
The average handicap of all golfers is usually said to be in the 16-20 range. MyGolfSpy and TheGrint (a golf GPS and scoring app) analyzed data from users of TheGrint app to see how golfers of various skill levels perform. Only an exceedingly small percentage of people who play golf will ever score par or better for an entire round. It’s essential to remember that “par” is the number of strokes an “EXPERT” golfer is expected to make.įor the average golfer, scoring par on an individual hole is a good accomplishment. A true “par-3 course” with 18 par-3 holes would be a par 54 course. Because the individual holes are shorter than on a full-size course, the courses will have a lower par. These courses will have mostly par-3 holes but may also have a few par-4 or even par-5 holes. Par-3 or “executive courses” are shorter golf courses meant for practicing specific golf skills, to be played by beginners and children, or simply to facilitate faster rounds than full-size courses. Par 72 is the most common for full-size golf courses. Par on full-sizes 18-hole golf courses is usually in the range of 69 to 73. The par of a golf course or group of holes (like the back 9 or front 9 holes) is the sum of par for every hole in the group. Are expected to reach the green in 3 strokes on a par-5 golf hole, leaving them 2 putts for par.Are expected to reach the green in 2 strokes on a par-4 golf hole, leaving them 2 putts for par.Are expected to reach the green in 1 stroke on a par-3 golf hole, leaving them 2 putts for par.Par for a golf hole is meant to give expert golfers 2 putts per hole. The opposite is true of uphill holes, especially close to sea level. If a hole is downhill or at altitude, it could be longer than your typical hole with the same par score.

The USGA’s yardage guidelines for women are:Ĭourse designers and managers can also take into account the “effective playing length” of a hole. The USGA ’s yardage guidelines for men are: The longer the hole, the higher par typically is. If you took 4 strokes to complete a par-5 hole, you could say you were “one under par” or “one under.” However, other terms are more commonly used to describe a golfers score for a hole in relation to par (see the “Scoring Terms for Individual Golf Holes” section below). If you shoot a score of 85 on a par-72 18-hole golf course, you could describe this as “13 over par” or simply “13 over”.

Par is both the score golfers aspire to make as well as the baseline for describing scores. The term “par” in golf refers to the number of strokes that an expert golfer should need to complete an individual hole or a “round” of golf holes (usually 18 or 9 holes).
