You may already know that a hole’s par is the number of strokes a golfer should need to complete the play of this particular hole. A hole that is four par means that a skilled golfer should reach the green in two strokes and then putt an additional two strokes before sinking their ball.
Typical courses have three, four, or five par holes; rarely you will see a six or seven par hole.
How is par determined for any given hole? You might think it’s a cruel joke being played on you by some golf pro that just wants to see you embarrass yourself, but in reality there are many factors involved. The distance between the hole and tee of course is a factor; par three holes are usually 100-250 yards, par four between 251-475 yards, and par five are typically between 476-690 yards. Any slope of the course can also affect the par rating – hitting uphill is more difficult than hitting downhill. The shape of the green and course and placement of hazards can also affect the par.
Scoring
Counting your strokes is just one part of scoring; of course you want as few strokes or points as possible when playing golf. But getting under par is also desirable for many. The following are standard terms used to describe strokes over and under par:
-4 Condor four strokes under par
-3 Albatross three strokes under par
-2 Eagle two strokes under par
-1 Birdie one stroke under par
0 Par strokes equal to par
+1 Bogey one stroke over par
+2 Double Bogey two strokes over par
+3 Triple Bogey three strokes over par
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