54 or course par?

[Spookyspence]

So me and my local group have this argument.........half play every course..every hole as a par 3..aka 54. The others play the course par......what do you do and why?

 

[gcr_russell]

This is a discussion that has happened here quite a few times before, and quite often turns into big long debates. (Not a reason not to discuss it now, just a forewarning of the storm ahead.) Personally I feel like it doesn't really matter so much, and just play my score. A 54 is the same as any other 54 whether you call it par or -5.

 

[Jeasy13]

Just use 54. It's easier to use every hole as a 3 and count your + strokes and - off of 3.

Keep
It
Simple
Stupid

 

[weaktit]

If it's a well designed course I play the par as designated by the designer. If it's a poorly designed course then play it how you want. The PDGA has a theory here.

 

[Marksen]

Only problem I have when playing every hole as par 3 is...
Feeling sad because I end up at +12.
The course I play has par at 62 for 18 holes, (pro tee)
If I play it as course par, I end up at +4 and feel much better.

 

[Rol6566]

"What is par???"

 

[ElementZ]

Course Par because my home course has multiple pin placements and it's much easier to compare rounds this way...

If a course only has one set of pins, I play 54 though.

 

[thrembo]

This is one of those eternal arguements that pop up on here once in awhile. My personal feelings are that the par doesn't matter that much because your score (# of strokes/throws) is the same no matter what the par is. Alot of us just set par at 54 becuase it makes it easier to keep score in your head. But if you need an inflated par to feel good about yourself, then by all means, set the par at 100 and have a party!

 

[GLong]

If it's a well designed course I play the par as designated by the designer. If it's a poorly designed course then play it how you want.

this is what i do as well. come play gold to gold at iron hill in northern delaware, it's a legit par 72 with 'par' usually being close to 1000 rated in tourneys. no one is saying 'i shot 14 over' if they manage a 68 on that layout. most players (myself included) will just give a number when asked what they shot in a given round, unless it is on a course with a legit established par designed by someone who knows what they are doing. even then, most people i know will give a number as opposed to a plus/minus par.

This is one of those eternal arguements that pop up on here once in awhile. My personal feelings are that the par doesn't matter that much because your score (# of strokes/throws) is the same no matter what the par is. Alot of us just set par at 54 becuase it makes it easier to keep score in your head. But if you need an inflated par to feel good about yourself, then by all means, set the par at 100 and have a party!

i agree, but i also play certain holes differently if they are par 4/5. few courses have legitimate par 5's, so most of my experience (and most other people's as well) is on par 4. there are some shorter holes that fall into the 3.5 category, and i view them the same way - i'm playing for an easy 3. very few people will get 2's, and some will get 4's because of a bad drive or upshot. i just try to get an easy 3 and move on.

and then there is this philosophy (hole 18 teesign at druid hill in baltimore):

 

[Marksen]

This is one of those eternal arguements that pop up on here once in awhile. My personal feelings are that the par doesn't matter that much because your score (# of strokes/throws) is the same no matter what the par is. Alot of us just set par at 54 becuase it makes it easier to keep score in your head. But if you need an inflated par to feel good about yourself, then by all means, set the par at 100 and have a party!

But if the course is difficult, isn´t a higher par needed?
It looks a bit odd if 1000-rated players are the only ones that finnish under par.

Sure it is easier to play all courses and holes as par 3.
But around here that means that on some courses you might score -7 and on the other u score +8

And if you use the course par you have played even 0 on both courses.
If the course is well designed, and the course par is calculated right, then I use it.
I feel that it is easier to compare scores that way.

 

[1978]

I call them all par 1's. I've only got par 15 times or so. Lucky it doesnt matter, the SCORE is still the same.

 

[bradharris]

Does it really matter? I play the course the same way regardless of par.

 

[DavidSauls]

"What is par???"

A monthly 20-page debate.

 

[kevinmzane]

I like to know the "par" to see how well I did vs. the designers' idea of how the course should be scored but I more often that not just keep track of score in my head, so playing as 3s makes things a lot easier.... That being said: I have played a some "legit" par 4s and 5s that I score that way and am definitely ok taking a 4 or 5 on them.
I do wish there were a more definitive way to establish par.

 

[thrembo]

But if the course is difficult, isn´t a higher par needed?
It looks a bit odd if 1000-rated players are the only ones that finnish under par.

Sure it is easier to play all courses and holes as par 3.
But around here that means that on some courses you might score -7 and on the other u score +8

And if you use the course par you have played even 0 on both courses.
If the course is well designed, and the course par is calculated right, then I use it.
I feel that it is easier to compare scores that way.

Easier than saying I shot a 64, 74, or 84? I beg to differ. But as we long time posters know, this apples and oranges argument will continue for eternity!

 

[DavidSauls]

Easier than saying I shot a 64, 74, or 84? I beg to differ. But as we long time posters know, this apples and oranges argument will continue for eternity!

The "easier" part is keeping score in your head, or adding up scores on a scorecard, particularly for courses where you shoot under 64.

"All-par-3" is a scorekeeping shorthand, and probably a misuse of the word "par".

 

[Jay Dub]

Will you play a hole differently if it's listed as a par 3 vs a par 4?

The correct answer is no therefore par does not matter. :\

 

[thrembo]

The "easier" part is keeping score in your head, or adding up scores on a scorecard, particularly for courses where you shoot under 64.

"All-par-3" is a scorekeeping shorthand, and probably a misuse of the word "par".

FTW. I think that is a good way to look at it.

 

[mashnut]

But if the course is difficult, isn´t a higher par needed?
It looks a bit odd if 1000-rated players are the only ones that finnish under par.

I know we're not ball golf, but something to consider is that a 1000 rated player is our version of a scratch golfer. In ball golf, shooting par is an accomplishment, many recreational players never do it.

 

[chris deitzel]

Play Moraine - Par 66.

Gold Tee Par 66 - is 1000 rated
Blue Tee Par 66 - is 950 rated
White Tee Par 66 - is 900 rated.

There are standards that should be set by the tee level used. But very few courses follow this practice.

With the PDGA event we has last weekend. The unofficial PDGA ratings were:

Gold Tees - 66 was rated exactly 1000
Blue Tees - 66 was rated 959
White Tees - 66 was rated 905

So looks like we were right on once again. After 6 years of tournaments here, the ratings have only fluctuated about 15 points + or - in either direction. Proof that this course was designed properly for the skill levels we were aiming for. This took well over a year of tweaking to get it right.