
Current Yardage Guidelines for Par Ratings
Men | Women | |
Par 3 | Up to 250 yards | Up to 210 yards |
Par 4 | 251 to 470 yards | 211 to 400 yards |
Par 5 | 471 to 690 yards | 401 to 575 yards |
Par 6 | 691 yards+ | 576 yards+ |
Men | Women | |
---|---|---|
Par 3 | Up to 250 yards | Up to 210 yards |
Par 4 | 251 to 470 yards | 211 to 400 yards |
Par 5 | 471 to 690 yards | 401 to 575 yards |
Par 6 | 691 yards+ | 576 yards+ |
What is a par 5 in golf?
Also Known As: 5 par, 5-par hole. Alternate Spellings: Par-5. A hole's par always includes two putts, so a par 5 is one where the expert golfer is expected to hit the fairway with his tee shot, advance the ball farther up the fairway on the second stroke, hit the green with his third stroke, and then take two putts to get the ball in the hole.
How many yards is a par 4 in golf?
How the Par and Yardage Guidelines Have Changed 1 Par 3: Up to 225 yards 2 Par 4: 225 to 425 yards 3 Par 5: 426 to 600 yards 4 Par 6: 601 yards or more
What is the par for a 500 yard hole on average?
All of a sudden, a 500-yard hole may play more like 440 yards, putting it squarely into a par 4. These are the USGA guidelines for the par on each hole based on length. There's a minimum yardage and a maximum yardage for a hole to be considered a par 3, par 4, par 5 or even a par 6.
Are recommended par yardages based on actual yards or effective playing length?
It's important to note that the USGA guidelines cited, the current recommended par yardages, are not, in fact, based on actual, measured yards, but on a hole's "effective playing length." Effective playing length is one of the factors taken into account when a course is given its USGA course rating and USGA slope rating.

How long is a par 5 in golf?
For men, a par-5 hole is 471 to 690 yards long. For women, a par-5 hole is 401 to 575 yards long.
How long is a normal par 5?
Appendix F: Establishing ParParMenWomen3Up to 260 yards (240 metres)Up to 220 yards (200 metres)4240 to 490 yards (220 to 450 metres)200 to 420 yards (180 to 380 metres)5450 to 710 yards (410 to 650 metres)370 to 600 yards (340 to 550 metres)6670 yards and up (610 metres and up)570 yards and up (520 metres and up)
Is there a par 5 in golf?
In general, par-3 holes for men will be under 260 yards (240 m) from the tee to the green, par-4 holes will be 240–490 yards (220–450 m), par-5 holes will be 450–710 yards (410–650 m) and par-6 holes will be over 670 yards (610 m).
What's the longest a par 3 can be?
On your average golf course the longest par 3 hole may be 215 yards or so in length. Some more difficult courses may have par 3 holes that stretch as far as 240 yards which is much further than a typical par 3 golf hole which can be as short as 90 yards.
What is the longest par 5 in the world?
773 yardsBut that, and whatever hole you've got in mind, is small fry compared to the par-5 13th at TPC Colorado, which pros on the Korn Ferry Tour tackled in last week's TPC Colorado Championship. It's 773 yards, and the longest par 5 on any worldwide professional golf tour.
What is the shortest par 5?
4, 430 yards: One of Myrtle Beach's toughest tracks is the home of its shortest par 5. There is just one catch: a pond runs to the front edge of a green that slopes toward the water, greatly enhancing the difficulty of getting home in two. But there is no reason you shouldn't be on in regulation, leaving a birdie putt.
Has anyone made a hole-in-one on a par 5?
Although no one in PGA Tour history has ever recorded an ace on a par-5, there have actually been five records of par-5 holes-in-one. And no, none of them were from Happy Gilmore. The first “condor” occurred in 1962 off the club of Larry Bruce.
What is 2 shots on a par 5?
An albatross, also called a double eagle, is a score of three-under-par on a single hole. This is most commonly achieved with two shots on a par-5, but can be done with a hole-in-one on a par-4.
What is two shots on a par 5?
2. Albatross or Double Eagle. An albatross is achieved when a player either aces a par 4, or scores a "2" on a par 5.
Is there a par 6 in golf?
The United States Golf Association defines a par 6 as any hole longer than 670 yards for men and 570 for women, although we all know that par is a very arbitrary number. Some championship courses are happy to keep holes longer than 700 yards as par 5s from the tips.
What is the shortest golf hole in the world?
The hole is situated on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the tee perched up well above the green below. The seventh hole is also shortest hole on TOUR, 10 yards shorter than the fourth hole at El Camaleon Golf Club (OHL Classic at Mayakoba)....YearPlayerScore2007Alejandro Canizares76 more rows•Feb 11, 2015
Are there any par 6 on the PGA TOUR?
With more than 400 golf courses across North Carolina, visiting golfers have a wide variety of choices. But there's only one place in the world where you'll find a Par 6 hole so long that golfers tee off in one state and putt in another.
How many par 5s are there in a golf course?
There are usually from two to six par-5 holes on a full-sized 18-hole golf course , with four (two on the front nine, two on the back nine) being the most common number of par 5s.
How many putts are needed for a par 5?
A hole's par always includes two putts, so a par 5 is one where the expert golfer is expected to hit the fairway with his tee shot, advance the ball farther up the fairway on the second stroke, hit the green with his third stroke, and then take two putts to get the ball in the hole.
How long should a golf hole be?
There are no rules about how long or short golf holes should be. But in its Handicapping Manual, the United States Golf Association does offer these guidelines: 1 For men, a par-5 hole is 471 to 690 yards long 2 For women, a par-5 hole is 401 to 575 yards long
How many strokes to hit a par 5?
Golfers who hit the ball very far might be able to reach the green of a par-5 hole in just two strokes, rather than three, setting up an opportunity for eagle . There are no rules about how long or short golf holes should be.
What is the longest hole in golf?
A par 5, or par-5 hole, is a hole that an expert golfer is expected to need five strokes to complete. On most golf courses, a par 5 is the longest hole ( par-6 holes exist, but are rare). Also Known As: 5 par, 5-par hole.
How many yards are par 3s?
Over the century-plus the USGA has issued these guidelines, the distances haven't changed much -- approximately 25 yards on par 3s (from 225 yards to 250 yards), and that playing out through the rest ...
How to determine par on a golf hole?
Par is determined for each hole simply by distance. or what's called the Effective Playing Length of the hole. For example, if a hole typically plays downwind, and it goes downhill, then the hole is not going to play the length on ...
How many yards is a 500 yard hole?
All of a sudden, a 500-yard hole may play more like 440 yards, putting it squarely into a par 4. These are the USGA guidelines for the par on each hole based on length. There's a minimum yardage and a maximum yardage for a hole to be considered a par 3, par 4, par 5 or even a par 6.
How many yards does a par 5 golf ball go?
The benefit of a par 5 is that even with a tee shot that ends up in the trees, a punch out that advances the ball around 125-175 yards can leave the golfer with a wedge into the green. A second difficult factor with par 5s is the total length.
How many holes are there in a par 5 golf course?
How Many Par 5 Holes On A Golf Course? The typical golf course has 4 par 5 golf holes. This number might vary on occasion and can have as few as 2 and as many as 6. However, par 5s take up more land than par 3s and 4s, so if a course architect is limited on space, they might have less par 5s than the standard 4.
How many shots to hit a par 5?
A par 5 is a hole where on average the golfer will take 3 shots to reach the green in regulation. Most par 5s will range in length from 450 on the short end to over 600 yards on the long end. Most par 5s will fall within the 500 to 600 yard range. The best golfers are able to possibly hit the green in two shots and provide an opportunity ...
What does it mean to be a par 5?
For the average amateur golfer, the par 5 might mean more opportunity to get in trouble with the trees, bunkers or hazards. Strategy on a par 5 plays a major role in the final score for the golfer as he or she has to navigate 4 par 5s over the course of the round. The longest hitters on the PGA Tour, like to assume they will birdie every par 5 on ...
What is the par 5 hole?
Written by Todd in Golf Fun. The par 5 holes on a golf course can bring a ton of excitement or fear for a golfer. The best golfers look forward to the par 5s as an opportunity to make a birdie or possibly an eagle. Par is almost a disappointment for the best golfers. While for high handicap golfers, the par 5 can bring some fear.
What makes a par 5 hole great?
What makes a great par 5? One where a low score such as an eagle can happen as well as the double bogey 7. They usually have a high risk, high reward design that includes water or some sort of hazard.
What is the most exciting hole in golf?
The par 5 golf hole is the most exciting hole in golf. The possibilities to make your round great or destroy your round exist and the golfer knows it! The pressure builds up and decisions have to be made. There is less strategy and overall major decisions on par 3s and par 4s, but the golfer must manage the 500 yard plus par 5, 4 times throughout the round of golf! It brings great theater when watching on television and great fun when playing!
How Many Strokes In A Par?
Par is not the same between holes, it varies of course. And length is what is taken into account in determining the number of strokes needed for completing a hole. This is why the par-3 hole, since it’s a short one, requires a single stroke (by a highly skilled golfer), followed by two putts.
Connection Between Par and Scoring – Under Par Golf Scoring Terms
BIRDIE – 1-under par, that is 1 stroke under par is referred to as a birdie. Good examples would be 4 strokes on par-5, 3 strokes on par-4, and 2 strokes on par-3.
Connection Between Par and Distance
The logic is pretty straightforward – longer holes equal to higher par.
What Is the Average Par On A Golf Course?
That would be 72 for your regular 18-hole round of golf. As for a 9-hole golf course, the average is par-3.
Time to Wrap Things Up!
You can use the term ‘par’ in multiple ways for the game of golf. But USGA defines it as the total number of strokes any expert golfer would take for completing an individual hole. And it goes without saying that this also depends on the difficulty and length of the hole.
Why is a par 3 golf course considered a par 3?
A hole is given a Par 3 ranking because the course designer believes a total of 3 strokes are definitely achievable with enough skill.
How many yards are there in an 18 hole golf course?
Golf course length of 18-hole course ranges from 6,500 to 6,900 yards which is approximately 5,900 to 6,400 meters. Individual holes range from 100- 600 yards which are 90-550 meters.
How much of a golf course is tees and greens?
5% of the total golf course is allotted to the most significant part of the golf course known as the tees and the greens. This area scales around 6 acres. After the main elements of the course are planned, the golf course should also account for the clubhouse, storage, and parking areas.
What is rough golf?
Rough is an area that every golf player tries to avoid having their ball in. Only superintendents and the maintenance crew deal with the rough on a regular basis. It’s very important to maintain the roughs properly and in perfect condition.
How many miles does a golf course cover?
Average Golf Course Length in Miles. The golf course length on the PGA tour covers around 7,200 yards which is 4.09 miles. A PGA player on an average plays about 78 rounds in a year spanning 319 miles a season.
How long is a golf course?
The average length of a golf course is 6,700 yards (6 .12 kms). If you’re a professional and play on the PGA tour, you’ll probably be playing on a golf course which spans a length of about 7,200 – 7,300 yards.
How long does it take to walk a golf course?
On average it will take 4 hours to walk a standard 18 hole golf course from beginning to end. The time it takes to walk along a course from start to finish will differ for each person. The size of the course, number of players, your skill level, will all add to the total duration.

Current Yardage Guidelines For Par Ratings
Current Guidelines Represent 'Effective Playing length'
- It's important to note that the USGA guidelines cited, the current recommended par yardages, are not, in fact, based on actual, measured yards, but on a hole's "effective playing length." Effective playing length is one of the factors taken into account when a course is given its USGA course rating and USGA slope rating. The easiest way to understand "effective playing length" is to pictu…
How The Par and Yardage Guidelines Have Changed
- Prior to the introduction of effective playing length into course ratings, the yardage guidelines for hole pars were based on actual, measured yards. It's interesting to see how they've changed over the years. We have three examples below; in each case, the yardages listed are for men: 1911 (Note: The USGA adopted the use of "par" in 1911, which makes these its first-ever guidelines o…