What is an eagle in golf? Best tip to eagle today
Unlike other sports, in golf, the player with the lowest score is the winner. Growing up, my dad (trying to be funny) used to always say, “Well, at least I got my money’s worth!” when referring to his high score and the price of his round.
An “eagle” in golf is 2 strokes under par on a given hole—so it’s an excellent score that many golfers desire, yet few achieve.
In this article, I want to help people who are new to the game better understand what an eagle is in golf. We also go into some other scoring terminology and what that means to you, the beginner. At the end, I will give you the best way to increase your odds of scoring an eagle today.
To help you better understand what an eagle is, let’s dig into the rules of the game and briefly cover some terminology.
Spectating the players approaching “The Monster,” a 667 par 5 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, former host to the World Golf Championship.
How do you play golf? Simplified.
Golf is played in a round of 18 (or 9) holes on a course by striking a ball with a club. The objective is to get the ball in the hole. The player with the fewest strokes per round is the winner. Play the course as you find it, and play the ball as it lies.
With 25 rules, and a full book explaining them, golf can seem confusing and intimidating but keeping that general concept in mind, it’s quite simple to get started. Try learning the card game bridge… Golf is much simpler to understand.
What is par?
Par is the predetermined ideal number of strokes needed to complete a given hole. Par is also described as the expected strokes an expert needs to complete the hole. This ideal number is what you want to score on each hole. Usually, the ideal strokes/par you are trying to achieve depends on the distance of the hole. Holes are categorized into three types:
- Par 3
- Par 4
- Par 5
Generally, the longer the hole (distance from tee to putting green), the higher the par is/the more strokes it will take to finish. When someone says it’s a par 3 or par 4, they are referring to a hole. All pars account for two putts.
What is a birdie? Is it better than an eagle?
A “birdie” is 1 stroke under par on a given hole. An eagle is 2 strokes under par on a given hole. An eagle is a better score, much harder to achieve, and far less common than a birdie.
Is an eagle good?
Absolutely. Given that par is an ideal score where you execute flawlessly on all your strokes, a 2 under par (-2) for one hole is OUTSTANDING and not very common. We will go a little more into that below, but it can take PGA professionals upwards of 550+ holes for every 1 eagle. The more skilled you become, the more eagle opportunities you will get.
How is golf scored?
Golf is scored two different ways: “total strokes” and “score to par.” Both are the same score, just different ways to communicate what you shot.
- Total Strokes- Tally up your strokes needed to complete the hole. At the end of your round, add up all your strokes and/or attempts at hitting the golf ball (yes, this includes whiffs).
- IE: I shot an 80 for the round.
- Score to Par– Tally up the difference between strokes needed to complete the hole and the par of the hole. At the end, tally up how much under or over par you are.
- IE: I shot “+8” commonly said “I shot 8 over par” for the round.
How to calculate “score to par”?
- Albatross: -3
- Eagle: -2
- Birdie: -1
- Par: Even (E)
- Bogey: +1
- Double Bogey: +2
- Triple Bogey: +3
Score to par is generally used by more advanced golfers. Instead of tallying up their strokes, they will keep track of their “score to par” for each hole. This is done because the majority of their holes will be par, so they can easily remember what few holes they went over or under par.
At the end of the round, when calculating your total score: score to par will be (+/-) the course par (e.g., “I was 3 over par” (+3)), whereas your total strokes score will simply be a number (e.g., “I shot a 75”). Both are the same score, just different ways to communicate what you shot.
How do you score an eagle?
A good drive is vital if you want a chance at an eagle.
So given an eagle is 2 strokes under par (-2) on a given hole, you need to subtract 2 from each par to see how one could score an eagle on each hole type.
- Par 3 – 2= 1 stroke needed to score an eagle.
- Par 4 – 2= 2 strokes needed to score an eagle.
- Par 5 – 2= 3 strokes needed to score an eagle.
How do you score an eagle in golf? The full breakdown
How par is determined
To score par on a given hole, the below types of shots are the most standard and ideal way of doing so. Remember, all pars account for two putts. The longer the hole, the higher the par is/the more strokes it will take to complete.
- Par 3: 1 tee shot, 2-putts
- Par 4: 1 tee shot, 1 approach, 2-putts
- Par 5: 1 tee shot, 2 approach, 2-putts
What’s the most common way to get an eagle?
Because a tee shot is required (and you can’t do better than 1 tee shot), your only way of scoring an eagle is to skip approach shots and or putts, as shown below. In correlation to the above standards, here are our ways to eagle each hole:
- Par 3: Holing out your tee shot (this also has another name 😉)
- (Skips 2 putts)
- Par 4: 1 Tee shot and a 1-putt.
- (Skips 1 approach and skips 1 putt.)
- Par 4: 1 tee shot and holing out on your second stroke.
- (Skips 2 putts)
- Par 5: 1 tee shot and 2-putts.
- (Skips 2 approaches) (let me know if anyone has done this)
- Par 5: 1 tee shot, 1 approach, Holing out on your third stroke.
- (Skips 2 putts)
- Par 5: 1 tee shot, 1 approach, and a 1-putt.
- (Skips 1 approach and skips 1 putt)
- THE MOST COMMON
What type of hole is an eagle most common and easiest on?
Eagles are most common on Par 5’s. Par 5’s are the longest holes in golf.
Sometimes you may get a player to hole out, but that is a very rare way to score an eagle. The easiest and most common way to eagle a hole is to reach the green on a par 5 in two strokes and 1-putt.
When you eagle a hole by reaching the green in two strokes on a par 5, you are generally looked upon as an advanced player because hitting 3 greatest shots in a row like that is very hard, even for the tour players.
If you hole out on an approach shot, your eagle may be looked upon as luck rather than skill.
The ultimate risk/reward situation: “Should I go for it, or lay up?”
How rare is an eagle? How much will it cost you?
To put it in perspective, according to the PGA, the 2022-2023 season average for eagles per hole/frequency is 198.5 holes for every 1 eagle as of March 19, 2023.
Last in this stat column is Ben Taylor. Ben Taylor’s eagles per hole frequency is 936 holes for every one eagle. Divide that by 18 holes, and Ben needs to play 52 rounds to get an eagle.
Hypothetically, let’s just say you were somehow on a similar playing level to tour professional Ben Taylor in this stat category…BUT unlike tour players, you have to pay for those rounds at an average rate of $50.
52 rounds x $50 = $2,600.
Congrats your next eagle will cost you almost $3,000, minimum!
Real-life eagle example
- You first tee off and drive the ball.
- With a long and rightfully placed drive, you will then have the opportunity to “reach” the green by “going for it in 2” with most likely a long iron, hybrid, or wood.
- Once you are “on in 2,” you then need to 1-putt.
Seems simple, right? Here’s an example of the standard and ideal way to play a par 5:
- You first tee off and drive the ball into the desired fairway.
- Because par 5’s are the longest holes in golf, your next shot will be “out of reach” from the green, so you will then choose to “lay up.” Still swinging full, you will advance the ball up the fairway closer to the green.
- Next, you will be able to “approach” the green, and this will be done with a wood, hybrid, or iron, depending on your skill level.
- Your approach shot landed safely “on the green,” and you are now 25 feet away putting for “birdie” (when you are putting for birdie, we call this a GIR: green in regulation. It’s a stat meaning you are on pace to achieve the standard ideal strokes (par) for that hole).
- Your birdie putt did not go in, but it rolled just past the hole, and you now have 3 feet to finish your hole. Congratulations! You’ve made your 3-foot putt and achieved the standard par.
You then go to your scorecard and mark down a 5. I hope this helps to put into perspective why scoring an eagle is so challenging.
How long are par 5’s?
Par 5’s can vary, and there is no set threshold. However, most par 5’s will range from 450-600 yards and are the longest holes in golf. The 16th hole at Firestone Country Club AKA “The Monster,” shown above, is an outlier at 667 yards.
How many par 5’s are on a golf course?
Each 18-hole course is broken down into two sides, a front side and a back side. Typically, each side (front and back) will include one to two par 5’s, making the total number of par 5’s on an 18-hole course range from 2-4.
It is not common, but some courses may have zero, one, five, or even six par 5’s.
After adding up all the holes and their pars, it is most common for golf courses to have an 18-hole total par of 70-72.
Tips on how to get an eagle and final thoughts
Scoring an eagle is a phenomenal achievement and can be an indicator that you have some skills. So let’s say you want to score an eagle, and you’ll do anything to do it. Here is a guaranteed way to improve your chances.
Simply shorten the course you are playing. To do this, you can move up to the forward tees or play a shorter course. This will increase your chances drastically. Not only will this give you more opportunities to go for the green in two shots on par 5’s, but you will also have more opportunities to drive the green on a number of par 4’s.
Sure, this might sound a little gimmicky, but there are a lot more benefits to playing the forward tees than simply increasing your odds to eagle. In fact, we’ve written about this before.
I still remember my first and last eagles in competition. I used to keep all my eagle balls. Cherish those moments! Your next eagle could take years!
My final recommendations for scoring more eagles
An eagle is like a fast mile, a phenomenal achievement, but what if you were running the marathon? Could you run that same mile 26 times in a row? Similar to running, golf is an endurance sport. Can you achieve that ideal par on each hole 18 times in a row? Or was that eagle just luck? Consistency is everything. I would recommend you don’t chase eagles. Instead, learn how you can turn those double bogeys into pars.
If you want to progress in an endurance sport like golf, it’s not about raising your ceiling (scoring eagles on good holes); it’s about raising your floor (scoring bogeys on bad holes—as opposed to 7s, 8s, and 9s on bad holes). And when you can do that, you will truly have a sense of freedom within the game.
