Honors
In golf, honors refers to the right to play first from the teeing area on a given hole. The golfer with the lowest score on the previous hole earns the honor and tees off first on the next one.
What is honors in golf?
Honors is the privilege of teeing off first. A player who has it is said to “have the honor,” and you will hear it both ways, singular (the honor) or plural (the honors), with no difference in meaning. The term came from the United Kingdom, where it is spelled “honour,” and it has been part of golf’s language for centuries. The earliest printed reference dates to 1862, though players were almost certainly using it well before then.
The Rules of Golf keep the definition plain. The USGA and R&A define honor as the right of a player to play first from the teeing area, and the rule that governs it is Rule 6.4, “Order of Play When Playing a Hole.” So the concept comes down to sequence: who hits, and in what order, once a group reaches the tee.
Why does it matter? Going first lets a player set the pace and, in a tight match, apply a little pressure. It also rewards good play, since the honor is passed to whoever performed best on the hole just finished. That small reward loop is part of why the tradition has stuck around.
How the honor is determined
The method depends on whether the group is on the opening hole or somewhere in the middle of the round.
On the first tee
There is no previous hole to judge, so the honor has to be assigned another way. In a formal competition, the committee’s draw or starting order decides it. Outside of that, players sort it out by agreement or at random, often with a coin toss or a flip of a tee. A common casual convention gives the honor to the golfer with the lowest handicap, though nothing in the rules requires it.
On the rest of the holes
From the second hole through the last, the previous hole decides who goes first. In stroke play, the golfer with the lowest gross score on the hole just played earns the honor, with the second-lowest score hitting next, and so on down the group. Handicaps do not change this. Even in a net competition, the raw gross scores set the order on the tee.
Ties carry over from the tee before. If two players match scores on a hole, they keep the same order they had on the previous tee. So a player who held an earlier advantage keeps the edge when a later hole is halved between them.
Honors in match play vs stroke play
The honor works a little differently depending on the format, and the penalty for ignoring it differs too. In stroke play, order of play is relaxed, and there is no penalty for teeing off out of turn, which is why groups are encouraged to play “ready golf,” hitting when ready to keep things moving. In match play, order matters more: if a player tees off out of turn, the opponent can cancel the stroke and make them replay it.
| Stroke play | Match play | |
|---|---|---|
| How the honor is earned | Lowest gross score on the previous hole | Won the previous hole outright |
| If the hole is tied | Same order as the previous tee | Honor stays with whoever already had it |
| Playing out of turn | No penalty; ready golf encouraged | Opponent may cancel the stroke and require a replay |
| First tee | Committee draw, lot, or agreement | Committee draw, lot, or agreement |
One point often trips people up: in match play, the honor goes to whoever won the hole, no matter how. A scrappy bogey that wins the hole earns the honor just as cleanly as a birdie.
Honor vs. order of play during the hole
Honor only settles who tees off first. Once every ball is in play, the honor no longer applies, and a different rule takes over. The player whose ball sits farthest from the hole plays next, a position golfers call being “away.” That stays true all the way to the green, where the ball farthest from the cup is putted first.
So a golfer can have the honor, hit a poor tee shot into the trees, and then find themselves playing again right away because their ball is the one farthest from the hole. Honor governs the tee. Distance governs the rest.
The ‘honors’ side bet
“Honors” is also the name of a simple betting game, sometimes called Appearances. A player or side scores a point every time it earns the honor on the tee, and keeps scoring until the other side wins a hole and takes the honor back. At the end of the round, the points are tallied and settled at whatever value the group agreed on beforehand.
Related Golf Terms
- 54-hole lead — A player’s position atop the leaderboard entering the final round.
- Monday qualifier — An open event early in the week that fills a tour field’s final spots.
- Driving range token — A token or card used to dispense a bucket of practice balls.
- 36-hole cut — The score after two rounds that decides who plays the weekend.
- Silence on the tee — The custom of staying quiet and still while a player tees off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it “honor” or “honors”?
Both are correct and interchangeable. A player can “have the honor” or “have the honors” on a hole, and British golfers spell it “honour.”
Who tees off first on the first hole?
With no previous hole to go on, it comes down to the competition’s draw, a random method such as a coin toss, or a friendly agreement. Many casual groups let the lowest handicap start.
Does the honor still matter if we play ready golf?
Not strictly. Ready golf sets honor aside so players can hit when they are prepared, which speeds up the round. It is allowed and encouraged in stroke play but not used in serious match play.
Is there a penalty for teeing off out of order?
In stroke play, no. In match play, an opponent can cancel a stroke played out of turn and require the player to hit again, with no penalty attached to the replay.
Does the lowest handicap or the lowest score get the honor?
On the first tee, it usually goes to the lowest handicap by agreement. After that, handicap stops mattering. The lowest actual score on the hole just played earns the honor.
Sources
- R&A. “Rule 6.4, Order of Play When Playing a Hole.” The Rules of Golf. Accessed August 2026.
https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-6 - USGA. “Rule 6, Playing a Hole (Players Edition).” Official Rules of Golf. Accessed August 2026.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/custom-search-pages/rules/2019-golf-rules-and-interpretations/pe-rule-6.html - Golf Compendium. “‘Honors’ in Golf: What ‘Having the Honor’ Means.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2022/07/having-the-honor-in-golf.html - Golf Monthly. “What Is The Honour In Golf?” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/what-is-the-honour-in-golf - LiveAbout. “What Are Honors in Golf?” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.liveabout.com/honors-in-golf-1560883
