Par is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to take to finish a hole, including two putts. Most holes are par 3, par 4 or par 5, and most 18-hole courses add up to a par between 70 and 72.
How par is set
Par is based mainly on the length of the hole. A par 3 is short enough to reach the green with the tee shot. A par 4 usually takes a drive and an approach. A par 5 is long enough that most golfers need three shots to reach the green. Course designers and golf associations also consider how the hole plays: elevation changes, doglegs and hazards can push a hole to a different par than its length alone suggests.
| Par | Shots to reach the green | Putts |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | 3 | 2 |
Where the word par comes from
Par started as a finance term. On the stock exchange, a share trading "at par" is trading at its face value, its normal or expected price. Golf writer A.H. Doleman is credited with bringing the word into golf in 1870. Before the Open Championship at Prestwick that year, he asked professionals David Strath and James Anderson what score a perfect player should make on the course. They settled on 49 for the 12 holes, and Doleman called it par.
For a while, par competed with a British term, bogey, for the same idea. In the United States, the USGA set official yardage guidelines for par in 1911. Over time par became the standard score for a hole and bogey came to mean one over par. Read more in what is a bogey.
Scores relative to par
- Albatross: 3 under par
- Eagle: 2 under par
- Birdie: 1 under par
- Par: even
- Bogey: 1 over par
- Double bogey: 2 over par
Common questions
What does "under par" mean?
It means fewer strokes than par. A player who shoots 68 on a par 72 course is 4 under par.
What is a good score for a beginner?
Most new golfers score well over par, often 100 or more for 18 holes. Bogey golf, one over on every hole (about 90 on a par 72), is a solid goal for recreational players.
More golf words explained in our golf terms glossary. Getting started? See our guide to beginner golf clubs.
