What is Par?

[DavidSauls]

Let's change the thread name from "What Is Par" to
"What should par be?"

One simple answer to the question, "What is Par?",
as it relates to disc golf, is
"A mess"

 

[Porkchop]

I agree with you but the problem is every Tom who's Dick n' Sally has already "come up" with their own par. With no real authority in our sanctioning body you cannot change par overnight.

This is why I think a standard needs to be in place.

Example: In 2009 ran the First Class Challenge National Tour Event in Des Moines. The National Tour encourages an actual course par be established. So it was up this Tom and his Dick and Harry assistant TD's to come up with what par was on every hole on the five courses used.

Seeing how there is no standard I just used a method that worked for us. We used a method of Blue/Gold Level player on the green (being roughly the 10m Circle) plus 2. IMO the only real difference between the Gold and Blue level players (as far as par goes) are the holes the Blue player would call a "tweener"; those holes that are Par 3/4 or 4/5 for a Blue level player while being a true 3 and 4 for a Gold level player. We went with the Gold par on those.

It seems a little bizarre to me that there is no guide or standard for the highest tour in the sport.

The PDGA does have this buried on their website.
http://www.pdga.com/files/documents/ParGuidelines.pdf

It's about as close to a standard as there is really (Grodney's chart is in the same ballpark)

 

[AJ_86]

Let's change the thread name from "What Is Par" to
"What should par be?"

What should Par be?

Fun.

 

[Olorin]

It's about as close to a standard as there is really (Grodney's chart is in the same ballpark)

There's also Close Range Par as a standard. I totally agree that there needs to be a universal and consistently applied standard for determining par.

 

[ironmon]

par is 3
-
if the hole is a gazillion yds then you'll just be taking a double digit bogey - deal
the key is to take it one stroke less than fred flintstone

 

[Cgkdisc]

With no real authority in our sanctioning body you cannot change par overnight.

What authority would you expect the PDGA have beyond posting the Par Guidelines that have been there based on skill levels since they were established around 2003? "Pardon me, I'm with Triple P, (PDGA Par Police) and we've got some problems here. We've had reports of some holes being listed as par 2s?"

 

[billnchristy]

I wouldn't expect them to do anything, thats why I said it. But I bet if whatever association golf uses changed the rules then *most* golf courses would change and conform.

Our biggest issue besides our sanctioning body not being large enough or funded enough is the grassroots nature of the sport and the fact that you cannot tell the parks to spend money on new signs were a standard actually set anyways.

 

[Cgkdisc]

the fact that you cannot tell the parks to spend money on new signs were a standard actually set anyways.

...and that really is par for the course.

 

[Porkchop]

There's also Close Range Par as a standard.

This is part of the problem. If you can use "also a standard" then its not the standard and one probably doesn't exist.

 

[AJ_86]

...and that really is par for the course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgWQ1erBnMo

 

[Cgkdisc]

If you can use "also a standard" then its not the standard and one probably doesn't exist.

CRP is a concept but no standard.

 

[grodney]

Chuck and I agree!

 

[Olorin]

Apparently many people still need to know more about par. I guess as long as there are new players still asking questions about par this thread will be relevant.

 

[Olorin]

CRP is a concept but no standard.

Piffle. :thmbdown: Merely making a declarative statement does not make it a fact. CR Par is just as much of a standard as SA Par, and TG Par. All 3 are standards used to determine par.

 

[Cgkdisc]

I believe the PDGA defines THE standard which doesn't mention CRP. But designers are free to use whatever method they wish and not get a PDGA hand slap including using a coin flip on an Optidiscic tweener. For those keeping score at home, SA par and CR par produce such similar results that only in rare cases will anyone see the difference including Olorin and myself.

 

[biscoe]

I believe the PDGA defines THE standard

...sure they do, for all those courses the pdga has put in the ground all over the place...

 

[Cgkdisc]

The only PDGA requirement currently is that par be assigned for each hole per the rules for competition. Beyond that, it's simply another topic that drives discussion boards.

 

[Olorin]

I believe the PDGA defines THE standard which doesn't mention CRP.

OK, so we're really debating definite and indefinite articles.
Of course I agree with Chuck that CR Par is not THE standard.
But my point was that CR Par is A standard.
This part of the discussion started when post #402 said that there needs to be A standard. Confusion arose when Chuck didn't use an article and stated "CR Par is no standard".

 

[Olorin]

For those keeping score at home, SA par and CR par produce such similar results that only in rare cases will anyone see the difference including Olorin and myself.

+1. Agreed.

 

[DavidSauls]

For those keeping score at home, SA par and CR par produce such similar results that only in rare cases will anyone see the difference including Olorin and myself.

I've suspected as much.