What Does E Mean In Golf? [Is It Good?]

The game of golf is full of different numbers, letters and phrases such as ‘WD‘. But perhaps the one letter you might’ve seen whilst watching golf on the TV such as The Masters, is the letter E displayed next to a players name on the leaderboard.

So what does E mean in golf? Here we’ll explain everything you need to know about what the letter E in golf means.

What Does E Mean In Golf?

What Does E Mean In Golf?

In golf scoring terms, the letter E stands for ‘even’ or ‘even par’ and is used to describe how a golfer is doing compared to par.

The letter is usually next to a golfers name on the leaderboard and means that their score is level to par for that round or for the overall golf tournament.

Being even par in golf basically means that the golfers has the same score matching the par for the course.

This means that a golfer can be even par for a hole, number of holes, full round of golf or whole tournament.

When a golfer makes a par on a hole, they’re even par for that hole. If they shoot a total score of 70 and the par rating for the golf course is 70, they are even par for that round of golf.

Using the letter E to show a golfer as level par is a simple way of displaying how well they’re playing compared with other golfers during golf tournaments.

On a golf leaderboard, a golfer at level par will also be next to players at 1 under and better, and those at 1 over and worse. By using this scoring system, you’re able to instantly work out how well or badly the golfer is playing compared with the other players.

Is Even Par Score Good?

For almost every golfer, a score of even par would be a very good achievement.

Whether that’s over a whole round of golf or just on a particular hole, even par is far from easy to score and only the very best golfers are able to do it.

For a scratch golfer with a handicap of 0, even par is exactly the expected number they’d hope to make over 18 holes. During those 18 holes played, it’s unlikely they’ll make par on every hole and remain even for each hole. However, on aggregate over the 18 holes they’d hope to be even par, usually through a mixture of birdies and bogeys.

Therefore, if a golfer with a scratch golf handicap is looking to shoot a score of even, it’s clearly a pretty good golf score to achieve.

It’s far less common for me these days, however, whenever I manage to shoot even par over the 18 holes, I’m pretty pleased with myself.

But then you’ve got the golfers across the games best tours. Would they really be happy with a score of even par for an entire tournament? Well, probably not, but it can definitely depend on the type of golf course they’re playing and the conditions.

For most PGA tournaments, those players with golf scores of E after the 2nd round are likely to be missing the cut as the score are just so much better than level par.

But then you’ve got events like the US Open and The Open Championship. These major championships are often set up to be as challenging as possible, with firm greens and difficult pin positions.

A score of even par at these events is often a very good score and in some cases a golfer has finished on top of the leaderboard with a score of E.

How To Score Even Par In Golf?

To make a score of even par a golfer must take the same number of strokes as the par for a hole or the course.

This can mean that they need to score a 4 on a par 4 to be even or it might mean they have to take a total of 72 shots to be even par on a par 72 course.

Scoring even is relative to the hole and course in question and therefore can vary depending on those factors.

Therefore, to be able to shoot even in golf, you have to be pretty good at golf. The average golfer will never get near a score of even for a full round of golf, although they certainly could be even par on a hole or a number of holes.

Final Thoughts

E on a golf leaderboard is a simple way of showing that a player’s score is even par for the round or the event.

It shows that a golfer is matching par, depending on the par number for a hole or course and is an important, but simple part of golf scoring.

FAQs

Does E mean even par in golf?

Yes, E on a golf score leaderboard means that a golfer is even par for a round or tournament. This means that a player has matched the par for how many holes have been played.

What does E stand for on a leaderboard?

E stands for even on a golf leaderboard and means that a golfer is currently scoring level to the par for the course. This could be that they made a par on the first hole of a round or they could have shot 72 on a par par 72 golf course.