You’ve probably seen commentators on TV mention a golfer’s Par-4 Scoring or Par-5 Performance, but then they’ll drop a stat called Par Plus, and it can sound a bit confusing. Par Plus isn’t just about making birdies, it’s a powerful statistic that reveals exactly how a player stacks up against the competition on every type of hole. This article will break down exactly what Par Plus is, how it’s calculated, and, most importantly, how you can use the same line of thinking to identify your own strengths and weaknesses to shoot lower scores.
Before we can understand "Par Plus," we have to be solid on the concept of "Par." On any golf course, "par" is the predetermined number of strokes a skilled golfer should need to complete a hole. It’s the target score, the gold standard for performance. Every hole is assigned a par rating based primarily on its length.
Your total score for a round is often spoken about in relation to par. If the course par is 72 and you shoot an 85, you are "13 over par." If you shoot a 70, you are "2 under par." This comparison is a great starting point, but it doesn't tell the whole story of your game.
Now we get to the real meat of it. Par Plus is a statistical metric used by the PGA Tour and other professional golf organizations to measure a player's performance on par-3s, par-4s, and par-5s relative to the rest of the players in a tournament.
That last part is the most important piece of the puzzle. Par Plus isn't just about your score to par, it’s about your score compared to the average score of the entire field. It answers the question: "How much better (or worse) is this golfer than the average player on this specific type of hole?"
Think of it this way: shooting even par on a tough par-4 where the rest of the field is averaging 4.5 strokes is a fantastic result. You've gained half a stroke on your competition. Conversely, making a par on an easy par-5 that everyone else is birdying means you've actually lost a stroke to the field. Par Plus captures this nuance, providing a much richer picture of performance than just looking at "number of birdies" or "score to par."
The math behind Par Plus is straightforward once you understand the concept. It’s calculated separately for par-3s, par-4s, and par-5s over the course of a tournament or a full season.
The formula is simply:
(Field's Average Score on That Hole Type) - (Player's Average Score on That Hole Type) = Par Plus/Minus
Let's walk through a clear example to see it in action.
Imagine we're looking at Rory McIlroy's performance on the par-4s at a specific PGA Tour event:
In this case, Rory’s Par-4 Plus score is +0.25. This means that for every single par-4 he played, he was gaining a quarter of a stroke on the average player in the field. Over the 40+ par-4s played in a typical four-round tournament, that adds up to a huge advantage.
This stat is powerful because it dissects a golfer's game and shines a light on exactly where they are building their success or where their struggles lie. Traditional stats can sometimes be misleading, but Par Plus gets to the heart of scoring ability.
A player might finish a tournament at -10, which sounds great. But a look at their Par Plus stats might reveal they were +1.5 on the Par-5s but -0.8 on the Par-3s. What does this tell us? It shows that this player DOMINATED the scoring holes (the par-5s) but gave almost a full stroke back to the field on the par-3s. As a coach, I'd know immediately that we need to spend less time on their woods and more time a lot more time practicing long-iron accuracy and lag putting to improve their par-3 performance.
This turns vague feelings into hard data. Instead of thinking, "I just didn't putt well," a player can see, "I consistently lost strokes on long par-3s." That clarity is the first step toward real improvement.
You might be thinking, "This is great for the pros, but I don't have a 'field average' to compare myself to." And you're right. But you can absolutely use this mental framework to analyze your own game. You can essentially create your own "personal par plus."
The next time you play, don't just write down your total score. Keep a separate tally for each type of hole. After your round, on a scorecard with a par of 72 that has four par-3s, ten par-4s, and four par-5s, you might see:
Looking at this, it's immediately obvious where the damage is happening. While you played the par-5s reasonably well (averaging 5.5 strokes), you averaged 4.8 on the par-4s and a costly 3.75 on the par-3s. This tells you that your tee-to-green game on average-length holes and your precision on short holes likely need the most attention. You're not just "shooting high scores," you're specifically struggling on par-4s.
Okay, coach hat on. Once you’ve identified where you’re losing ground, you can create a focused plan to get better. Here’s what to work on, based on which hole type is giving you trouble.
This is all about precision and damage control. The goal here isn't necessarily birdie, it's to avoid the dreaded "other" (double bogey or worse).
These are the backbone of any golf course, and good play here requires a balance of strategy and execution.
For most amateurs, these are meant to be scoring opportunities. If you're making bogey or worse on these holes, you're leaving a lot of easy shots on the table.
Par Plus is more than just a tour stat, it’s a mindset that helps you analyze your game with greater clarity by comparing your scores to a relevant baseline. By tracking where you gain and lose strokes across par-3s, 4s, and 5s, you can move away from vague frustrations and toward a smart, focused plan for improvement.
Understanding which types of holes give you trouble is a massive step forward, and using a tool like Caddie AI can help execute your plan on the course. We put expert strategy right in your pocket, so when you’re standing on that tricky par-4 that always blows up your round, you can get instant, simple advice on the smartest way to play the hole. It helps you make better decisions in the moment and avoid those big numbers, which is the fastest way to start improving your own "personal par plus" and enjoying the game more.
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