Why is being sub par a bad thing?

Question

If I said "that movie was sub par" why does that carry a bad connotation if being sub par in golf is a good thing?

Answer 1

sub can mean below or under.
par means equal to or average or normal.
You want a movie to be good, above average - so sub par (below average) is not good.
You want a golf score to be low - so below average (sub par) is better.

Answer 2

That's a good question because the phrase is taken from golf where sub par is something to celebrate. I suppose it's just because being below something is usually a bad thing in every other sort of situation.

Answer 3

You know I never thought about that. Well par means average so it is below average which is usually not good except in golf. I guess even though the root of the phrase come from golf and means something positive, the negative connotation come from its literal meaning.

That was a darn good question though.

Answer 4

Because in golf, par indicates the accepted number of strokes to finish the hole. Sub par in golf is good. Par in any other activity means "mediocre" So sub par, in any other activity is less than mediocre.