The headline for this article reads "Dog Feels Below Par After Eating 28 Golf Balls". A German Shepherd had managed to eat 28 golf balls and wasn't feeling too well as a result. The headline writer decided to use the "below par" expression because it fit ever so nicely with the golf theme.
I've been hearing people use the expression "under par" and "below par" forever as a way to express negativity. For example, if someone was feeling a little sick they might tell you they're feeling under par. When someone does badly, we remark it was a sub-par performance.
From what I gather having watched a fair bit of golf on the television, the goal is to shoot as below par as possible. Being under par is a good thing. The lower your score, the better. Therefore, when someone fails or isn't well, shouldn't they be above par? The dog who ate 28 golf balls isn't feeling below par but above par because being above par is bad. Am I wrong here? If I fail at something, I certainly didn't deliver a sub-par performance. I'd celebrate a sub-par performance. I want to be sub-par!
