Up-and-Down
An up-and-down is getting the ball into the hole in two strokes from just off the green — one chip or pitch (the "up") followed by one putt (the "down") — a key measure of short-game efficiency.
Up-and-down describes successfully holing out in two total strokes when the ball has missed the green: one recovery shot (a chip, pitch, or bunker shot — the "up," bringing the ball onto the green) followed by a single putt (the "down"). Up-and-down percentage — the rate at which a golfer converts these opportunities — is one of the most commonly tracked short-game statistics and a strong indicator of how well a player scrambles to protect par or better after missing a green.
The skill of getting up-and-down blends two distinct components that often get lumped together: proximity control on the chip or pitch (leaving a makeable putt distance, not necessarily holing the recovery shot itself) and then converting that resulting putt. A golfer who consistently leaves recovery shots within 4 to 6 feet of the hole will convert a high percentage of up-and-downs even without an outstanding putting stroke, because short putts are made at a high rate by nearly any skill level; a golfer whose recovery shots scatter widely faces much longer, lower-percentage second putts regardless of how good their putting stroke is in isolation.
Up-and-down percentage varies meaningfully by lie and location — a bunker up-and-down is generally harder than one from a clean lie in the fairway rough just off the green — which is why serious statistical tracking sometimes breaks the number down by situation rather than reporting one blended rate. As a single overall number, up-and-down percentage remains one of the clearest, most actionable measures of short-game quality a recreational golfer can track across a season.
Example
A player misses the green short-right on a par 4, chips to 5 feet, and holes the putt — a textbook up-and-down that saves par despite missing the green in regulation.
Why it matters
Up-and-down percentage directly measures short-game efficiency and is one of the clearest ways to see whether missed greens are turning into saved pars or into bogeys and worse.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an up-and-down?
Getting the ball in the hole in exactly two strokes after missing the green — one recovery shot (chip, pitch, or bunker shot) followed by one putt.
How is up-and-down different from scrambling?
"Scrambling" is the broader statistic measuring the rate of saving par or better after any missed green, regardless of how many strokes it takes, while up-and-down specifically requires doing it in exactly two strokes.
Related terms
- Sand SaveA sand save is getting up-and-down specifically from a greenside bunker — one bunker shot followed by one putt — a narrower, harder version of the general up-and-down statistic used to judge bunker play in particular.
- ScramblingScrambling percentage measures how often a golfer saves par or better after missing the green in regulation, in any number of strokes — the broadest short-game statistic, capturing recovery ability rather than one specific shot type.
- Greens in Regulation (GIR)Greens in Regulation (GIR) counts how often a golfer reaches the putting surface in "regulation" — two strokes fewer than par (par minus 2) — and is the single most commonly used measure of overall ball-striking quality.
- Chip-and-RunA chip-and-run is a low, bouncing chip that gets on the putting surface quickly and rolls toward the hole — the safest short-game choice when there is room between the ball and the green edge.
- One-PuttA one-putt is holing out in a single putt once on the green — the direct result of either a made long putt or, far more often, a first putt (or approach shot) left close enough to be a near-automatic make.
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