What Is an Albatross in Golf? The Rarest Score Explained

Most golfers spend a lifetime chasing a hole-in-one. Fewer even know the score that beats it for sheer rarity. An albatross sits at the far edge of what is possible on a golf course, so uncommon that a professional can play for years without recording one.

What an albatross is

An albatross is a score of three strokes under par on a single hole. Par is the number of shots an expert golfer is expected to take, so going three below it means finishing the hole in dramatically fewer shots than intended.

In practice there are only two realistic ways to make one:

• Holing out in two shots on a par 5.
• A hole-in-one on a par 4 (a rare feat only possible on short, drivable par 4s).

In the United States the same score is commonly called a double eagle, since it is one better than an eagle (two under). Both terms mean exactly the same thing.

Golf’s scoring names, from worst to best

Golf names each score relative to par, and the bird theme runs through the good ones:

Term	Score relative to par	Example
Bogey	1 over	5 on a par 4
Par	Even	4 on a par 4
Birdie	1 under	3 on a par 4
Eagle	2 under	3 on a par 5
Albatross (double eagle)	3 under	2 on a par 5
Condor	4 under	1 on a par 5 (almost mythical)

Why it is so rare

The rarity comes down to distance. A hole-in-one happens on a par 3, where the green is within reach off the tee, and courses have several par 3s. An albatross demands holing a long approach shot on a par 5, often from 200 yards or more, or driving the green and holing out on a par 4. That combination of power and precision, landing in the cup from far away, is why albatrosses are counted in the dozens even across decades of major championship history.

When one does happen in a big tournament, it becomes an instant highlight. The score is memorable precisely because most players, amateur and professional alike, will never make one.

The one that beats it

If an albatross is three under on a hole, the condor is four under, which realistically means acing a par 5. It has been recorded only a handful of times in golf history, usually on unusually short or altitude-aided holes. For nearly every golfer, the albatross is the ceiling of what a single hole can offer.