Figuring out the par at Torrey Pines can be a bit confusing, especially since what you see on TV during a U.S. Open is often different from what you'll play any other day of the year. It's one of those details that can leave golfers scratching their heads. This guide will walk you through exactly what par means at this iconic public facility, covering the standard par for both the North and South Courses and explaining precisely why and how it gets tougher for the pros during major tournament weeks.
Before we break down Torrey Pines specifically, let's get on the same page about the term "par." At its core, par is the predetermined number of strokes a highly skilled, expert (or "scratch") golfer is expected to need to complete a hole. It's the performance standard of the course.
As a coach, I tell my students to think of it as a simple formula:
The total par for the entire golf course is simply the sum of the pars for all 18 holes. While this is the official standard, the beauty of golf is that you can set your own goals. Understanding the official par, however, is the first step to building a smart course strategy.
A common point of confusion is that "Torrey Pines" isn't just one course. It's a 36-hole facility, home to two stunning but very different layouts that sit side-by-side on the dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean: the North Course and the South Course.
When you're not a tour pro playing in a major, the pars for both courses are more straightforward and traditional.
For everyday public play, the iconic South Course is a classic par-72 layout. Standing on the first tee, this tells you the course has a balanced design meant to challenge all aspects of your game. The typical breakdown is:
It's a long course from any set of tees, and making a "par" on holes like the behemoth par-4 12th or navigating the pond on the par-5 18th feels like a significant accomplishment for any amateur golfer.
The North Course also plays as a par-72 for daily fee golfers. Its mix of holes is the same as the South - four par-3s, ten par-4s, and four par-5s. While the yardage is a bit shorter, the North provides plenty of its own challenges, with canyons coming into play and beautifully framed green complexes. Many locals prefer the fun and slightly less taxing experience of the North Course for their regular rounds.
This is where the real confusion comes from. You tune in to watch the U.S. Open and see players battling a par-71 course. You wonder, "Did they build a new hole? Did I remember the par wrong?"
The answer lies in a practice called "protecting par."
When a body like the USGA (United States Golf Association) sets up a course for the national championship, theirgoal is to create the most rigorous test of golf imaginable. They want to identify the single best player by challenging every facet of their physical and mental game. One of the most effective ways to do this is to change the par of certain holes.
The primary method for "toughening up" a course's par is to convert a long par-5 into a very demanding, monster of a par-4. The hole's total yardage doesn't shrink much - if at all. In fact, they often push the tees back as far as possible.
Let's use a real-world example from the South Course: Hole #6.
By making this single change on one hole (or sometimes on two holes, creating a par-70), the total par for the South Course drops from 72 to 71 for the championship. This instantly puts more pressure on the players and makes low scores that much harder to come by.
They combine this with other setup tricks like growing incredibly dense rough, narrowing the fairways to ribbons, and making the greens lightning-fast. The result is a course where simple mistakes are punished severely, and eagles an endangered species. It’s what makes watching the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines so compelling.
Understanding the official par is great, but applying it to your own game is what truly matters. As your coach, here’s how I’d advise you to think about par when you tee it up.
Unless you're a scratch golfer, the official scorecard par isn't a realistic target on every hole, especially at a place like Torrey South. Don't let it intimidate you. Instead, create a "personal par." If you're a bogey golfer (averaging around a 90), then a bogey is a fantastic score for you on most holes! A double bogey on a really tough par-4 isn't a failure, it’s just managing the difficulty. For a round at Torrey, a 90-shooter's "personal par" might be 90 blows. Making a 5 on that brutal 6th hole, when it's your turn to play it as a Par 5, is something to be happy about.
Knowing a hole is a difficult par-4 can change your strategy. Instead of feeling pressure to hit a perfect drive and then a long iron onto the green - a low-percentage play for most amateurs - break it down. Play it like a short par-5.
This three-shot strategy takes the pressure off, dramatically reduces your chance of making a "big number," and gives you a legitimate shot at making a putt for a satisfying bogey (your personal par!). It's about playing smart, not swinging for the fences every time.
In short, the par at Torrey Pines is 72 for both the North and South courses for us regular golfers. But for major championships, expect to see the demanding South Course transformed into a par-71 layout to rigorously test the best players in the world by turning a scorable par-5 into a formidable par-4.
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