How hard a golf hole is does not depend solely on how hard it is

FED UP WITH watching professional golfers humble historic courses, tournament organisers have lengthened holes, dug deeper bunkers and grown thicker rough to make things harder. But traditionalists—and there are many—complain of vandalism to beloved venues. So what is a golf official to do?Some change the par of the holes—the number of strokes a good golfer should need to complete a hole. Par allows a set number of shots to reach the green, and then two putts to sink the ball. For men, holes over 430 metres (470 yards) are typically assigned a par of five. Those between 230 and 430 metres are par four.