Ever stood on a tee box wondering what the term 'par' on the scorecard really means? It's one of the most fundamental concepts in golf, yet it can be a little confusing when you're just getting started. This guide will walk you through exactly what par is, how it's determined for each hole, and what the total par for a full 18-hole round signifies for your game.
In the simplest terms, par is the number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to take to complete a hole. Think of it as the target score for a hole, set by the course designer or golf associations like the USGA. It's the benchmark that all other scores are measured against. If the par for a hole is 4, an accomplished player is expected to get the ball in the cup in four shots.
It's important to remember that par is a standard, not a rule you've broken if you don’t achieve it. For most golfers, especially those learning the game, scoring over par is completely normal. The real goal is to use par as a measure of your own performance and progress. Hitting par on a hole feels great, but shooting one stroke better than your personal average on that same hole is also a massive win.
The par for a given hole isn't an arbitrary number. It’s calculated based almost entirely on one factor: the distance from the teeing ground to the green. The assumption is that a skilled golfer will take two putts once the ball is on the green. The remaining strokes in the "par" calculation are the number of shots it should take that player to get the ball onto the putting surface.
This leads to the three most common types of par holes you'll find on any standard golf course.
You may very occasionally encounter a Par 6, but they are extremely rare on modern courses.
Now that you know how par is set for each individual hole, figuring out the par for a full 18-hole round is simple. You just add up the par for every hole on the course.
You’ll often hear that a standard golf course is 'Par 72'. This is the most common configuration, but why? It's all about the mix of holes. A typical Par 72 course is composed of:
Add them all up: 12 + 40 + 20 = 72. That's your 18-hole par!
However, not every course is a Par 72. You will also commonly find courses that are Par 71, Par 70, or even lower. This simply reflects a different combination of holes. A Par 70 course, for instance, might have two extra Par 3s and two fewer Par 5s compared to a Par 72 layout. Executive courses or short courses can have pars in the low 60s, as they are often made up of mostly Par 3s with a few shorter Par 4s.
Talking about scores is where hearing golf lingo can feel like a foreign language. But every term is simply based on how your score relates to a hole's par. Once you understand the baseline, the naming convention becomes easy. Let's break it down:
Let's use a Par 4 hole as our example.
At the end of your round, your total score is also reflected relative to the course's par. If you shoot a score of 90 on a Par 72 course, you’d say you shot "18-over-par." If a tour pro shoots a 69, they finished at "3-under-par."
It’s very easy to get fixated on par and feel discouraged when your scorecard is filled with bogeys and double bogeys. Here's a helpful perspective: don't. Par is a standard for a zero-handicap, or 'scratch,' golfer. It takes years of dedicated practice to reach that level.
Instead of chasing textbook par, focus on your personal par. If you typically make a 6 on the difficult 7th hole, making a 5 is a massive victory for you and your game - that's your birdie! Golf is a journey of personal improvement. The number on the scorecard is a measure of your progress, not a judgment of your worth as a golfer.
Shooting lower scores and getting closer to par isn’t about hitting every shot perfectly. It’s about playing smarter, avoiding big mistakes, and managing your way around the course. It’s about knowing when to be aggressive and when to play it safe. By focusing on your own game and making steady improvements, you'll see your scores begin to drop, and that feeling is even better than making a single par.
Par is the fundamental scoring benchmark in golf, representing the number of strokes an expert player should take on a hole. A course’s 18-hole par, most often 72, is just the sum of the pars for each individual hole. Thinking about it this way simplifies the concept and turns it from an intimidating number into a helpful guidepost for your game.
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