How Many Par-4 Holes Are on a Golf Course?

Is there a standard number of par-4 holes used on golf courses? No — but a very high percentage of all full-length, 18-hole golf courses contain either 10, 11 or 12 par-4 holes.

You can think of the par-4 hole as a sort of standard unit for golf courses. They are the most common type of golf hole, with par-4 meaning that expert golfers are expected to need four strokes to complete the hole. Par-4 holes are longer than par-3 holes but shorter than par-5 holes.

And how many par-4 holes are on any given track is entirely up to the golf course designer during the design process. In theory, a course could contain 18 par-4 holes, and such a course would have an overall par of 72. But in practice, most courses will have 10, 11 or 12 par-4s, with the remainder of the holes consisting of par-3s and par-5s.

See also: How long is a par-4 hole?

A few examples of the number of par-4s on some famous golf courses:

• Augusta National Golf Club, a par-72, has 10 par-4 holes.
• Shinnecock Hills, a par-70, has 12 par-4s.
• Oakmont Country Club, a par-71, has 11 par-4s.
• Merion Golf Club, a par-70, has 12 par-4s.
• Pebble Beach Golf Links, a par-72, has 10 par-4s.
• The Plantation Course at Kapalua, a par-73, has 11 par-4s.

When a golf course has an even number (10, 12) of par-4 holes, they will most likely be split evenly between the front nine and back nine. A course with 10 par-4s is likely to have five on the front nine and five on the back nine, for example.

Related articles:

• How many par-3 holes are on a golf course?
• How many par-5 holes are on a golf course?
• Why are golf hole liners painted white?