What Is an Up and Down in Golf?
An up and down is when you get the ball into the hole in two shots from off the green: one shot "up" onto the green, usually a chip, pitch or bunker shot, and one putt "down" into the hole.
It's the classic way to save par after missing the green, and it's one of the most valuable skills in golf. Good players often call it getting up and down.
An up and down, step by step
Say you're playing a par 4. Your second shot misses the green and finishes in light rough beside it.
- Shot 3: you chip onto the green to about 4 feet from the hole. That's the "up".
- Shot 4: you hole the putt. That's the "down".
You've made par despite missing the green. Without the up and down, you'd likely take two putts and make a bogey.
Types of up and down
| Situation | First shot | What golfers call it |
|---|---|---|
| Just off the green, short grass | Chip or putt from the fringe | Up and down |
| Further away or over trouble | Pitch | Up and down |
| Greenside bunker | Bunker shot | Sand save |
| Any miss, saving par | Any short shot, then one putt | Scramble |
A sand save is simply an up and down from a greenside bunker. Scrambling is the statistic for how often you make par or better after missing the green in regulation, and up and downs are how most of those pars are made.
Up and downs don't have to save par. Getting up and down for a bogey after a bad hole still saves a shot.
Why it matters so much
Most golfers miss more greens than they hit. Every missed green is a chance to drop a shot, so the short game decides a lot of the score.
- For beginners: an up and down turns a likely double bogey into a bogey, or a bogey into a par.
- For better players: a strong up and down rate keeps a round together on days the long game isn't working.
- For everyone: it relieves pressure on the approach shots. If you trust your chipping, you don't need to fire at every pin.
How to get up and down more often
Put the first shot on the green. The most common mistake is leaving it in the rough or fringe. An average chip on the green beats a perfect one that comes up short.
Leave the easiest putt. Where possible, land the ball where it'll finish below the hole, so the putt is uphill. Uphill putts are easier to hit firmly and hold their line better.
Use the least lofted shot that works. If you can putt it, putt it. If you can chip and run it, do that before you try a high pitch. Rolling balls are easier to judge. Our guide on how to chip in golf covers the technique.
Practise your short putts. Most up and downs finish with a putt from 3 to 8 feet. Holing those more often turns good chips into saved pars.
Make it a game. Drop a few balls around the practice green, play each one to the hole, and count how many of them you get up and down. It's a good test of chipping and putting together. More ideas are in short game practice drills.
Up and down vs chip-in
A chip-in is when the chip itself goes in the hole, so you've holed out in one from off the green. It's better than an up and down, but much rarer and mostly luck. A good up and down is a skill you can repeat.
Getting up and down in Mashy
Mashy is built around this part of the game. It's a pitch and putt with irons, wedges and a putter, and only a putt can drop, so chips that reach the cup lip out. That makes every save a real up and down: chip with a wedge, setting less power for a shorter shot, then finish with a drag-and-release putt. Inside 10 feet the view zooms in, and the green read overlay shows the slopes, which helps with the "down" part.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called an up and down?
The ball goes up onto the green with the first shot, usually a chip, pitch or bunker shot, then down into the hole with the putt. The phrase describes those two steps, and it's used whether the up and down saves par, bogey or any other score.
Does an up and down have to save par?
No. An up and down is any two-shot finish from off the green, a short shot followed by one putt. It's often talked about in the context of saving par, but getting up and down for a bogey or double bogey counts just the same.
What is a good up and down percentage?
There's no single standard, and it depends on where you miss the green. Top professionals save par a large share of the time after missing greens, while many club golfers manage it far less often. Tracking your own rate over several rounds is the most useful measure.
Is a sand save the same as an up and down?
A sand save is a particular kind of up and down. It means getting the ball onto the green from a greenside bunker and then holing the putt, which takes two strokes from the sand in total. It's usually tracked as its own statistic.
Can you get up and down from the fringe with a putter?
Yes. Putting from the fringe and then holing the next putt counts as an up and down, because the first shot was played from off the putting surface. For many golfers, putting from the fringe is the safest way to get up and down.