What Is Par in Golf? Everything You Need to Know
Par in golf is the expected number of strokes it takes to complete a hole. Only the very best golfers regularly make par on most holes. The average handicap of a male golfer is around 15.3, and for a female, it’s roughly 27. That means a male golfer typically shoots 15 over par and a female golfer is around 27 over par for each of their rounds. Since your handicap is an average, some days you might shoot below your handicap and other days, you could be above it. For 18 holes, a typical par score could be around 72. That means each hole on average takes 4 strokes. However, not every hole is a par 4. This article will examine what par is and its importance in golf scoring.
How Par Relates to Expected Strokes for a Hole
Every golf course typically has a mix of par scores for each hole. There are 4 scores for par on a hole in professional golf: par 3, 4, 5, and very rarely, a par 6. Below is a description of each.
Par 3: A hole that’s shorter in distance is always a par 3. According to the Professional Golf Association, a par 3 can be as long as 260 yards for men, while for women it’s 220 yards. Golfers typically use an iron off the tee for a par 3. To make par the conventional way, the expectation is for the golfer to be on the green 2 strokes below par. A golfer would then have 2 putts to get the ball in the cup for par if they hit the green in regulation on a par 3. Another way to make par is to scramble for it. That’s when you don’t hit the green in regulation but you 1-putt or chip in for par. The term for making par when you don’t hit the green in regulation is “scramble.”
Par 4: A par 4 is the third longest set of holes on a golf course. The length of a PGA par 4 is between 251 and 470 yards for men and 211 and 400 yards for women. Typically, a golfer will need to use a driver off the tee on a par 4 unless the fairway is narrow, which might force them to use a lower wood or a long iron. Their second shot to the green is called an “approach shot.” There isn’t an approach shot on a par 3 since you're supposed to hit the green in one shot. Regulation on a par 4 is reaching the green in 2. Sometimes, a course will have a short par 4 where it’s possible to hit the green in 1 shot. Those types of par 4s are called risk-reward holes. For instance, you might have to hit your drive over a lake to get on the green in 1. That’s the risk part of the hole. The reward is that if your drive makes it over the lake and lands on the green, you’re on in 1 under regulation.
Par 5: A par 5 is the second longest hole on the course. According to the United States Golf Association, they’re between 450 and 710 yards for men and 370 and 600 yards for women. On a typical par 5, it’ll take 3 shots for a player to hit the green in regulation. Their second shot is typically a long iron or a wood that should get them as close to the green as possible. Often, they’ll have a “pitch shot” into the green. That’s a shot that is usually between 100 and 130 yards.
Par 6: A par 6 isn’t a part of the rotation of holes for a professional golf course. A par 6 is morth than 670 yards for men and 570 yards for women. It’s essentially a long par 5. Par 6s aren’t common because they use up more land, and they take more time to play, which can slow the pace for golfers.
Most of the holes on a golf course are typically par 4s. A typical layout for a course could be 14 par 4s, 2 par 3s, and 2 par 5s.
Scoring Terms Related to Par
There are other terms used to describe your score on a hole in relationship to par. Below is a list of common scores for each hole.
Birdie: A birdie is 1 stroke below par. For example, on a par 3, a birdie is a score of 2.
Eagle: An eagle is a score of 2 strokes below par. On a par 5, a 3 is an eagle.
Double Eagle: The rarest shot in golf, a double eagle is 3 strokes below par. A double eagle can only occur on a par 5 or 6. A double eagle is also called an albatross.
Hole-in-One: A hole-in-one is when your ball goes into the hole from your tee shot. It usually happens on a par 3, though occasionally it can occur on a short par 4.
Bogey: A bogey is 1 shot over par for a hole. For example, a score of 4 on a par 3 is a bogey.
Double Bogey: A double bogey is a score of 2 shots over par for a hole.
Triple Bogey: A triple bogey is a score of 3 shots over par for a hole.
Quadruple Bogey: A quadruple bogey is 4 over par.
Professional golfers often shoot better than par. For instance, a pro golfer might have a handicap of plus 4. That means their average score for an 18-hole round is 4 shots better than par. So, if par for a course was 72, they’d average around 68 for all their rounds.
Playing to Par: What It Means for Golfers
Many beginners might not make a par in an 18-hole round of golf. Their goal might be just to make bogeys or even double bogeys. A player with a 14 handicap would be expected to make around 4 pars for each 18-hole round of golf. A player that is scratch, which means they have a zero handicap, would be expected to make par on every hole. Most golfers shouldn’t expect to make par on every hole. Only 1.6% of the golfers in the world are scratch golfers. An average golfer should expect to make 3 or 4 pars every round.
Every golfer should set their own scoring goals. A good round for a beginning golfer might be to make 1 par while a skilled golfer might expect to make par or better on every hole. What’s important is to have an expectation for each round that fits your skill level. That’ll make the game more enjoyable.
