Golf Glossary
Under Par / Over Par
In short
Under par in golf means a player has taken fewer strokes than par allows. Over par means more strokes than par. It is worked out for a hole, a round or a whole tournament. A player who shoots 69 on a par-72 course is three under par, shown as ‘−3’.
Under par and over par: the meaning explained
Par is the expected number of strokes for a hole or a course. Golfers almost always compare their score with this number. That gives three statements:
- Under par: you took fewer strokes than par.
- Even par: you took exactly as many strokes as par.
- Over par: you took more strokes than par.
The calculation is always the same: your number of strokes minus par. If the result is negative you are under par. If it is positive you are over par. Zero means par.
The word ‘par’ comes from the language of finance and means ‘equal’. That is also where the expressions ‘above par’ and ‘below par’ come from. Golf uses ‘under par’ and ‘over par’ in the same way. For beginners: almost all recreational golfers play over par. That is normal, because par describes a very good player.
How to calculate: hole, round and tournament
You can work out under par and over par at three levels.
On a hole there are special names. One stroke under par is a birdie, two under par an eagle and three under par an albatross. One stroke over par is a bogey, two over par a double bogey.
Over a round you add up all the holes. The course par is the sum of the pars of all holes. For example, an 18-hole course with four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s is par 72. If you shoot 69 you are three under par. If you shoot 80 you are eight over par.
In a tournament the results of all rounds are added. Professionals usually play four rounds. If a professional shoots four rounds of 69 on a par-72 course, he is twelve under par after four rounds. That is how TV leaderboards read. The distance to par is shown after each player’s name.
How it is displayed: −3, +5 and E
On leaderboards and in stats apps the distance to par is shown with a sign:
- Under par is shown with a minus, for example ‘−3’ for three under par.
- Over par is shown with a plus, for example ‘+5’ for five over par.
- Even par is shown as ‘E’ or ‘0’.
In English you also say ‘level par’ for even par and ‘score to par’ for the distance. In German you often just hear ‘Par gespielt’. It always means the same: result and expected number of strokes are equal.
The difference from the stroke count matters. The stroke count is the absolute number, for example 69. The distance to par is the relative number, for example −3. Tournament leaderboards usually show the distance to par. It shows who is ahead even during the round, when players have completed different numbers of holes.
Practical example: 9 holes with par 33
A 9-hole course is par 33. The holes are, in order, par 4, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3 and 4. A player makes three pars, three bogeys, two birdies and one double bogey.
The calculation: pars count zero, each bogey plus one, each birdie minus one and the double bogey plus two.
- Three pars: 0
- Three bogeys: +3
- Two birdies: −2
- One double bogey: +2
That is +3 in total. The player took 36 strokes and is three over par. Had he instead made five birdies and four pars, the result would be −5, or 28 strokes.
The example shows that what counts in the end is the total over all holes. One double bogey can wipe out two birdies. For beginners it is therefore decisive to avoid bad holes before going for birdies.
Under par with a handicap: net and Stableford
A player who is under par without handicap shots has a very good gross score. Only very good players manage that, often those with a handicap around zero or lower. With a handicap the picture is friendlier.
In the net competition you subtract your handicap strokes from your stroke count. A player who is under par net has played better than the handicap predicts. A player with a playing handicap of 24 on a par-72 course who takes 95 strokes has played 71 net. That is one stroke under par.
In Stableford you see it in the points. 36 net points over 18 holes equal net par. More than 36 points usually means net under par, fewer than 36 net over par. This is only exact if no hole was worse than net double bogey, because a hole never scores less than 0 points. Over nine holes, 18 points equal net par.
Net scoring thus makes a result ‘under par’ possible for players with a higher handicap too. That is why competitions often have both classifications.
Distinctions: under par, birdie and scratch
The terms are close together but mean different things.
- Under par refers to a round or a tournament, but can also mean a single hole. A birdie is one stroke under par on a hole.
- A player can make a birdie on a hole and still be over par if he drops strokes on other holes.
- A scratch golfer has a handicap of zero. On a good day he is expected to score about the course rating. That is not automatically the par, because course rating and par can differ.
- A bogey golfer plays roughly one bogey per hole on average and is therefore well over par.
The Rules of Golf use neither the bird names nor ‘under par’ and ‘over par’. For the Rules only the number of strokes counts. Both are golf language.
Common misunderstandings about under par and over par
There are some misunderstandings around the two terms.
- Over par does not mean bad: for most players over par is the normal case. What matters is how your own rounds develop.
- Under par does not mean a birdie on every hole: a player on −2 may simply have made two birdies and pars otherwise.
- A different par applies on nine holes: the par of a 9-hole course is not always half the par of an 18-hole course. Check the number on the scorecard.
- Mixing up gross and net: a player can be under par net and over par gross.
Anyone who always compares the result with the par of the holes keeps an overview and sees where strokes are lost.
Try it at Golf Lounge
Under par or over par: on the Golf Lounge’s 9-hole ‘Black’ course (par 33) you can work out your distance to par for yourself. The course has six par-4 and three par-3 holes, plus water hazards and bunkers. With the DGV Platzreife it can be played from April to December, with up to four players per tee time. From May to October a 9-hole qualifying competition runs every Saturday at 9 am.
Frequently asked questions
What does under par mean in golf?
Under par means a player has taken fewer strokes than the par of the hole, round or tournament. A player who shoots 69 on a par-72 course is three under par. On leaderboards it appears as ‘−3’. On a single hole one stroke under par is a birdie.
What does over par mean in golf?
Over par means more strokes than par. With 80 strokes on a par-72 course you are eight over par, written ‘+8’. For most recreational golfers that is the normal case, because par describes the performance of a very good player. One stroke over par on a hole is a bogey.
What does even par mean?
Even par means you took exactly as many strokes as par. Leaderboards show ‘E’ or ‘0’. In German it is often simply ‘Par gespielt’. On a par-72 course, 72 strokes equal even par. In English it is also called ‘level par’.
How do I work out my score to par?
Subtract par from your number of strokes. With 85 strokes on a par-72 course that gives 85 minus 72, so +13. A negative result means under par, a positive one over par. It works per hole too: if you need five strokes on a par 4, you are +1.
Can you play under par with a handicap?
Yes, in the net competition. There the strokes count after handicap strokes are deducted. A player with a playing handicap of 24 who shoots 95 on a par-72 course is on 71 net, one under par. In Stableford, 36 net points over 18 holes equal net par exactly.
As of: October 2026