Under par is a golf scoring jargon and having an under par rating in golf means you are playing really well.
Golf is scored by the number of strokes. Put simply, if it takes you fewer strokes to complete an entire course, like the golf course we have in Doral, than your competitors, you are more likely to win the game.
Each hole in a course is given a Par rating. This is essentially the equivalent number of strokes to complete a hole. If it takes you less strokes than the par rating then you’ve got yourself an under par score. Otherwise, you’ll get an above par score if not at par with par rating.
We’ve previously covered Par and what it means in golf. Learn more about it here.
In golf handicap
Under par when talking about golf handicaps is a very good thing. It only means you are playing exceptionally well to only require fewer strokes to complete each hole most of the time.
A regulation golf course has a par of 72 which is equivalent to four (4) par-3s, ten (10) par-4s and four (4) par-5s. So under par here means it is only taking you fewer than 72 strokes overall to complete the course and you can consider yourself a low handicapper if that’s the case.
In course holes
In each hole, a par rating serves as every golfer’s challenge to try to stay at par or below. So when you’re dealing with a par-4 hole and you finish it with just 3 strokes and you do this over and over again, you can consider yourself a good golfer. Maintain this level of prowess through all the holes and you’re on your way to earning a low handicap rating and have a good chance of winning the game.
In golf, under par is given different names according to the number of strokes namely; birdie, eagle, albatross and ace. Check out our article on golf scoring terms to learn more about these under par scoring terminologies.
There you have it. Hopefully above answers your questions about under par in golf. If not, feel free to use the comment section below.