What is par?

Yardage requirements for par

Par is the score that a scratch player would generally be expected to achieve on a hole, under normal course and weather conditions.

The "wiggle room" between two pars is where we can account for uphill or downhill yardage, as well as other factors. For example, an uphill hole at 450 yards for men [370 yards for women] may be considered a par 5, even though it is within the par 4 yardage window. The opposite, a downhill back tee at  260 [220] still might count as a par 3.

Holes that meet the yardage definition, but require a layup may move to the appropriate par. Hole #2 at Orchard Hills GC, with tees from 165 to 228, would be considered a par 3 by yardage alone. If you have ever played the course, you know why it is not!  First, the hole plays about 30 feet up hill to a landing area 50-60 yards from the green and then the fairway takes a 90° turn. With the very tall trees lining both sides of the hole, hitting the green would involve a miracle or a well trained squirrel.  

If Par on your scorecard and Par in GHIN do not match on a specific tee or hole, please have someone from the course contact OGA. Gretchen Yoder, Director, Handicapping & Course Rating would need to update GHIN if appropriate, or explain why the par may or should be different.