What is meant by the golfing term Par?
Par is the standard number of strokes for a particular hole ( a par 5 hole) or for a whole course (par for this course is 76). Scottish Golf History website says that the word ‘Par’ comes from the stock exchange term that a stock may be above or below it’s normal or par figure. The website again goes on to say that in 1870 a Mr A.H. Doleman a golf writer asked David Strath and James Anderson both golf professionals what score would win ‘The Belt’ which was the winning trophy for ‘The Open’ at Prestwick. Both said that the 12 hole course should produce a score of 49. Scottish Golf History website goes on further to add that is was in 1893 that the American Women’s golf association began to develop a national handicapping system for women. In 1911 the United States Golf Association for men laid down the distances for determining the par.
