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paul cowley

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How did the idea of 'par' develop...
« on: February 22, 2010, 10:45:16 PM »
....and who, or what body was most responsible for it's acceptance in what has become one of the most driving considerations in modern design?
paul cowley...golf course architect/asgca

Mark Molyneux

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Re: How did the idea of 'par' develop...
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2010, 11:14:42 PM »
From Browning's History of Golf, "An important step towards the uniformity in this matter (scratch standard or the normal performance of its best players) was the invention of the bogey score. In 1890 the late Mr. Hugh Rotherham of the Coventry Club, conceived the idea of a competition in which each competitor would be invited to play a match under handicap against a hypothetical opponent playing perfect golf at every hole... Mr. Rotherham's first job therefore, was to fix what he called the "ground score" of the Whitley Common (course), the score the scratch player would take for each hole playing perfect golf. The first competition agains this "ground score" was played on 13th May 1891, and in the autumn of the same year the Coventry Club presented a silver challenge cup, to be played for annually under the same conditions."

Browning also speaks of a Dr. Thomas Brown, R.N., the honorary secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, who introduced the "ground score" in that club shortly after learning of Rotherham's competition. It happened that around that time there was a music hall ditty, with a refrain: Hush! Hush! Hush! Here comes the bogey man! Dr. Brown explained the new form of play as competing against this imaginary opponent, the real bogey man.

Bogey man shot bogey score until the original concept of bogey golf  evolved to become the same as the modern "par", the score shot on a particular hole by a first class golfer.

Sometimes it's as much a matter of knowing where to find the information as actually knowing the answer. Maybe the most remarkable aspect of this answer in 2010 is that it came from a real book and not off the 'net. Geez! It felt like swinging a hickory shafted mashie!

paul cowley

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Re: How did the idea of 'par' develop...
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2010, 12:02:43 AM »
Good for you Mark!
paul cowley...golf course architect/asgca

Mark Molyneux

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Re: How did the idea of 'par' develop...
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2010, 01:02:30 AM »
Thanks Paul! Played the Love Course at Barefoot and really enjoyed myself. I'll have to go scouting those other designs that you've been associated with. Maybe you can help me out with a question or two... "the low country". What is it? Would you consider yourself to be a low country designer? Are there special considerations to building courses in the "low country"?

Sean_A

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Re: How did the idea of 'par' develop...
« Reply #4 on: February 23, 2010, 04:45:41 AM »
Paul

It is a bit complicated.  Essentially, bogey scores were routinely beaten by the best players.  In the US,  a system was devised which created a "par" score more in line with what the best players scored or could score without "mistakes" and it was based purely on the distance of the hole.  Bogey score for many courses in the UK was generally 5-6 higher than what eventually became the par of courses not long after WWI.  In the past decade or so, the lengths of par have been challenged somewhat, breaking the strictly adhered to length criteria for par, but nearly always it is pushing the top end.  For example, 500 yard par 4s and 280 par 3s.  Not many courses are challenging par at the bottom end  - ie 350 yard par 4s or 450 par 5s. 

Personally, I would like to see the bogey system come back for handicap play. 

Mark

That system/comp created at Coventry was the Bogey System and still lives on today with Bogey Comps which is a Foursomes game.  Sadly, it is in great decline these days.  It is a great game for an Open Week or Invitational Week/Day as the "afternoon" comp. 

Ciao   
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing