Do par 4s have to fall within certain parameters when it comes to yardage? In short, the answer is ‘no’ in terms of the strict definition of ‘have’.
It is up to the golf club, course owner, or tournament organiser to determine the par of a hole. They can decide whatever they like. However there are guidelines as to what length best constitutes a par 4.
The United States Golf Association says that “par reflects the score a scratch player is expected to score on a given hole… under ordinary weather conditions, allowing two strokes on the putting green."
The USGA believes a male scratch golfer “can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots at sea level.” A female scratch player has the attribute that she “can hit tee shots an average of 210 yards and can reach a 400-yard hole in two shots at sea level".
But factors other than length may enter the consideration. The USGA mentions: “the playing difficulty of the hole, including any effective length correction factors, such as elevation changes, forced lay-ups, and prevalent wind.”
The USGA also references “the way the hole is designed to be played.” As an example of this aspect, I played on a course in the Swiss mountains which had on the scorecard a par 5 of 395 yards. This looked odd until we got to the hole in question. It was laid out, in effect, on four ledges or platforms on the side of a mountain, and you hopped your ball from one to the next, a series of target golf challenges. Hence why it had to be a par 5 despite its modest length.
