Ostrich
Ostrich is the unofficial golf term for a score of five strokes under par on a single hole. It is theoretical only, requiring a hole-in-one on a par-6 or a score of two on a par-7, and no verified ostrich has ever been recorded.
What is an ostrich in golf?
An ostrich is a hole score of five under par. It sits at the top of golf’s bird-themed scoring vocabulary, ranking above even the albatross and the rarer condor, and it is one of the least-used scoring terms in the game.
The word is unofficial. The USGA, R&A, and PGA of America have no recognised names for under-par hole scores beyond the albatross, so anything below that level (condor, ostrich, phoenix) belongs to golf folklore rather than the rulebook. Course architect and critic Tom Doak is often credited with helping popularise the term through his writing.
Most golfers will never hear an ostrich called for in a real round. The math behind it requires a hole long enough to support a par of six or higher, and those are scarce. Fewer than 1% of golf courses worldwide have any hole with a par greater than five, which is the first reason the ostrich lives mostly on paper.
How an ostrich is scored
Five under par is only achievable in two scenarios.
The first is a hole-in-one on a par-6 hole. A single shot on a par-6 finishes the hole in 1 stroke against a par of 6, which works out to negative five. The second is holing out the second shot on a par-7, leaving a score of 2 against a par of 7, also five under.
Neither path is possible on a standard course. The USGA’s distance-based guidelines treat any hole longer than 691 yards for men, or 591 yards for women, as a candidate for par-6, and par-7 holes are designed even longer than that. These are not lengths most golfers will encounter, and the ones that do exist are usually well over 700 yards.
Ostrich vs. condor
The ostrich is most often confused with the condor, which sits one rung below it on the bird ladder. A condor is four under par. An ostrich is five.
| Score | Strokes under par | Possible on | Verified instances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condor | -4 | Par-5 (ace) or par-6 (2 strokes) | 6 |
| Ostrich | -5 | Par-6 (ace) or par-7 (2 strokes) | 0 |
According to the Scottish Golf History archive, six condors have been verified in the past 60 years. Five were holes-in-one on par-5s, and one was a 2 made on a par-6 by Kevin Pon at Lake Chabot Golf Course in Oakland in December 2020. Pon’s effort remains the closest anyone has come to an ostrich. He finished one stroke short of it on a 667-yard par-6.
Has anyone ever scored an ostrich?
No verified ostrich has ever been recorded. Two factors make it almost statistically impossible, even before luck enters the picture.
The first is the scarcity of par-6 and par-7 holes. The longest hole in the United States is the 12th at Meadows Farms Golf Course in Locust Grove, Virginia, a par-6 measuring 841 yards. The longest hole in the world is the 3rd at the Jeongeup Course at Gunsan Country Club in South Korea, a par-7 of roughly 1,097 yards. Holes like these are unusual enough that most golfers go their entire lives without playing one.
The second is the difficulty of acing them. No hole-in-one on a par-6 has ever been verified anywhere in golf. Mike Crean’s 517-yard ace at Green Valley Ranch in Denver in 2002 remains the longest recorded hole-in-one, and it was a par-5 condor, helped by thin mile-high air and a strong tailwind. A hole-in-one on something 200 yards longer is a different category of improbability.
The bird-themed scoring hierarchy
The bird theme in golf scoring began in 1903 at Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey. According to the USGA Museum, golfer Ab Smith called a strong shot “a bird of a shot” during a match, and the term birdie was born to describe one-under par. Eagle and albatross followed as the avian theme escalated to bigger birds for rarer scores. Below the albatross sit the condor and ostrich, with the phoenix at six under joining the list more recently. None of these lower three has been adopted officially.
| Score | Strokes under par | Typical example | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birdie | -1 | 3 on a par-4 | Official |
| Eagle | -2 | 3 on a par-5 | Official |
| Albatross (double eagle) | -3 | 2 on a par-5 | Official |
| Condor | -4 | Ace on a par-5 | Unofficial |
| Ostrich | -5 | Ace on a par-6 | Unofficial |
| Phoenix | -6 | Ace on a par-7 | Unofficial |
Related Golf Terms
- Offset — A club design where the leading edge of the face is set behind the hosel.
- Open stance — A stance where the front foot is farther from the target line than the back foot.
- Noodle — A soft, low-compression golf ball, or a weak swing.
- Nuked — Hit a shot with maximum power and distance.
- Open clubface — When the clubface points right of the target at impact for a right-hander.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an ostrich better than a condor?
Yes. An ostrich is one stroke better than a condor, five under par compared to four.
What is the rarest golf score ever recorded?
The condor. Only six verified condors exist in the history of the game, according to the Scottish Golf History archive.
What is six under par on a hole called?
A phoenix. It carries the same theoretical status as the ostrich, has never been verified anywhere in golf, and would only be possible by acing a par-7 hole.
Can an ostrich be scored in net play?
In theory, yes. A handicap player receiving five strokes on a hole who finishes at gross par would be five under net. Most golfers reserve the term for gross scoring, however.
Is the ostrich recognised by the USGA?
No. The USGA, R&A, and PGA of America have no official names for under-par hole scores beyond the albatross.
Sources
- Scottish Golf History. “Flight of the Condor.” Accessed May 2026.
- Golf Compendium. “What Is 5-Under Par in Golf Called? An Ostrich.” Accessed May 2026.
- Ballengee, Ryan. “What is a condor in golf?” Golf News Net. Accessed May 2026.
- LiveAbout. “The Origins of Birdie and Eagle as Golf Terms.” Accessed May 2026.
- Golf.com. “This wild Virginia course has the longest hole in the United States.” Accessed May 2026.
- Leading Courses. “The longest holes in golf.” Accessed May 2026.
- PGA.com. “Odds of a Hole-in-One, Albatross, Condor and Golf’s Other Unlikely Shots.” Accessed May 2026.
