The Dad Golf Blog
Genuinely useful golf writing with zero country-club elitism. Read one, feel better about your last round, then go lose some more balls.
How to Calculate a Stableford Score (Without a Math Degree)
Stableford scoring explained in plain English - the points table, a worked example, what 36 points means, and when you can legally pick up your ball.
Read it →What's a Good Golf Score for a Beginner? Honest Numbers
What counts as a good golf score for a beginner? Real averages for 18 and 9 holes, what breaking 100 actually means, and why bogey golf is an achievement.
Read it →Golf Handicaps Explained for Normal People
How does a golf handicap work? A plain-English guide to handicap index, course handicap, stroke index, and the best 8 of 20 rule - no country club required.
Read it →Golf Slang Dictionary: 40 Terms Your Buddies Keep Saying
A funny, accurate golf slang dictionary - worm burner, fried egg, army golf, sandbagger, chunk, duck hook and 30+ more terms, defined for beginners.
Read it →The 7 Stages of Losing a Golf Ball (A Scientific Study)
A rigorous field study of what happens to a golfer's mind between "that's fine" and dropping a new ball - the 7 universal stages of losing a golf ball.
Read it →Best Golf Scorecard Apps in 2026 (A Deeply Biased Review)
An honest comparison of the best golf scorecard apps in 2026 - 18Birdies, Hole19, Golf Pad, TheGrint and more - plus the one that roasts you. Bias fully declared.
Read it →The Dad Golf Handbook - The Official Rules of Recreational Golf, Finally Written Down
The official rules of recreational golf, finally written down - breakfast balls, gimmes, foot wedges, and the honest maximum score.
Read it →Rule 1 - The Player and the Round: Casual Golf Rules, Written Down
Rule 1 of the Dad Golf Handbook: the player and the round - parking-lot excuses, the one good shot per nine, and the spirit of mutual destruction.
Read it →Rule 2 - The Breakfast Ball: The Mulligan Rules, Finally Written Down
Rule 2 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs the breakfast ball, the first-tee mulligan. When you may take one, when it is fraud, and the price of the lunch ball.
Read it →Rule 3 - The Gimme: Gimme Putt Rules for Casual Golf
Rule 3 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs the gimme, the conceded putt. Gimme putt rules, the reciprocity clause, and why a putt with money on it is never good.
Read it →Rule 4 - Lost Balls and the Search: The Casual Lost Ball Rule
Rule 4 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs the lost ball, the one-beer search, the Miracle Find, and the ball that is, upon reflection, probably yours.
Read it →Rule 5 - Improving Your Lie: The Foot Wedge, Made Official
Rule 5 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs improving your lie: winter rules all year, the discreet roll, and the foot wedge everyone uses and nobody admits to.
Read it →Rule 6 - Scoring and the Maximum Number: The Quick 7 Rule
Rule 6 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs scoring: the maximum 7, the Quick 7 that becomes a 6, whiffs, and the difference between the scorecard and the truth.
Read it →Rule 7 - Equipment: The Fourteen Clubs You Carry and the Four You Use
Rule 7 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs equipment: the decorative 3-iron, the slice-fixing driver that fixes nothing, and the etiquette of throwing a club.
Read it →Rule 8 - Water and Other Personal Attacks: The Water Hazard, Explained
Rule 8 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs water: the ten-second silence, the second ball with no silence, and never praising a carry too early.
Read it →Rule 9 - Conduct, Commentary, and the Group Chat: Golf Etiquette, Roasted
Rule 9 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs conduct: talking in a backswing, unsolicited swing tips, and group chat law. Golf etiquette for the recreational crew.
Read it →Rule 10 - Handicaps and Other Fiction: Funny Golf Rules on Sandbagging
Rule 10 of the Dad Golf Handbook governs the handicap: the Real one, the Ego Boost, the "I'm about a 12" conversion rate, and the one true crime, sandbagging.
Read it →