Ever find yourself standing on a par-5 tee box thinking, "This seems way longer than a par-5"? You might be onto something. There's actually no official, universal rule that caps a golf hole's par, a fact that has led course designers to create some incredibly long and high-scoring holes around the globe. This article will break down exactly how par is determined, introduce you to a few of the highest-par holes in existence, and give you a simple strategy to conquer these marathon holes if you're ever lucky enough to play one.
Before we can talk about a record-setting high par, we need to be clear on what par actually is. At its core, par represents the score an expert golfer is expected to make on a given hole. In the early 20th century, the term was short for Professional Average Result. Think of it as a pre-set benchmark for skilled play.
The calculation is pretty simple: it's the number of strokes it should take an expert to get the ball onto the green, plus two putts. That final part is important - par for almost every hole assumes two putts once you reach the putting surface.
This leads to the familiar breakdown:
A typical 18-hole championship golf course is usually a "Par 72," which is generally made up of four par-3s, ten par-4s, and four par-5s. However, this mix can change, leading to total course pars of 70, 71, or other variations.
So, who decides if a hole is a 3, 4, or 5? It's primarily based on the most straightforward factor: distance. The United States Golf Association (USGA) provides effective playing length guidelines to help course handicap committees determine a hole's par. Here's what those general guidelines look like:
For Men:
For Women:
You’ll notice some overlap in those yardages. That’s because setting par isn't just about the raw distance from tee to green.
Course designers and rating committees also have to consider other elements that affect how a hole plays. A tough par-4 on the scorecard might play more like a par-5 in reality due to several factors:
While most tournament courses you see on TV stick to par-3s, 4s, and 5s, a growing number of public and resort courses have introduced the Par-6 as a unique challenge. These are absolute beasts that create memorable - and sometimes trying - experiences for everyday golfers.
To qualify as a legitimate par-6, a hole typically needs to be longer than 670 yards for men and 570 for women. On these holes, the expectation is that an expert golfer will require four full shots to reach the green, followed by two putts.
Some well-known par-6 holes include:
Strategy on these holes feels completely different. You’re not just thinking "driver, iron," but more like "driver, 3-wood, 3-wood, wedge." It's a completely different mental approach.
So, what about the very top of the mountain? Is there anything higher than a par-6? The answer is yes, but it’s exceptionally rare.
The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the 7th hole at the Satsuki Golf Club in Sano, Japan as the longest hole in the world. This absolute goliath is a Par-7 that stretches an almost unbelievable 964 yards from the champion tees. That's over half a mile!
To put that in perspective, a par-7 requires five full shots to reach the green. You could hit a good drive, a solid 3-wood, another solid 3-wood, a hybrid, a short iron... and only *then* would you be on the putting surface. It's a true test of stamina and mental fortitude, designed more for the story than as a standard for course architecture.
This is a common question from golfers, and the answer is usually no. Par is not a reliable rating of a hole's difficulty. Par simply tells you the expected score for an expert, it doesn't account for how difficult it can be to achieve that score.
Consider two holes:
Most skilled golfers would agree that the par-4 is the "harder" hole - the one where making bogey (a 5) feels like a decent result, and par feels like a birdie. The par-6 is just *long*. Blow-up scores are far more common on holes that demand precision and strategy than on those that just demand length.
As a coach, here is my best advice if you find yourself on the tee of a par-6 or even a par-7. The temptation is to pull out the driver and swing for the fences, but a better strategy will save you strokes.
So, while most golf experiences will be defined by par-3s, 4s, and 5s, the world of golf architecture has plenty of room for novelty and grand-scale challenges. The par-6 and the record-_setting par-7 in Japan exist as fun, memorable tests of golfing endurance, proving that the only real limit on a hole’s size is a course designer’s imagination.
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