•Double bogey: You finished the hole in 5 strokes
•Triple bogey: You finished the hole in 6 strokes
The above was compiled and written by Brent Kelley on Ask.com
http://golf.about.com/od/faqs/f/golf-scoring-terms.htm
Double Eagle
A double eagle is a score that is three shots under par. In other words, you scored a 2 on a par-5 hole. Double eagles are even rarer than holes-in-one. The odds of making one are one in a million, according to a 2004 article in "Golf World" magazine.
Three under par is also called an "Albatross," which is an old British name for a double eagle. It refers to the rare bird because of the rarity of the score.
Eagle
An eagle describes a hole completed two shots under par. For example, it's an eagle if you score a 3 on a par-5 hole, or a 2
on a par-4 hole. Eagles are rare even for professional golfers. In 2010, Matt Bettencourt led all tour players with eagles, and he had only 17 of them.
Birdie
A birdie refers to a score that is one shot under par. If you score a 4 on a par- 5, or a 2 on a par-3, that constitutes a birdie.
Par
A par means you completed the hole in the number of expected strokes. The par number is determined by the course developer, who factors in things like distance from tee to green, slope, hazards and overall difficulty. Par is the standard score that many players strive to shoot when playing golf. When golfers refer to their "handicap," this is the number of shots they shoot over par in an average round.
Bogey
A bogey is one over par. For example, a 4 on a par-3 or a 5 on a par-4 is a bogey. A double bogey is two shots over par, a triple bogey is three shots over par and so on. In 2011, pro golfer Kevin Na made news for a bogey there is no term for.
He shot a 16 on a par-4.
But there's also one hole-in-one known to have occurred on a straightaway par-5. This monster drive was achieved at altitude on the No. 9 hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver in 2002. The shot was 517 yards in length, and the golfer who got
the ace was Mike Crean. This ace is believed to be the longest ever recorded
Holes-in-one on two such par-5s are known to have happened. One was even recorded with a 3-iron! That one was made by Shaun Lynch, playing at Teign Valley Golf Club in Christow, England, in 1995, on the 496-yard No. 17.
According to a 2004 article in Golf World magazine, Lynch aimed straight toward the green on a horseshoe par-5, clearing a 20-foot-high hedge, then hitting a downslope on the other side. The downslope carried his ball to the green and into the cup.
The first-known ace of this nature occurred in 1962, according to the Golf World article. "Larry Bruce took his drive over a stand of scrawny pines on the 480-yard dogleg right par-5 fifth hole at Hope Country Club" in Arkansas, and found the cup.
But there's also one hole-in-one known to have occurred on a straightaway par-5. This monster drive was achieved at altitude on the No. 9 hole at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver in 2002. The shot was 517 yards in length, and the golfer who got
the ace was Mike Crean. This ace is believed to be the longest ever recorded.
These facts above were given in articles as stated above in Golf World magazine.
So this is how some of those here are getting a lower score than those they play against as well as only playing the courses they can do this here on WGT, by cutting doglegs or taking the shortest shot to the green they can find.
So lets hope that you'll never see anyone hit such a shot here, if you do ? then snap shot the screen and bring it before everyone here and I'm sure that WGT would very much like to know of it, because there would be a cheat going on somehow, but not necessarily so, they could of had the wind behind their shot as well.
So if you want to achieve those lower scores, find a course you can practice on and master with a friend, cutting those corners and getting good at your shots. Even on random course settings you can get a few good fairways that will make for good course shot cutting.
Also if you shoot a high + score, like a +15 or higher in 1 game or 2, and then shoot a lower in the next 1 or 2 games your average will come down in time as well.
You can also use the wind direction on a fairway to your advantage by slicing, If you slice your shot lets say by missing your ding under or over that mark by a little in the opposite direction of the wind you can pretty much hit the fairway at a good distance, but still this takes practice, so practice and come up with and what's good for you.
I hope this information will help those of you learning to play better here on WGT, but most of all keep in mind, that this is only a game. And most of all, try to Have fun.
DocSirrus