Why Double Par Exists in Korean Golf

 

⛳ A Unique Local Rule You Won’t See Everywhere

What Is “Double Par”?

One day, I was playing screen golf in Korea with my Australian friend.
Out of nowhere, he asked:

“Why is that called Double Par? That sounds much nicer than a quadruple.”

A true culture shock moment.

I lived abroad for over 10 years, but I had never played golf back then — so I honestly didn’t know it wasn’t standard golf English. (Stupid me 😅)

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📌 So, What Is a Double Par in Korea?

• Simple definition: If you take more than twice the hole’s par, your score for that hole is automatically capped and you move on.
• Examples:
  • Par 3 → Max 6 strokes
  • Par 4 → Max 8 strokes
  • Par 5 → Max 10 strokes

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💡 Why Koreans Use It

Korean golf courses have a few special rules to keep things moving — one of them is always playing in a foursome.
This ensures no bottlenecks and smooth play for everyone.

Reasons for the “double par” rule:

• Pace of Play → Avoid holding up the group behind you.
• Beginner-Friendly → Saves beginners from complete mental breakdowns after a quadruple bogey (or worse).
• Caddie System → Caddies encourage it to keep the group on schedule. Honestly, if you only learned golf in a simulator in Korea, you might never even know septuples exist.

👍 Pros

• Speeds up the game
• Helps you mentally reset
• Saves energy
• Can even save money (if you’re playing for strokes in a betting game)

👎 Cons

• Doesn’t reflect your actual strokes on the scorecard
• Not ideal for tracking long-term skill improvement

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🏌️ My Experience

For me, the cons outweigh the pros.
When I first played golf at Sky72, my scorecard said 112 — but in reality, it was probably way higher.

On the other hand, when I played in Japan, where you can play a twosome and have to hole out no matter what, I realized just how slow things can get (and how bad my score can get).

Golf isn’t supposed to be a “hit fast and go home” sport — you’re meant to enjoy the wait too.
But as a still +20 handicap golfer, I have to admit… sometimes, I’m grateful for the double par rule.