What Does Par Mean in Golf? Par for 9 and 18 Holes

Par is the score a scratch golfer is expected to make on a hole. Par for 18 holes is usually 72 (68% of member cards) and 9 holes is usually par 36.

By Flighting Editorial Team 2026-05-26

Par in golf is the number of strokes a scratch golfer is expected to take to finish a hole, allowing two putts on the green. Each hole is set as a par 3, 4 or 5, mainly by its length. Add up the holes and you get the course par: usually 72 for 18 holes and 36 for 9.

What does par mean in golf?

The official definition sits in the Rules of Handicapping: par is the score a scratch player would generally be expected to make on a hole under normal course and weather conditions, allowing for two strokes on the putting green. A scratch player is someone with a Handicap Index of 0.0.

The two-putt allowance is the key to reading any hole. Par minus two is the number of shots you're expected to need to reach the green:

• Par 3: one shot to the green, two putts.
• Par 4: two shots to the green, two putts.
• Par 5: three shots to the green, two putts.

Reaching the green in that many shots is called hitting the green in regulation. It's why a par 4 feels "normal" when you hit the fairway and find the green with your second shot, and why missing either one usually means you're fighting for bogey.

What does par stand for in golf?

Par isn't an acronym, so it doesn't stand for a phrase. It's a plain English word, borrowed from the Latin par, meaning equal. In everyday speech "par" means the normal or expected level, as in "par for the course" or "not feeling up to par." Golf uses it the same way: par is the expected score, and your score is measured as equal to it, over it or under it.

How is par determined for a golf hole?

Mostly by length. The USGA's Appendix F on establishing par sets these guideline ranges:

The ranges overlap on purpose. A 470-yard hole for men can be a par 4 or a par 5, and the call depends on how hard the hole plays. The guidelines adjust for things that change how long a hole really plays: elevation changes, forced lay-ups, prevailing wind and the way the hole was designed to be played. They also assume a course under 2,000 feet of altitude, where the ball flies a normal distance.

The rules recommend keeping a hole's par the same from every set of tees where that makes sense. That's why a 380-yard par 4 from the back tees usually stays a par 4 from a 320-yard forward tee rather than switching. Par 6 holes exist, but they're rare.

What is par for 18 holes of golf?

Usually 72. Most full-length courses land between 70 and 72, and our member scorecards show how lopsided that is. This table counts 6,322 eighteen-hole cards from 571 Flighting members in 2026, using the par printed for each hole.

The classic par 72 layout has four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s. That's what 87.9% of the par 72 cards in our data look like. Across every card, the average round included 9.97 par 4s, 4.21 par 3s and 3.82 par 5s (5,703 cards). A par 70 or 71 course has to have fewer par 5s or more par 3s than that mix.

Don't read the "strokes over par" column as par 71 courses being easier. Par only counts the strokes each hole is designed for. How hard the course actually plays is measured by course rating and slope, which our guide to course rating and slope explains.

What is par for 9 holes?

Usually 36, sometimes 35. On our member cards, the front nine was par 36 77.6% of the time and par 35 17.7% of the time. The back nine was par 36 on 75.6% of cards and par 35 on 19.2%. A few nines came in at 34.

A par 36 nine is normally two par 3s, five par 4s and two par 5s. A par 35 nine swaps one par 5 for a par 4. Standalone 9-hole courses vary more, and shorter layouts can run well under 35, so check the card. For handicap purposes, 9-hole scores count: they post and combine toward your index like 18-hole rounds.

What do birdie, bogey and even par mean?

Every score on a hole has a name based on how it compares with par.

For a full round, you'll hear scores described against course par. On a par 72, a 72 is "even par" or "level," a 70 is "2 under" and an 80 is "8 over." That's why tournament leaderboards show scores like minus 6 instead of 66: the raw number means little until you know the par.

Is par a good score in golf?

Par on a single hole is a good result for most golfers, and par for a whole round is rare. Here is how often Flighting members finish at or under par, by current Handicap Index:

Across all 6,322 cards, 6.2% finished at or under par, and our members score better than golfers overall. Even golfers in the 5.0 to 9.9 range break par in fewer than 1 round in 100, though they make par or better on about half their holes. Hole scores here are adjusted scores, capped at net double bogey.

So set goals against your own level. For a 15 handicap, the realistic target is bogey golf: a bogey on every hole of a par 72 is a 90, and our guide on how to break 90 builds a plan around that number. For a newer golfer, see what a good golf handicap is for a beginner.

What is the difference between par and course rating?

Par is fixed by hole length and design. Course rating is the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot from a given set of tees, measured by a rating team that looks at length, landing areas, hazards, green speed and elevation. Two par 72 courses can be rated 69.8 and 74.6, which means the first plays about two shots easier than par for a scratch golfer and the second nearly three shots harder.

Your handicap uses course rating and slope, not par, to turn each score into a differential. Par still matters in one place: your Course Handicap adds the difference between course rating and par, so you get extra strokes on tees rated above par and fewer on tees rated below it.

If you want to see how you score against par on every hole type, Flighting tracks your posted rounds and shows where the strokes go on par 3s, 4s and 5s.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does par stand for in golf?

Par isn't an acronym. It's an English word from the Latin for "equal," and in golf it means the score a scratch golfer is expected to make on a hole with two putts.

What is par for 18 holes?

Usually 72, made up of four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s. Some courses are par 70 or 71, and 68.4% of Flighting member scorecards were on par 72 courses.

What is par for 9 holes of golf?

Usually 36, with two par 3s, five par 4s and two par 5s. Some nines are par 35, and short 9-hole courses can be lower.

Are all golf courses par 72?

No. Par 72 is the most common, but par 70 and 71 courses are common too, and short or executive courses are lower. In our member data, about 3 in 10 rounds were on courses that weren't par 72.

What does even par mean in golf?

Even par means your score equals par, for a hole or a full round. Shooting 72 on a par 72 course is even par.

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