What Is Par in Golf? (Birdie, Bogey and More)

Par in golf is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to take to complete a hole or a full round, and it is the benchmark that every other score is measured against. When you hear a golfer describe a birdie, a bogey or an eagle, they are simply saying how their score compares to par. Master par and the whole language of golf scoring falls into place.

What par actually measures

Par represents good, expert play. For each hole, the course sets a par value that assumes a strong golfer will reach the green in a set number of shots and then take two putts to hole the ball. Add those together and you get the hole’s par. Because par is a standard, it lets players of different rounds and different courses compare how well they scored.

The rules that govern golf, including how courses are measured and rated, are maintained jointly by the USGA and The R&A.

Par 3, par 4 and par 5

Individual holes are rated mainly by length. The longer the hole, the more shots you are expected to need to reach the green, and the higher the par:

• Par 3 — a short hole; you are expected to reach the green in one shot, then two putts.
• Par 4 — a medium hole; reach the green in two shots, then two putts.
• Par 5 — a long hole; reach the green in three shots, then two putts.

Add up the par of all 18 holes and you get the total par for the course, which for most standard courses lands between 70 and 72.

Scoring relative to par: the full ladder

Golf scores are named by how many strokes above or below par you finished a hole. Fewer strokes is better, so the terms below par are the ones players chase. Here is the standard scale:

A hole-in-one, where the ball goes in from the tee in a single shot, is its own famous feat and on a par 3 it counts as two under par. For a deeper look at the most common good score, see our guide to what a birdie is.

Under par is good, over par is not

The key idea is simple: par is the target, and beating it means using fewer strokes. A round played in fewer strokes than the course par is described as being under par, and a round that takes more strokes is over par. So a golfer who finishes an 18-hole round three under par did better than one who finished level, and much better than one who finished five over.

How par is set for a course

Par is not decided at random. When a course is measured and rated, each hole is assigned a par based mainly on its length from the tee to the green, with the standard assumption that a skilled player takes two putts once on the green. That is why a short hole is a par 3 and a long one is a par 5: the longer the hole, the more full shots you are expected to need before you start putting.

Factors like the shape of the hole and the terrain can influence how a hole plays, but length is the primary driver of its par. Adding every hole together gives the course its total par, the benchmark for a full round.

Par as a shared language

One of the neat things about par is that it lets golfers compare scores across completely different courses. Finishing two under par means the same thing whether you played a short local course or a long championship layout, because par already accounts for each course’s difficulty by length. That shared yardstick is why golf commentary, leaderboards and casual conversation all talk in terms of ‘under’ and ‘over’ par rather than raw stroke totals.

Why par matters for every golfer

Par gives golfers of all levels a shared target. A beginner might aim simply to make bogey on each hole, while a low-handicap player chases birdies. Because par is fixed for each course, your score against par is also how formats like stroke play and match play keep track of who is winning. Whatever your standard, understanding par turns a string of numbers into a clear picture of how you are playing, and gives every shot a meaning: is it moving you toward par, or away from it?