The Rules of Handicapping feature par as a factor in the calculation of:
Course Handicap which includes a Course Rating–par adjustment (FOR ALL ASSOCIATIONS THAT HAVE SELECTED TO INCLUDE COURSE RATING–PAR)
Net double bogey, and
Net par
It is important that an accurate parbe established for each hole on a golf course for both men and women, and these values should be printed alongside each hole on the scorecard.It is recommended that par be established for each hole in accordance with the following hole lengths: Note: These guidelines assume an altitude less than 2,000 feet/610 metres above sea level. As par reflects the score a scratch player is expected to score on a given hole, it may also be appropriate to take into consideration the following information when allocating par:
The playing difficulty of the hole, including any effective length correction factors, such as elevation changes, forced lay ups and prevalent wind.
Where a hole length falls within two par ranges, for example 470 yards (men) or 400 yards (women), the par may be allocated as 4 or 5 depending on the difficulty of the hole.
The way the hole is designed to be played.
Where appropriate, the standardization of par across tee sets is recommended. For example, if the hole lengths from all sets of tees on a specific hole lie within the recommended par 5 range for men, with the exception of the forward tee at 410 yards, the forward tee should also be designated as a par 5 hole if it can be determined that it was designed to be played as a par 5 for the majority of players who will choose to play the hole from that tee. Additional consideration may also be given to the set of tees most commonly played by men and women and the most common par, for men and women, across all sets of tees on a hole.
