![]() ![]() An eagle is defined as a score of 2-under par on an individual hole. What is an eagle on a par-4 hole? A score of 2 on a par-4 hole is an eagle. What counts as a green in regulation on a par-4 hole? If you hit the green in two strokes or fewer, you are credited with a GIR. How many par-4 holes are on a golf course? It can literally be any number from zero to 18, but in practice, a very high percentage of full-length, 18-hole courses include 10, 11 or 12 par-4 holes. And in the first yardage guidelines issued by the USGA in 1911, par-4 holes were recommended for lengths of 225 to 425 yards. In 1917, the men's par-4 yardage guidline was 251 to 445 yards (no women's guidelines existed this early). In fact, that men's yardage (251-470) goes all the way back to 1956 for USGA territories. And the par-4 range for women was 211 yards to 400 yards.Prior to the World Handicap System's latest tweak (as of 2020), the par-4 yardages for men were 251 yards to 470 yards.The yardage guidelines for how long a par-4 hole can be have changed several times in golf history. That takes into account such things as whether a hole plays uphill or downhill how many bunkers or penalty areas are on a hole how tight or wide open the hole is, to name three possible factors. ![]() In addition to the actual, measured yardage of a hole, the course ratings team (representing the USGA or R&A, most likely through an affiliated state or regional association) will also consider "effective playing length" when assigning par ratings for a golf course. That's because, in the first case, the professional golf tours do their own course set-up and can call a hole's par anything they want and, in the second case, because these yardage ranges really are guidelines, not requirements. Now, we've all seen par-4 holes on TV whose yardages fall outside of the ranges above, and we might have even encountered such a hole in person. ![]() Today, when a golf course is being rated by those governing bodies so it can be included in the World Handicap System, the course ratings team will set the par of each hole. These ranges of yardages refer to actual, measured lengths, and these guidelines are included in the World Handicap System introduced by the governing bodies of golf (the R&A and USGA) in the year 2020.
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