Golf Glossary
Par 3, Par 4, Par 5
In short
Par 3, par 4 and par 5 name the number of strokes a very good player needs for a hole. On a par 3 it is three strokes, on a par 4 four and on a par 5 five. Two putts on the green are always included. The number depends mainly on the length of the hole.
Par 3, par 4 and par 5: what the number means
Every hole on a golf course has a par. It is the expected number of strokes for a very good player. It is set so that two putts on the green are included. The remaining strokes are those a good player needs to get the ball onto the green.
That gives the rule of thumb:
- Par 3: one stroke to the green, then two putts
- Par 4: two strokes to the green, then two putts
- Par 5: three strokes to the green, then two putts
Golfers also speak of a ‘green in regulation’ when the ball is on the green in two strokes fewer than par. Whoever manages that has two putts for par. Whoever needs more strokes must rescue the hole with a good short game.
The number after the word ‘par’ also tells you something about the character of the hole. A par 3 is short and above all demands an accurate tee shot. A par 5 is long and demands planning.
How long are par 3, par 4 and par 5 holes?
Par depends mainly on the length of a hole. Appendix F of the World Handicap System rules by the R&A and USGA gives guidelines. For men the lengths are roughly:
- Par 3: up to about 240 metres
- Par 4: about 220 to 450 metres
- Par 5: about 410 to 650 metres
For women the guidelines are shorter: par 3 up to about 200 metres, par 4 about 180 to 380 metres, par 5 about 340 to 550 metres. From about 610 metres for men and 520 metres for women a par 6 comes into consideration.
The ranges overlap because measured length is not the only factor. What matters is effective playing length. If a hole climbs uphill, has a dogleg or many hazards, it plays longer than it looks on paper. If a length falls into two ranges, par can be allocated according to difficulty. In practice most par 3s are well under 200 metres.
Par 3: the shot to the green
The par 3 is the shortest hole. As a rough guide, many par 3s are between 100 and 180 metres long. A poor tee shot is hard to recover from, because the tee shot is also the shot to the green. If you hit the green you have a good chance of par or even birdie.
What matters on a par 3:
- Choose the club for the distance to the flag, not for the distance you would like to hit.
- Take account of the wind, hazards in front of the green and the position of the flag.
- Aim for the middle of the green rather than attacking the flag.
A hole in one is possible on a par 3. That is an eagle, two under par. On short courses, the so-called par-3 courses, many or even all holes are par 3. They are good for practising the short game.
Par 4: the standard hole
The par 4 is the most common hole. On many 18-hole courses around ten of the 18 holes are par 4. The first stroke, the tee shot, should bring the ball safely onto the fairway. The second stroke, the approach, then goes to the green.
Length and difficulty vary a great deal. Experienced golfers often play short par 4s of about 250 metres with an iron from the tee and a short wedge. Long par 4s of more than 400 metres demand two very good shots and then two putts.
Typical mistakes are a tee shot that is too long and ends up in the rough or a hazard. A helpful rule for beginners: from the tee choose the club with which you most reliably find the fairway. A ball out of bounds or in the water costs a penalty stroke. A bogey on a par 4 is a good result for many club golfers.
Par 5: the three-shot hole
The par 5 is the longest hole. The ball should reach the green in three strokes, followed by two putts. On shorter par 5s good players sometimes reach the green in two. Then two putts are enough for a birdie, and one putt makes an eagle.
For most players the hole is a three-shot hole. A common plan:
- Tee shot with the driver onto the fairway
- Second shot with a wood or hybrid, but without much risk
- Third shot as an approach to the green
A shot deliberately played short like this is called a ‘layup’. The second shot is played to a distance from which you are comfortable with the third. On a par 5 club golfers often have the best birdie chances, because a single mistake can still be recovered. But a par 5 with two penalty strokes quickly turns into a double bogey.
Practical example: par 72 over 18 holes
The course par is the sum of all holes. A common layout for an 18-hole course is four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s. That gives par 72, because 4 times 3 plus 10 times 4 plus 4 times 5 is 12 plus 40 plus 20. Par 70 and par 71 are also common, depending on how many par 3s and par 5s a course has.
Smaller courses are calculated in the same way. The Golf Lounge’s 9-hole ‘Black’ course has par 33. It consists of six par 4s and three par 3s, because 6 times 4 plus 3 times 3 is 24 plus 9. There is no par 5 there.
A player who plays every hole at par on this course needs 33 strokes. With three birdies and par on the rest it is 30 strokes. With a bogey on every hole the total is 42. The calculation is always the same: par of the hole plus or minus the result.
Tips and common misunderstandings
A few misunderstandings about par 3, par 4 and par 5 come up for beginners.
- Par is not a minimum: it is the value for a very good player. For beginners a bogey is a good result.
- A long hole is not automatically hard: a short par 3 with a lot of water can be harder than a long open one.
- Women and men: separate, shorter guidelines apply for women. The same hole can therefore have a higher par from the women’s tees than from the men’s tees.
- The par does not decide the handicap strokes: where you receive handicap strokes is shown by the stroke index on the scorecard.
A rule of thumb for planning: before the tee shot, think about how many strokes you have to the green, and plan backwards from the flag. That way you make better decisions.
Try it at Golf Lounge
You can experience a course with par-3 and par-4 holes for yourself at the Golf Lounge. The 9-hole ‘Black’ course is par 33 with six par-4 and three par-3 holes, plus water hazards and bunkers. According to the course overview the holes range from just under 80 to around 300 metres. With the DGV Platzreife, up to four players per tee time can play, and the course is open from April to December.
Frequently asked questions
What does par 3 mean in golf?
Par 3 means a very good player needs three strokes for the hole: one stroke to the green and two putts. Par-3 holes are the shortest holes on a course. Two strokes make a birdie, and a hole in one is an eagle. As a rough guide, many par 3s are between 100 and 180 metres long.
What does par 4 mean in golf?
Par 4 is the standard hole. A very good player needs four strokes: two to the green and two putts. A birdie takes three strokes and a bogey five. According to the guidelines, par 4s are about 220 to 450 metres long for men and about 180 to 380 metres for women.
What does par 5 mean in golf?
Par 5 means five strokes: three strokes to the green and two putts. It is the longest hole, about 410 to 650 metres for men and 340 to 550 metres for women. Good players sometimes reach the green in two. A birdie takes four strokes and an eagle three.
How is the par of a hole decided?
The handicap guidelines in the Rules are based mainly on the length of the hole. Effective playing length is taken into account, so slope, dogleg and hazards count too. The ranges overlap, so a hole between two lengths can be par 4 or par 5 depending on difficulty. The par is set by the golf club or the responsible authority.
How many par 3, par 4 and par 5 holes does a golf course have?
A common layout over 18 holes is four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s, making par 72. There are also courses with par 70 or 71 and with different distributions. Small courses often have only par-3 and par-4 holes. The course par is the sum of all holes.
As of: October 2026