What is Up and Down in Golf?

If you are watching golf on TV or playing with friends you might hear the term “up and down” and wonder what the phrase means.

It simply means getting the ball in the hole in two shots from off the green.

Usually, the “up” part refers to chipping or pitching your ball onto the green. The “down” part is holing out with one putt.

The ability to get up and down on a regular basis will help you score as low as possible. Professional golfers and low handicappers are usually very proficient at getting up and down. This is one of the reasons they score well.

It also helps them to achieve an acceptable score even when they are not performing at their best.

What is the difference between up and down and scrambling?

Scrambling is a statistic recorded on some professional tours. It is a measure of how often a player manages to avoid a bogey or worse after missing a green in regulation.

Getting “up and down” is simply minimizing the damage after missing a green. You might be getting “up and down” for a bogey, double bogey or even worse!

Take a look at my golf glossary for more explanations of golf terms.