2008 #4 Do Whiffs Count?

The Scene:
After 2 shots, your ball is lying in the fairway, short of the green, on hole #3. You address the ball, aim left - away from the water-, and you swing. Swisssshhhh! You missed the ball. You swing again. This time you make contact. The ball lifts high up into the air and lands on the green. What a beautiful shot!

You have hit the ball 3 times. Now, on the green, it takes you three more strokes – 3 putts - to hole your ball.

What is your score?
A. 6
B. 7

B is correct.
You actually hit the ball six times. But you took seven strokes. The whiff counted because it was a stroke.

Open your Rules of Golf book to Definitions. Then find ‘stroke’. You will see:
Stroke
A “stroke’’ is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball,…

You intended to hit the ball. You just missed. So your whiff was a stroke and it counts. Since you took seven strokes your score for the hole is seven.

REMEMBER: Count all your strokes, even your whiffs.