Do you go by the pars on the sign or all 3s?

[jhgonzo]

I always play the posted par up at Highbridge; pretty much everywhere else I've played, all 3s, but that's because our run-of-the-mill courses around here don't offer a substantial number of champ-calibre courses. I have a hard enough time saving my par on Highbridge Gold #8, the last thing I need is to be 4 or 5 over on that hole...

 

[Disc Dog]

I play all 3's at courses I have played more than a couple of times. My first couple of times I will play course par to see where I compare to the design and to while I get used to the layout.

 

[flingkaching]

It doesn't matter what you use as par, your throws per round is your score. Your score is your score either way.

 

[The dude on the bike]

It doesn't matter what you use as par, your throws per round is your score. Your score is your score either way.

nope, when you ace a par five it's called a flooster.

 

[bikinjack]

In the last two days, I've played two very different courses that are both listed as having a par of 69, W. R. Jackson at the IDGC, and Timmons Park. I can understand why someone would say everything is par 3, and ignore sign pars if the only courses they ever played were like Timmons, and I feel sorry for all of the folks who never get to experience a course as cool as the Jackson, or any of the courses at the IDGC.

 

[wolito]

I usually go all par three for the courses I play. Some signs just don't show/indicate that a hole is par four or because it was vanadlized. Also may depend on pin position so I just shoot for a 3.

 

[Viper124]

Signs. There's no way I'm going 3 on a 750ft hole.

 

[NDABRUSH]

Signs. There's no way I'm going 3 on a 750ft hole.

Amen brother.

 

[elevated plastic]

It doesn't matter what you use as par, your throws per round is your score. Your score is your score either way.

:hfive:

 

[thecomet]

When reciting my score, I just follow the convention used by the person I am talking to. For example, virtually all of my serious dg friends recite scores with the assumption that every hole is considered a par 3, so if someone in that group asks me, I will do the same. On the other hand, I have a bunch of casual friends who go by listed par, so I will either tell them my score in terms of listed par or will just tell them the number of throws if I don't remember what the listed par is.

When I keep track of it in my head, I do par 3's. That way, I can just multiply the number of holes by 3 and add/subtract the amount over/under I am without having to go back and think of how many par 4's or 5's there are, especially since this number can fluctuate with summer/winter basket changes, etc. It just makes everything simpler, and I don't really take par to mean anything more. I won't get upset with myself over a bogey on a 900ft hole, just as I won't feel satisfied with a par on a 150ft hole.

As has been stated, it really doesn't matter. The par doesn't matter. What matters is how well your fared on the hole compared to the field, your friends, or your personal averages.

 

[craftsman]

3's.
How else am I gonna be able to keep track of others score to ensure fair play

 

[HarkeyPuck]

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.
The mental aspect of what Par is is extremely important... especially mid-round. Walking away from a Hole with the idea you just birdied the Hole as opposed to bogeying it is huge... even if total score is what is most important in the end.

Example:
I was at the USDGC this year and was hanging around a few of the players after the rounds... I don't remember hearing anything like this:

Pro1: "How'd ya shoot today?"
Pro 2: "I shot a 20 over"
Pro 1: "Oh man. You shot an 88?"
Pro 2: "No... I shot a 74. Didn't you know that every hole in the world of disc golf is a 3?"
Pro 1: "Oh yeah... I forgot, we're Pros"

DSCJNKY

PS... Question: How many Par 3's were on the USDGC course this year? 18 or 7. If you said 18, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

Thank You!
My best round @ Deer Lakes is a 2 over 68. I knew I was playing good during the round, a couple birdies mixed in there. Playing all par 3's I would have been frustrated being 14 over.

Using 3's to keep score I get. But to say I was 2 over as opposed to 14 over makes a difference.

 

[jbmagic21]

I find the easiest way is just to count the number of throws. I have printed off scorecards off for any particular course, and go to the course and it's different on the tee. So to see how I do from course to course is just to keep the number of throws. I find it to be easier to compare courses and be less ambiguous.

 

[DavidSauls]

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.
The mental aspect of what Par is is extremely important... especially mid-round. Walking away from a Hole with the idea you just birdied the Hole as opposed to bogeying it is huge... even if total score is what is most important in the end.

Example:
I was at the USDGC this year and was hanging around a few of the players after the rounds... I don't remember hearing anything like this:

Pro1: "How'd ya shoot today?"
Pro 2: "I shot a 20 over"
Pro 1: "Oh man. You shot an 88?"
Pro 2: "No... I shot a 74. Didn't you know that every hole in the world of disc golf is a 3?"
Pro 1: "Oh yeah... I forgot, we're Pros"

DSCJNKY

PS... Question: How many Par 3's were on the USDGC course this year? 18 or 7. If you said 18, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

Clever. Of course, there's the other side of the story.

"Man, I stank it up and shot 13-under yesterday. So today I went to another course and had one of the hottest rounds of my life.....and I was 2-over-par!"

Absent a universally accepted and applied standard for "par", relying on the signs or scorecards is nearly as valueless as playing "all 3s", and moreso on some courses.

*

(The above example from Earlewood and Stoney Hill, by the way)

 

[superberry]

Signs. There's no way I'm going 3 on a 750ft hole.

As long as it's flat, that's just a 360' drive, 360' drive, then a 30' putt.

715' downhill at Winter Park (#15) is a par 3 for a Blue player.

 

[woodstock]

I decide after I finish the hole on what the par should be.

 

[optidiscic]

Something being forgotten here is that over/under par across par 54 to par 72 is quite different. On a par 54 course you have to be efficient over 54 throws to throw par.......to throw par on a par 72 you have to be efficient 18 more throws and these are typically some combination of 2nd drives and/or long fairway shots. Think about that for a moment. What I'm trying to say is shooting a 6 over on a par 72 is way more impressive than shooting even on a par 54. Whats my point....a few have surmised that comparing scores across courses is the point of keeping par according to tee signs. While I agree with using assigned par instead of all 3s. I am way more happy when I can throw a round in the 70s at my local par 68 championship course then I am when I shoot a 54 at the local technical woods shortie. So yeah I'm happier with a 7 over than breaking even.

 

[superberry]

Clever. Of course, there's the other side of the story.

"Man, I stank it up and shot 13-under yesterday. So today I went to another course and had one of the hottest rounds of my life.....and I was 2-over-par!"

Absent a universally accepted and applied standard for "par", relying on the signs or scorecards is nearly as valueless as playing "all 3s", and moreso on some courses.

*

(The above example from Earlewood and Stoney Hill, by the way)

True. This is the problem. Most of us do not play professionally designed courses, and most of the courses out there have not been developed by good course designers, or at least a commonality of course design philosophy for 'standard' par - BECAUSE THERE IS NO STANDARD FOR PAR. So, for the majority of the common courses out there labelled par is arbitrary. That's the point of this thread "pars on the sign". Not "pars as developed and labelled by a professional course designer familar with PDGA player skills, ratings, rules, and course standards".

Hey HarkeyPuck, you shot 68 at Deer Lakes. Anyone you're excited to tell this too, will know it's a tough course with a design that is not all par 3. Saying how well you did over or under par is arbitrary to those who do not know.

 

[superberry]

Something being forgotten here is that over/under par across par 54 to par 72 is quite different. On a par 54 course you have to be efficient over 54 throws to throw par.......to throw par on a par 72 you have to be efficient 18 more throws and these are typically some combination of 2nd drives and/or long fairway shots. Think about that for a moment. What I'm trying to say is shooting a 6 over on a par 72 is way more impressive than shooting even on a par 54. Whats my point....a few have surmised that comparing scores across courses is the point of keeping par according to tee signs. While I agree with using assigned par instead of all 3s. I am way more happy when I can throw a round in the 70s at my local par 68 championship course then I am when I shoot a 54 at the local technical woods shortie. So yeah I'm happier with a 7 over than breaking even.

That's because we don't have Par 2 in disc golf. An entire par 3 course (54) is comprised of many easily deuce holes. When someone takes the time to build a par 72, there is a LOT more focus on shot placement, thus requiring that you will have to throw one extra time per hole, and that's if you don't screw up. Of course the superhuman players that can drive 500'+ or sink anything within 60' are out there, but for the masses, like you say, throwing in the 70s on a 68 or 72 course is impressive, I agree.

On the flip side, and it's definitely seen here on this site, these courses don't rate high with the general population because of their difficulty. I think the "over par" mentality has to do with it. I think Dave242 says "I enjoy a good birdie fest". It is much harder to get a birdie on a par 4 than a par 3. While I agree it's much more rewarding, it doesn't appeal to the general population (unfortunately). Either way, I don't care, it appeals to me, I like the championship courses where the frolfing punks do not dare venture, and I'll still play 'em all as par 3 in my brain, just so I can easily keep score in my head (don't use a card or app to record my score).

 

[DavidSauls]

"All-par-3" is really a misnomer.

It's an "over/under 3" scorekeeping shorthand that a lot of us use.

It works well for most short and old-school courses, and any course on which we average under 63. (For tougher courses, "all-par-4" would work the same).

For those of us who use it, it doesn't change how we play a hole. Call it "par 3", but if I get a 2 on it 70% of the time, in my mental game it's a par-2. Similarly, there are tough holes where I keep score based on "par" 3, but I'm aiming for a 4.