Article: Typically, the first thing on a golf scorecard is the list of holes. Golf courses vary between 9 hole courses and 18 hole courses. Some scorecards will have a map of the course with each hole on the map having its number next to it. Holes are typically played in order from 1 to 18. In some cases, like when the course is especially busy, players may start on the 10th and finish on the 9th hole. Players will start on the 10th hole and play from 10 to 18. After 18, players will then play from the 1st hole to the 9th hole to complete their round. Full size or 18 hole courses are split into 2 9s, or 2 9 hole sections. Holes 1 to 9 are known as the front 9 and holes 10 to 18 are known as the back 9. After the 9th and 18th hole sections of the scorecard you will see the words "Out" and "In" respectively.  The 9th hole marks the end of the "Out" section which means playing away from the clubhouse. The 18th hole marks the end of the "In" section which means playing back toward the clubhouse. These colors represent the placement of the tee boxes on each hole. The numbers beside the color and beneath each hole denote the distance of that hole. Each color has a different meaning:  Black or gold tees are the furthest from the hole. These tees are usually only played from by professionals or very high standard amateurs. Most courses do not have black or gold tees. Blue markers reflect the tee boxes for local competitions. These tees are normally used by very good amateur players. If a course doesn't have black or gold tees, the blue tee boxes are the furthest from the hole. White tees are the middle tees, most often used by golfers with middle to high handicaps. Red tees are the shortest member's tees. These tees are the closest to the fairway and make the course much shorter than the other tees. Green tees are used by junior golfers or beginners. Most scorecards also have a column which notes the handicap or index of each hole. These numbers range from 1-18 and note the difficulty of each hole. Index 1 is the hardest hole on the course and index 18 is the easiest.  Some cards also have a section for "women's handicap." Some holes may play differently for women and men and this is why some courses have separate sections. The handicap of each hole rarely overlaps with a player's handicap. Match-play is one area of golf where both handicap's are relevant. In match-play players play each other in 1 vs. 1 situations. If Player A has a handicap of 2 and Player B has a handicap of 7, the difference is 5. Player B will then be allowed an extra shot on the 5 hardest holes, or the 5 holes with the lowest index. If Player A gets a 4 on one of these 5 holes and Player B gets a 5, they tie because of Player B's handicap. Par means the expected number of strokes on a hole. For example, you should take 4 shots on a par 4 and 3 shots on a par 3. You can find the par information in the par row on the scorecard.  The average golf course is a par 72, which means that the pars of all the holes added together equals 72. Par generally relates to length. Par 3s are the shortest holes on golf courses and par 5s are the longest holes. The most common par on a course is a par 4. If you look at the "Out" and "In" columns on the scorecard you will see the par for each set of 9 holes. A par 72 golf course will usually have 2 9 holes that are both par 36.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Find the "hole" column which lists the holes from 1 to 18. Identify the front and back 9 sections that split the course into 2 halves. Note the color names on the side which indicate each hole's distance. Look for the handicap section which ranks the holes by difficulty. Spot the par information which states how many shots you should take.