Over Par
Over par is a golf score higher than the par set for a hole, a stretch of holes, or a full round. A player who takes 5 strokes on a par-4, or shoots 78 on a par-72 course, is over par.
What is over par?
Par is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to need on a hole or across a whole course. When a player uses more strokes than that number, the result is over par. It applies on two levels. Take a 5 on a par-4, and you are one over par on that hole. Finish 18 holes in 80 strokes on a par-72 course, and you are eight over par for the round.
The term exists because golf measures a score against a fixed standard, not simply as a raw stroke count. On its own, a score of 80 means little. It depends entirely on which course produced it and how hard that course played. Say instead that a golfer was eight over par, and you know at once how the round stacked up against what the course expected. That shared reference is why leaderboards and broadcasts lean on the phrase.
Over par is not a penalty, and it is not one specific number. It describes the gap between strokes taken and strokes expected, whether that gap is one shot or twenty. For most players, that gap is just the shape of a normal round. Data from MyGolfSpy and TheGrint shows that golfers in the common 16-to-20 handicap range average only 3.6 pars per 18 holes and card a bogey or worse on roughly 14 of them.
How over par works on a hole and over a round
On a single hole, over par is any score above that hole’s par rating. A course mixes different hole lengths, with each one rated a par-3, par-4, or par-5, plus the occasional par-6, so the over-par number shifts from hole to hole.
| Hole par | One over | Two over | Three over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Par 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Par 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Par 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
For a full round, add up the par of all 18 holes to get the course par, which sits at 70, 71, or 72 on most regulation layouts. Your total strokes minus that course par is your score over par. Shoot 90 on a par-72 course, and you finished 18 over.
The same math covers any run of holes a commentator wants to describe. A player might be three over through the front nine, or two over across holes 10 to 13. On a par-72 course, a 73 is one over, a 77 is five over, and an 82 is ten over. On a par-70 course, those same margins land at 71, 75, and 80.
Over par vs. under par vs. even par
Most people look up over par because they are trying to separate it from its two opposites. All three terms sit on a simple scale around par.
| Term | Meaning | Example on a par-72 course |
|---|---|---|
| Under par | Fewer strokes than par | 69 (three under) |
| Even par | Strokes exactly matching par | 72 |
| Over par | More strokes than par | 75 (three over) |
Under par is the good side of the ledger, where the best players spend their rounds. Even par, also called level par or written as “E” on a board, means the score matched the standard exactly. Over par covers everything above that line. Zoom in to a single hole and the pattern holds: one under par is a birdie, one over par is a bogey.
The names for over-par scores
Over-par results on a single hole carry their own vocabulary, built around the word bogey.
| Score on a hole | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 over par | Bogey |
| 2 over par | Double bogey |
| 3 over par | Triple bogey |
| 4 over par | Quadruple bogey |
| 5 over par | Quintuple bogey |
A bogey is one stroke over par, so a 5 on a par-4 or a 4 on a par-3. Past triple bogey, players and scorekeepers usually just say the raw stroke number rather than reaching for “quadruple” or “quintuple.” The word bogey has a strange backstory. It traces to the Colonel Bogey figure of late-1800s British golf, an imaginary steady player whose expected score you competed against. According to Wikipedia’s history of the term, American courses later tightened their par ratings, and bogey slid into its current meaning of one over par.
Averaging one over par on every hole is known as bogey golf, which adds up to a 90 on a par-72 course. Golfbit points out that breaking through to that level is a real milestone for newer players, not a poor showing.
How over par appears on a leaderboard
Golf leaderboards rarely show a player’s raw stroke total on the main line. They show the score relative to par instead, and over-par figures get two visual signals.
The first signal is the plus sign. A player listed at “+3” is three over par, and “+12” is twelve over. The second is color. Broadcasts and course leaderboards traditionally print under-par scores in red and over-par scores in black, dark blue, or dark green, so a quick glance sorts the field into the two sides of par. Some events also use black for even-par scores.
Related Golf Terms
- Tree-lined course — A parkland layout framed by mature trees.
- Architect — The designer responsible for a course’s layout and features.
- Sandbelt course — A course built on sandy soil prized for firm turf and crisp bunkering.
- To par — A score expressed relative to the course’s par.
- Green complex — A green together with its surrounding slopes, bunkers, and run-offs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is over par good or bad?
It depends on the player. For a tour professional, over par is a disappointing result. For most recreational golfers, over par is the normal outcome of nearly every round and nothing to worry about.
Is over par the same as a bogey?
No. A bogey is exactly one stroke over par on a hole. Over par is the wider term for any score above par, from a single stroke to fifteen or more.
What does +5 mean in golf?
It means five over par. The player has used five more strokes than the combined par of the holes they have finished so far.
Can a whole round be over par?
Yes. If your total strokes for 18 holes come out higher than the course par, the round is over par. A 79 on a par-71 course is eight over for the round.
Does over par matter in match play?
Less than it does in stroke play. Match play is decided hole by hole against an opponent, so a running over-par total works mainly as a description rather than as the thing that wins or loses the match.
Sources
- MyGolfSpy and TheGrint, “Study: Overall Golfer Performance By Handicap” (scores-to-par distribution by handicap). Accessed August 2026.
https://mygolfspy.com/labs/study-overall-golfer-performance-by-handicap/ - Wikipedia, “Par (score),” etymology of par and bogey. Accessed August 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par_(score) - Golfbit, “Golf Scoring Terms” (bogey-golf scoring milestone). Accessed August 2026.
https://golfbit.com/golf-scoring-terms - LiveAbout, “The Meaning of ‘Over Par’ in Golf.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.liveabout.com/what-does-over-par-mean-1560942
