Par is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to need to play a hole, from tee shot to the ball resting in the cup. The number is always printed on the scorecard and at the tee, and it serves as the benchmark for everything else: take fewer strokes than par and you're under, take more and you're over. A par 4 therefore means that the course architect expects two shots to reach the green and two putts to sink the ball.
If you understand what par means, you also understand the entire scoring language of golf. Every term you hear on the course, from birdie to bogey, is at its core just a way of describing how many strokes you went over or under that particular number.
How par is calculated on an individual hole
Par is primarily determined by the length of the hole. A short hole where the green is reached in a single stroke gets par 3, a medium-length hole par 4, and a really long hole par 5. The logic behind the number is the same regardless of the hole: it's based on how many strokes are required to reach the green plus two putts. Two putts are counted as the norm, since a skilled player is expected to get close and then sink the ball on the second attempt.
A par 3 means the green should be reached directly from the tee, followed by the two putts. On a par 4 you add a stroke on the way to the green, and on a par 5 two. That's why you rarely see exactly the same par distribution on two different courses, even though the final total often ends up close to one another.
What the par for the whole course tells you
If you add up the par for all the holes you get the course's total par, the number you compare your round against. Most 18-hole courses have a par somewhere around 70 to 72, a mix of short, medium-length and long holes. A course with par 72 generally consists of four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s, but the distribution varies from place to place depending on what the terrain looks like.
Shooting exactly the course par is a very strong round for the vast majority of amateurs. The number is also the starting point for the handicap system, which allows players at different levels to meet on equal terms. If you want to understand how your performance is converted into a fair result, our walkthrough of handicap golf is a good start, as is how to count points in golf for the actual scoring on the card.
Birdie, bogey and the other words for your score
All golf terms for results are built around par. They simply describe how far over or under that number you ended up on a hole, and this is where the language becomes really concrete.
Birdie and eagle under par
A birdie is one stroke under par, meaning a four on a par 5 or a three on a par 4. An eagle is two strokes under par and feels like a small victory to most people. If you want to read more about the shot every player chases, you'll find a dedicated walkthrough of what is a birdie in golf.
Albatross, the truly rare result
Three strokes under par is called an albatross and is so unusual that many skilled golfers never make a single one in their entire career. It usually involves sinking the ball on the second shot on a par 5. If you're curious about golf's most elusive number, we go through it in what is an albatross in golf.
Bogey and double bogey over par
If you go one stroke over par you've made a bogey, two strokes over is a double bogey and so on. For the beginner a bogey is often a perfectly acceptable result, and a round of nothing but bogeys corresponds roughly to what's called bogey golf. The point is that the words aren't abstract: they always measure the distance to par, hole by hole.
Why par doesn't mean the same thing for all players
Here lies a point that is often misunderstood. Par is set based on a hypothetical skilled player, not based on your own level. For a beginner, par on a long par 4 is rarely a realistic goal on every hole, and that's completely normal. That's precisely why handicaps exist, so that your actual score can be adjusted and compared fairly against both the course and other players.
A good way to learn to read par in practice is to go out and play with the par number in the back of your mind rather than chasing it. Aim to reach the green in one stroke more than par requires, put your energy into the two putts, and suddenly bogey becomes a perfectly manageable and enjoyable strategy. More of the golf concepts that come up along the way are explained in our glossary golf terms in Swedish.
Par starts right at the tee
The first choice on every hole is about how you attack the par, and it's decided at the tee. A par 5 often requires three well-placed shots in a row, while a par 3 is about precision from the first stroke. How you think about the starting point affects the entire hole, and we explain this in more detail in what is a tee in golf.
A clean, controlled shot also requires the grip to hold. A golf glove that sits firmly in the hand provides the friction that keeps the club from slipping in the tee shot, which is especially noticeable on the long holes where you need speed. LR Players Glove LH for those who swing right-handed, and LR Players Glove RH for a left-handed swing, sit snugly without feeling stiff and keep the grip stable hole after hole.
Dress to play the whole round comfortably
Chasing par over eighteen holes takes time, and comfort often determines how well you can keep your focus on the final, decisive putts. A polo in technical fabric breathes and moves with the swing instead of straining across the shoulders when you extend in the tee shot. Tech Polo - Dark Navy is a clean, dark choice that works just as well on the course as afterwards, and if you'd rather be in green the tech polo - forest green fits just as easily. You'll find more models among our polo shirts.
The sun sits low for much of the Swedish season, and a cap that shields the light makes a real difference when you need to read the distance to the green. A sturdy baseball cap - navy keeps your view clear without getting in the way during the swing. Avoiding squinting into a low-hanging sun isn't about style but about actually seeing the line to the hole.
Par is golf's shared benchmark, and once you carry it with you hole by hole, every round becomes more readable and more meaningful. If you want to dress up your game for the season, you can see the entire range at Local Rule and find garments that hold up both for the swing and for the hours afterwards at the club.
