What 'Under Par' Means in Golf
Defining "under par" begins with making sure we all understand what par is. "Par" is a numerical value that, broadly speaking, is the number of a strokes that a very good golfer who is having a good day is expected, on average, to play in order to complete a hole. If a hole is rated as a par-5, for example, then our expert golfer is expected to be able to play that hole in five strokes.
Very few of us are expert golfers! So achieving an under-par score on any given hole is not that common for recreational golfers. And it is achievable over the full 18 holes only by the very best golfers among us.
"Under par" is also known as "below par." "Over par" is the opposite of under par. "Even par" (or "level par") means neither under nor over par but matching par. "Under par" can also be referenced by talking about a player who used fewer strokes than par, or any number of strokes less than par.
Under Par on a Single Hole
A golf course is a collection of individual holes, each one with its own par rating. That usually means par-3 holes, par-4s and par-5s, but once in a blue moon a golfer might encounter a par-6 hole.- Completing a hole under par on a par-3 means scoring 2 or 1.
- Completing a hole under par on a par-4 means scoring 3, 2 or 1.
- Completing a hole under par on a par-5 means scoring 4, 3, 2 or 1.
- 1-under par on a hole is called a birdie.
- 2-under par on a hole is called an eagle.
- 3-under par on a hole is called a double eagle or albatross.
- 4-under par on a hole, which means making a hole-in-one on a par-5 hole, is called a condor and has happened only a handful of times in golf history.
- 5-under par on a hole — acing a par-6 — is called an ostrich (and is also called impossible — or at least not yet done and unlikely to ever be done).
Under Par for a Full Round or Collection of Holes
A full round of golf is a collection of 18 holes. Add up the pars of those individual holes and you get the par for the full golf course. Most full-length, regulation-sized golf courses are either par-70, par-71, par-72 or par-73.Playing the full round under par just means that your total score is lower than the golf course's par — scoring 68 on a par-70 course, for example, or scoring 71 on a par-72 course.
We often also hear golf broadcasters or read from golf writers speaking about being under par over a stretch of holes. Any collection of holes can be referred to in this way: "He scored 4-under par on Holes 8 through 12," or "She played the last five holes in 2-under par." The most famous stretch of holes in golf is Amen Corner at Augusta National Golf Club, so it is common to hear or read about a golfer who "played Amen Corner in two strokes under par."
And the 9-hole collections of holes known as the front nine (Holes 1-9) and back nine (Holes 10-18) are frequently referred to with collective scores: "She played the front nine, with a par of 35, in 1-under," or "He scored 34 on the par-36 back nine, 2-under par."
A golf score, whether for a single hole or any collection of holes including the full round, can be given either as total strokes or as strokes under or over par. Often is it given both ways: "Tiger Woods scored 68, a score of 4-under par." Giving a score as strokes under or over par is known as scoring "in relation to par."
More golf scoring terms:
