Rules · Tip
How Maximum Score Works
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Maximum Score is a type of stroke play under Rule 21.2. Your score on each hole has a cap, set by the Committee. Common caps are twice par, a set number, or net double bogey. If you don't finish a hole for any reason, you get the cap. Once you reach it, pick up. It keeps play moving. Write down your real score if it's lower. If not, leave it blank or write the cap or higher. Some mistakes that would disqualify you in normal stroke play just give you the cap here.
Step by step
- Check the cap for each hole.
- Pick up when you reach it.
- Record real scores under the cap.
- Otherwise leave it blank or write the cap.
- Some breaches just cost the cap.
Why it works
Maximum Score is stroke play with a ceiling on each hole, so one bad hole cannot ruin your round. Once you hit the cap, more strokes cannot change your score, so picking up costs you nothing. That saves time for your group and keeps the pace of play steady.
Common mistakes
- You play on after reaching the cap and waste time on a hole that can't get worse.Know the cap before you tee off, count your strokes including penalties, and pick up the moment you reach it.
- You write down a score higher than the cap, or you write nothing and are unsure what it means.If you did not finish under the cap, leave the box blank or write the cap or higher, since either one counts as the cap.
- You assume a breach that would disqualify you in normal stroke play will do the same here.Check the Rules for the breach in question, because in this format some of them just give you the cap for that hole.
How you'll know it's working
- Before each hole you can say the cap without looking at the card.
- You pick up at the cap without being asked by your group.
- Your card shows real scores on holes under the cap and a blank or the cap on the others.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Ask the Committee or check the scorecard for the cap before you start, and write it next to each hole.
Harder: Keep a running count of your strokes and penalties on each hole so you know exactly when you reach the cap, without asking your marker.
Common questions
What is the maximum score in golf?
It is the most you can record on a hole in Maximum Score stroke play under Rule 21.2. The Committee sets it, often as twice par, a fixed number, or net double bogey.
What do you write on your card if you pick up in Maximum Score?
If you did not finish the hole with a score under the cap, leave the box blank or write the cap or a higher number. Your score for that hole is the cap.
