Golf Glossary
Eagle
In short
An eagle in golf is a score of two strokes under par on a single hole. You play a par 5 in three strokes, a par 4 in two strokes or a par 3 with a hole in one. The word simply means the bird of prey, and it stands for a rare and excellent score.
Eagle in golf: the meaning explained
Every hole has a par, a fixed standard score for very good players. An eagle means you need two strokes fewer. The calculation is par minus two:
- Par 3: eagle in 1 stroke, which is a hole in one
- Par 4: eagle in 2 strokes
- Par 5: eagle in 3 strokes
On leaderboards an eagle appears as ‘−2’ for the hole. Scorecards often show it with a double circle so it stands out. In Stableford an eagle earns four points, twice as many as a par.
In the series of golf terms the eagle sits between birdie and albatross. It is much rarer than a birdie. Professionals still make eagles regularly, especially on par 5s, while for club golfers an eagle is usually a moment to remember for a long time.
Three routes to an eagle
An eagle can happen on any type of hole, but the routes are very different.
On a par 5 the most common route is two long shots onto the green and then one putt, known as reaching the green ‘in two’. This mostly happens for long hitters. It is also possible for the third shot, such as a pitch or chip, to go straight in.
On a par 4 you need just two strokes. Usually the second shot from the fairway goes straight into the hole, which golfers call holing out from the fairway. On very short par 4s, long hitters sometimes reach the green from the tee and hole the putt.
On a par 3 an eagle is only possible with a hole in one, so the tee shot has to finish in the hole.
Practical examples
Par 5 example: the hole measures 480 metres. Your drive travels 230 metres onto the fairway. You hit a hybrid 200 metres, it rolls onto the green and stops four metres from the hole. You hole the putt. Three strokes: an eagle.
Par 4 example: the hole measures 300 metres. Your drive goes 180 metres. From 120 metres you hit a 9-iron, the ball lands short of the flag, keeps rolling and drops. Two strokes: also an eagle.
In Stableford a gross eagle earns four points. In net scoring your handicap counts: if you receive a handicap stroke on the hole, a gross birdie becomes a net eagle. That is also worth four net points and, for many club golfers, the more realistic route to an eagle.
Origin: why is it called an eagle?
The eagle belongs to the bird terms that began with the birdie. ‘Birdie’ appeared in the USA around 1900, when ‘bird’ was slang for something excellent, so one under par was ‘a birdie’.
For an even better score it made sense to choose a bigger and more powerful bird, and so the eagle arrived. According to most accounts the term came into use shortly after the birdie, again first in the USA. Who introduced it is not documented.
The series continued later. For three under par golfers use albatross, or ‘double eagle’ in the USA. For four under par there is the condor. German golfers simply use the English word eagle as well.
Eagle, birdie and albatross compared
All bird terms refer to the par of a single hole:
- Birdie: one under par
- Eagle: two under par
- Albatross: three under par
- Condor: four under par
The difference from a hole in one matters. A hole in one only describes a tee shot that finishes in the hole. On a par 3 it is also an eagle, while on a par 4 it would already be an albatross.
Keep gross and net apart too. A gross eagle counts your actual strokes, a net eagle includes your handicap strokes. When a club golfer talks about an eagle after a competition, it can be worth asking whether it was gross or net.
What an eagle is worth in stroke play, Stableford, match play and scrambles
What an eagle is worth depends on the format.
- Stroke play: you save two strokes against par in your total, enough to cancel out a double bogey elsewhere, for example.
- Stableford: an eagle earns four points, two more than a par. A net eagle is worth exactly the same.
- Match play: all that matters is whether you win the hole. An eagle almost always wins it, but it never wins more than that one hole. If your opponent matches the score after handicap strokes, the hole is halved.
- Scramble: because the team always plays from the best ball, eagles are far more common than in individual play. Good teams often have an eagle chance on par 5s in particular.
For your handicap an eagle counts like any other score. It improves your round and therefore your Score Differential, but it earns no extra reward.
Tips: how to create more eagle chances
You cannot force an eagle, but you can give yourself more genuine chances.
- Make the most of par 5s. A good drive and a solid second shot take you close to the green.
- Weigh up the risk. If there is water in front of the green, a controlled lay-up is often wiser than going for it.
- Practise wedges to fixed distances. Getting close from 50 to 100 metres sets up eagle and birdie putts.
- Practise putts from three to six metres, a typical length for eagle putts.
A launch monitor such as TrackMan shows how far each of your clubs really flies. With that knowledge you can decide better on long holes whether to attack the green.
Try it at Golf Lounge
According to the course guide, the Golf Lounge’s 9-hole ‘Black’ course (par 33) has six par 4s and three par 3s. An eagle here means two strokes on a par 4 or a hole in one on a par 3. The longest hole is the 2nd at around 300 metres. The course is open from April to December for players with the DGV Platzreife, with up to four players per tee time.
Frequently asked questions
What is an eagle in golf?
An eagle is a score of two strokes under par on a single hole. On a par 5 you need three strokes, on a par 4 two strokes. On a par 3 an eagle is only possible with a hole in one. In Stableford an eagle is worth four points.
Why is it called an eagle?
The term continues the series of bird names that began with the birdie. Because two under par is better than a birdie, golfers chose a bigger and more powerful bird. The expression emerged in the USA in the early 20th century, but who introduced it is not known.
Is a hole in one an eagle?
On a par 3, yes. A hole in one there is two strokes under par and therefore also an eagle. On a par 4, however, a hole in one is three under par, which makes it an albatross. Either way the scorecard shows a 1, and it is usually celebrated as a hole in one.
What is a net eagle?
A net eagle is a score that is two under par after your handicap strokes have been deducted. If you receive one stroke on a par 4, your net par is 5. Play the hole in three strokes and you have a gross birdie but a net eagle, worth four net points in Stableford.
As of: October 2026