The Concept of "Par" is Overrated.

I think the concept of "par" is the single most negative influence golfers have in relation to the mental side of the game.  Par seems to have the insidious nature of creeping into our subconscience and either giving us validation or remorse after each hole we play.  I see so many golfers happy with par on very easy holes and unhappy with bogey on difficult holes.  I think "par" leads to golfers playing the game differently and we don't even realize it.  How many times have you been "not too upset" by missing a 6ft birdie putt because you could tap in for "par" , at least I got par on that hole ?  How many times have you "sluffed off" that same 6ft putt for double bogey?  Somehow we don't seem to give the stroke for double as much attention as the birdie or par putt.  But then at the end of the round those strokes add up just the same.  I think many of us would score better if we remove "par" from our vocabulary and just focus on "stroke".  Then the putt for double bogey or eagle becomes just a stroke with no added baggage. Instead of being 3 over after 6 holes, you are sitting on 26 strokes or whatever.  Just wondering if anyone thinks this way?

Should bogey golfers (or higher) throw away the concept of par and just do what it takes to shoot the lowest score on each hole? Yes. If they have to lay-up on a par 3 so they miss the water, of course. It can occasionally get even the best players in some trouble (long par fours/short par-fives, long par-threes/short par-fours).But is par "the single most negative influence golfers have in relation to the mental side of the game?" I don't think so.

I have really tried hard to forget that "Par" even exist.  I am not a very good golfer, but I have my moments... I have been working hard on saying my number of strokes per hole (ie 5) instead of "bogey" or "one over."  You are right that it seems to keep the pressure up when it comes to making a putt though.  There is no reprieve from missing that 5 footer for "whatever."  A stroke is a stroke is a stroke.

Jamo, Maybe single most negative influence is a little too strong, I agree but I don't think the concept is exclusive to high handicappers.  I play with lots of good players who seem overly concerned with par.  I have seen lots of players mentally give up on shots because it's for bogey or double or whatever. I've even seen players let down on eagle putts because "wow, even if I would 3 putt this, I still have par." I think they would concentrate more if it was stroke 27 or stroke 34.

Par is the benchmark to measure your performance against scratch golfers, but I'm so far off from that skill level it really has no impact on how I play a round.  I'm focused on playing smarter, making better / more consistent shots and lowering my score.  I hope to get to the point where Par is a real concern or distraction for me.

Speak for yourself.  To me, par is a measuring stick - nothing more, nothing less.  It's neither a negative or a positive - it just is.  It tells me how the hole or course should be played by a good player, not how I should necessarily play it.  No matter what the hole, I'm never satisfied with a bogey or worse, yet there are several holes even on my home course where I can accept that bogey is going to be my par for that hole.  I work just as hard to make a putt for a triple as I do for a birdie putt.  A stroke is a stroke, no matter where it comes during the play of a hole.  Most guys I play with feel the same way.  So I would dispute your contention.

Besides, in one form of play, par is an essential part of scoring.  You can't play Stableford if you don't know what par is.  I've found that certain forms of modified Stableford can be a lot of fun.  My Men's Club holds a modified Stableford tournament each year and it's one of the most popular tournaments we have.  It's also just about the most common form of weekly comp play in the UK.

I don't know if any of those situations would be changed if it's for stroke 27 or stroke 34. If I have a putt for double bogey, I might be a little beat mentally but that's because I have made several bad shots on one hole. And if I have an eagle putt, I'll admit, the thought of a tap in birdie for backup does enter my mind, but not enough for me to give up on the eagle putt. Everybody loves making eagles.

I believe anytime the score creeps into your head, in whatever context, you'll suffer.  It's much better to just concentrate on the next shot.  Make it your best, and make the smart decision.  It serves no purpose to most amateurs to think, as they are standing in the middle of the woods from their errant tee shot, "Gee, I can be on in two and do no worse than par, if I can just bullseye it between those two trees, that are 5 ft apart 20 yds ahead, and keep it low enough to stay under the branches 10 yds ahead of that."

Or the dreaded thought, "All I need to do is par these last two holes to break 'X'," enters your head.

Invariably, my best rounds are ones where someone else kept the score card, and I truly didn't know what I had scored until the card was added up.  It might have 'felt' like a certain score, but then finding out it was a couple/three strokes lower is always a welcomed surprise.  Usually, those are rounds where I never gave much thought to any scoring - individual holes or overall score - just thoughts of the next shot, and never beyond that.

When I think about the whole score, rather than the score on each hole, I get too far ahead of myself and play too agressive. Par on each hole is my benchmark and individual holes can be birdie, par, or bogey holes. There are some holes where I know it's okay to shoot for a bogey, because there are usually plenty of birdie holes out there too. It all evens out. A 36 on 9-holes sounds good. 3 pars, 3 bogeys and 3 birdies sounds good too. Whatever works for you.

I have to relate to Par. Otherwise I don't get pumped form making birdies...I am usually fine with making a bogey too, unless it's a three putt.

I'm with NEOH Mark on this one.  If you are worried about "par', then you are worried about "score", when you should be concentrating on your next shot, and only your next shot.

Good case in point:  My buddy, who plays to a 7 or 8, was two under on the back 9, going to #17, a par 3 over water.  He said he was just going to try to find dry land to preserve his back nine score.  You can guess the result, two in the water, a smooth 8.  He worried about his score on the back rather than playing the shot.

I tend to think that after awhile a golfer will have to mature from this type of thinking before they can score and play at the next level.  Over my years, I have come to realize a few things.  Any putt made is a great putt and saving a double bogey from 10 feet is a stroke saved.  All strokes count equally and therefore deserve to be contemplated and given the proper attention.  Lapses of concentration can occur when one doesn't understand the value of a stroke.  For instance, a lay-up shot on a par 5 needs attention.  So does a putt for triple bogey.  Losing your concentration for a "simple" shot can turn that hole into a trainwreck fast.  No matter what you just scored it has no effect on the rest of your round.  What is done is done, just make a concentrated effort not to play score and to hit quality golf shots.  And finally, any day golfing is a good day.

My last round, I went out thinking about keeping score by shot quality, but that changed after a double on the opening hole.   That was brilliant because I then ended up 4 over after 3.  I reminded myself of playing one shot at a time and then hit some great shots but missed key birdie putts but I hit them online so they were good putts.  I finished the nine 5 over and went back into score mode just to double the next hole.  Haven't I learned my lesson yet? I am 7 over.  I went back into shot mode and hit my iron approaches to 12 feet, 2 feet, 40 feet, Sand Save to 5, 3 feet, 30 feet and 15 feet.  Every putt I hit was on my line and I made 4 one putts for a 35.  If I was thinking score on the back, I would have sunk myself as I was 4 over after 3, 7 over after 10, but by concentrating on targets and quality I was able to finish at a 4 over 76.

This was a great lesson for me.  I just wish I would have remembered all this wisdom before and after that nonchalant layup snafu on hole #1.

Par's just a number.

I'm pretty sure it's not the single most negative thing in golf, but lately with the threads you've started you seem to be the single most negative golfer I've seen in a long time. Do you have anything positive to say?

Besides, what's a birdie putt if it's for the 3.5th stroke on a hole after you drove a par four (or whatever you had going)?

As for why pros and others grind more on a bogey putt than a birdie putt, look up loss aversion.

If it's your three point fifth stroke on a par 5, that's a putt for Beagle. Your next putt is for Borgey.

I think one could probably write a short story if not a book on the subject of par. Par is a benchmark. I believe the classic definition is "the score that an expert golfer (whatever that is ) would score on a given hole, allowing for 2 putts.  On a scorecard, handicaps are assigned to each hole, 1 being the most difficult and 18 being the least difficult.  If the handicap on a hole is equal or greater than your personal handicap, your "par" for that hole is essentially bogie. Doesn't mean you shouldn't try for par or better if your skills match the path, or even if they don't, it's just a benchmark. If you are a bogie golfer and you make bogie, you should not feel bad, just work on your skills to get better. I am basically a bogie golfer, so if I make 5 on a 400+ yard par 4, I just accept it and move to the next hole.

The score is a total of the shots you make, and I do find I play best when I can just focus on the shots at hand. My best scores are like others have said, I didn't really know until I added it up.

What messes with my head a bit is when the USGA or PGA changes the par on certain holes in the US Open or PGA--making a par 5 into a par 4 so the hole usually plays over par for the tournament.

ROFLMAO!!!!!  I almost choked on my sandwich when I read "3.5th stroke".

So Phil with loss aversion, are you saying that that bogey stroke has more negative value than a par putt has positive value?  The pro's (as you put it) aren't any smarter because they grind harder over a bogey putt. A stroke is a stroke.