"Speaking of par, does anybody ever play a "par competition", as seen in USGA Rule 32, anymore? Did they ever play par competitions?"
Dan:
That is a very good question and may even have more than a little to do with this thread. Get this from Kenneth Chapman's book "The Rules of the Green" (The history of the Rules of Golf);
"The following notice appeared in the April 1744 number of the SCOTS MAGAZINE:
Domestick History
Edinburgh
'One application of several persons of honour, skilled in the ancient and healtful excercise of goff, an act of the town council of Edinburgh was passed on the 7th of March, appointing their treasurer to cause making a silver club, of 15 L value, to be played for on the links of Leith the first Monday of April annually. The act appoints, That the candidates names be booked some day of the week preceeding the match, paying 5 s. each at booking: That they be matched into parties of two's or three's, if their number be great, by lot: That the player who shall have won the greatest number of holes, be victor; if two or more shall have won an equal number, that they play a round by themselves in order to determine the match: That the victor be stiled Captain of the Goff; that he append a piece of golf or silver to the club; that he have the sole disposal of the booking money, the determination of disputes among goffers, with the assistance of two or three of the players, and the superintendency of the links,-----Accordingly, the first match was played on the 2nd of April, by the Gentlemen, and won by Mr John Rattray, Surgeon of Edinburgh.'
From Kenneth Chapman:
"The conditions for this match, the first organized tournament we know of have caused justifiably puzzled commentary. Historical records tell us ten players participated, each of them paired with one other player. The victor was to be "the player who shall have won the greatest number of holes," but it's not clear exactly how holes were won. Was the competition played as a match against some standard (another one hundred fifty years or so were to pass before the concept a of par or bogey originated), or was it some sort of Jacobite skins game? It's hard to say, but the good gentlemen of Edinburgh seem to have known what they were up to because they were able to produce an undisputed winner year after year."