What is par in mini golf?
Par on a mini golf scorecard is a reference for how the designer thought the hole might play, not the thing that decides the winner. Casual stroke play still uses your strokes. Lowest total wins.
Posted course cards beat this page. Nothing here is a national rulebook.
The short version
A hole marked par 2 with a stroke cap of 6 still writes 1 through 6. You do not need par to know who is ahead. Running totals are just the sum of the boxes.
If two players share the low number, say "tied." Do not force a winner color on the card because someone was "closer to par."
Cheat sheet
| Idea | What it means on a casual card |
|---|---|
| Par | Designer reference printed on some cards |
| Stroke | Every swing meant to move the ball |
| How you win | Add the holes. Lowest total wins |
| Over / under par | Optional color commentary — not required math |
| Stableford / points | Different game. Only if the whole group asked |
Stroke play first
- Write the number of strokes each player takes on the hole.
- Stop at the hole max you agreed (often 6 or 7).
- Add the card when the round is over.
- Ignore par for the win unless everyone already agreed a different format.
Match play ("I won that hole") is a different game. Do not mix match play and stroke play on the same grid. Par does not turn one into the other.
When par is useful
Par can help a new player feel the shape of a course, short holes vs long ones, without changing how you write the boxes. Some groups like to say "two under" for fun after a good putt. That chat is fine. The ink on the card is still strokes.
Do not convert the card into Stableford, modified Stableford, or any points scheme unless everyone asked for that game on purpose before hole 1. Changing the format mid-round is how a friendly card turns into a debate.
What this page is not
It is not a claim that every mini golf track prints par the same way. Some cards omit it. Some print it hole by hole. Either way, casual house rules for family and friends still default to stroke play: one number per hole, add them, lowest wins.
For the full before-hole-1 table, see /how-to-score. House-rules cheat sheet: /rules. Ready to tee? Open the / scorecard.