Why is there 18 holes in golf? The standard golf round has 18 holes because of a change made at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland, in 1764. Before this, the number of holes was not set and changed depending on the course. This decision at St Andrews, a very important place in golf rules history, set the pattern for almost all golf courses that followed.
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The First Days of Golf
Golf started in Scotland a long, long time ago. People hit a ball with sticks across open land. There were no fancy courses like today. There were no strict rules either. Players would hit the ball to a target, like a rabbit hole or a marked spot. Then they would hit it to another target. The game was simple and flexible.
How Many Holes At First? The Original Number
In the early days, the original number of holes golf courses had was not fixed. It was different at different places. Some early courses had 5 holes. Some had 7. Some had 12. It just depended on the land and where good targets could be found.
One very old and famous golf place was St Andrews. It is on the coast in Scotland. It had a piece of land called the links. Golfers played on this land for hundreds of years.
Grasping the History of Golf Holes
The way golf courses were set up changed over time. The history of golf holes is really the story of how clubs and players decided how to make the game fair and fun on a specific piece of land.
At St Andrews, the links land was long and narrow. Golfers would play holes going out from the clubhouse and then play holes coming back in.
The Old Course at St Andrews Starts Big
The Old Course at St Andrews did not start with 18 holes. It had 22 holes.
Here is how it worked:
* There were 11 holes going out from the clubhouse.
* Golfers played each of these 11 holes.
* Then, they turned around.
* They played the same 11 holes coming back towards the clubhouse.
* So, a full round was 11 holes out plus 11 holes back. This made 22 holes in total.
Each hole had a putting green and a hole in the ground (the cup). On the way out, players would aim for the cup. On the way back, they would aim for the same cup, but approach it from the other direction.
The Society of St Andrews Golfers Steps In
In 1754, a group of 22 important people formed the Society of St Andrews Golfers. This group later became the very famous Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, or R&A. They got together to set up rules for playing golf on the links. This was a key moment in golf rules history.
At this time, the Old Course still had 22 holes (11 out, 11 back). The Society made rules for playing the game on this course.
Fathoming the Change at St Andrews
Ten years later, in 1764, the Society of St Andrews Golfers looked at their course again. They thought about how the game was played. They noticed something about the first four holes on the course.
The first four holes played out from the clubhouse. On the way back, the last four holes played back towards the clubhouse. These first four holes going out were quite short. Also, the last four holes coming back were quite short.
The Society decided to make a change. They decided that the first four holes going out were so short that they could combine them. They would turn these four holes into just two holes.
They did the same thing on the way back. They combined the last four holes coming back into just two holes.
Let’s look at the math:
* Original holes out: 11
* Original holes back: 11
* Total: 22
- Change: Combine the first 4 holes out into 2. (Saved 2 holes)
- Change: Combine the last 4 holes back into 2. (Saved 2 holes)
So, how many holes were left going out?
* Started with 11 holes out.
* The first 4 were changed to 2.
* The next 7 holes (holes 5 through 11) stayed the same.
* Total holes going out now: 2 (from the first 4) + 7 (the others) = 9 holes.
How many holes were left coming back?
* Started with 11 holes back.
* These holes used the same cups as the holes going out, but in reverse order.
* Since the first 4 holes going out were combined into 2, the last 4 holes coming back (which used the same cups) were also combined into 2.
* The next 7 holes coming back (which used the cups of holes 5 through 11 going out) stayed the same.
* Total holes coming back now: 7 (from the middle holes) + 2 (from the end holes) = 9 holes.
So, after this change in 1764:
* There were 9 holes going out.
* There were 9 holes coming back.
* A full round meant playing the 9 holes out and then the 9 holes back.
* 9 holes out + 9 holes back = 18 holes in total.
This is the simple story of how the Old Course at St Andrews went from 22 holes to 18 holes.
Interpreting the Reason for the Change
Why did they do this? The main reason was about improving the flow and quality of the course. The first and last holes were seen as too short and perhaps not challenging enough. Combining them made longer, more interesting holes. This change made better use of the land. It improved the game itself at St Andrews.
The Society of St Andrews Golfers wrote down this change. They said that a round of golf on the Old Course would now be played over 18 holes.
How 18 Holes Became Standard Everywhere
The Society of St Andrews Golfers was very important in the world of golf. St Andrews was seen as the home of golf. Its rules and practices were copied by others.
When other golf clubs started, or when older clubs looked to improve, they looked at what St Andrews did. St Andrews said a round was 18 holes. So, other clubs started designing their courses with 18 holes.
Here is how how 18 holes became standard:
1. St Andrews, a leading golf place, changed its course to 18 holes in 1764.
2. The Society of St Andrews Golfers made this part of their rules for playing their course.
3. Golf grew in popularity, first in Scotland, then in England, and later around the world.
4. New golf clubs and courses were made.
5. These new clubs copied the rules and course setup from St Andrews.
6. Making courses with 18 holes became the normal way to do it.
It wasn’t an official rule for all of golf right away. But because St Andrews was so respected, its way of doing things became the de facto rule. People just did it that way.
Deciphering the Evolution of Golf Rules
The evolution of golf rules is a long process. It started with simple local rules and grew into a complex set of rules used around the world. The Society of St Andrews Golfers played a big part in this.
They wrote down rules about things like:
* How to start playing a hole (driving).
* What to do if your ball landed in a hazard (like sand).
* How to finish a hole (putting).
* How to score the game.
Over time, their rules were updated and refined. In 1897, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (the new name for the Society) was asked to be the main rule-making body for golf everywhere except the United States. In the US, the USGA (United States Golf Association) makes the rules, but they work closely with the R&A so the rules are mostly the same worldwide.
When the R&A set rules, they built upon the practices of St Andrews. The 18-hole round was a key part of that practice. So, while the R&A rules covered many things, the idea of 18 holes as a full round was already fixed because of the St Andrews golf tradition.
The Standard Golf Round Today
Today, a standard golf round is defined as playing 18 holes. This is true whether you are playing a friendly game with friends or playing in a major championship.
When you play a standard round:
* You play the holes in order, usually from 1 to 18.
* You play each hole one time.
* The score for the round is the total number of strokes taken on all 18 holes.
There are still golf courses with fewer than 18 holes. These are often called executive courses or pitch-and-putt courses. They are great for quick practice or for beginners. But for a full, official game of golf, 18 holes is the standard.
Length of a Golf Round
The length of a golf round can mean two things:
1. The total distance covered when playing all 18 holes. This varies a lot depending on the course. Championship courses can be over 7,000 yards long. Shorter courses might be less than 6,000 yards.
2. The time it takes to play 18 holes. This also varies. It depends on:
* How many people are in your group (usually 1 to 4).
* How fast you play.
* How busy the course is.
* How difficult the course is.
Generally, a standard round of golf for a group of four players takes about 4 to 4.5 hours to complete. If you are playing alone or in a group of two, it can be faster, maybe 2.5 to 3.5 hours. If the course is very busy, it can take longer.
Playing 9 holes (half a round) is also common if players do not have time for 18 holes. This usually takes about 2 hours for a group of four.
Why Golf Courses Are 18 Holes: Summarizing the Key Points
Let’s pull together the main reasons why golf courses are 18 holes:
- St Andrews Led the Way: The Old Course at St Andrews, a very old and important golf location, changed its layout from 22 holes (11 out and 11 back) to 18 holes (9 out and 9 back) in 1764.
- Improving the Course: The change at St Andrews was made to improve the quality of the holes, combining some shorter ones to create longer, more challenging holes.
- The Society’s Role: The Society of St Andrews Golfers (later the R&A) wrote this down as the way a round was played on their course.
- Copying the Leader: As golf grew, other new clubs and courses looked to St Andrews as the example. They copied the rules and the 18-hole setup.
- Becoming the Norm: Over time, having 18 holes simply became the accepted way to design a golf course and play a full round. It was not a rule forced upon clubs at first, but a tradition that was widely followed.
The St Andrews golf tradition is very strong. Its history shaped the game in many ways, including the number of holes we play today.
The Whisky Myth
You might hear another story about why golf has 18 holes. This story says that a bottle of whisky has enough drink for a golfer to take one sip at each hole, and you can take 18 sips from a bottle. So, golf has 18 holes because that’s how many sips are in a bottle of whisky.
This is a fun story, but it is not true. It is a myth.
The real reason, as we have explained, is the historical change made at the Old Course at St Andrews in 1764 to improve the course layout, going from 22 holes (11 out and 11 back) to 18 holes (9 out and 9 back). This change became the how 18 holes became standard through copying St Andrews.
Reviewing Golf Rules History and the 18-Hole Link
Looking back at golf rules history, the formalization of rules happened step-by-step. The early rules by the Society of St Andrews Golfers in 1754 set some basic ways to play. The 1764 change was about the course itself and the length of a round, rather than a playing rule like how to drop a ball.
However, the number of holes you play is a fundamental part of the game’s structure. When the R&A later became the main rule-makers, they built upon the established practices. The 18-hole round was by then a very strong tradition, started by St Andrews. So, while the rules govern how you play each hole and score, the rule implicitly defines a round as playing 18 of them. The evolution of golf rules included the acceptance and spread of this 18-hole standard.
Think of it like this:
* Early Golf: No set number of holes, different everywhere.
* St Andrews (before 1764): Played 22 holes (11 out, 11 back).
* St Andrews (1764 onwards): Changed to 18 holes (9 out, 9 back) to make better holes.
* Society of St Andrews Golfers: Documented this 18-hole round for their course.
* Other Clubs: Copied St Andrews, building 18-hole courses.
* R&A (later): Became main rule body, working with existing practices, including the widely adopted 18-hole round.
This simple chain of events is why almost every golf course in the world today has 18 holes for a standard golf round.
The Layout of a Standard 18-Hole Course
A standard 18-hole golf course is usually designed with 9 holes played “out” and 9 holes played “in”.
- The first 9 holes (holes 1-9) take the golfer away from the clubhouse.
- The back 9 holes (holes 10-18) bring the golfer back towards the clubhouse.
This mirrors the original links design at St Andrews and many other old courses. It allows players to start and finish their round at the same point. It also allows players who only have time for 9 holes to play the “front nine” (holes 1-9) or the “back nine” (holes 10-18).
Within the 18 holes, there is a mix of different types of holes:
* Par-3 holes: Shorter holes, expected to be finished in 3 strokes.
* Par-4 holes: Medium length holes, expected to be finished in 4 strokes.
* Par-5 holes: Longer holes, expected to be finished in 5 strokes.
A typical 18-hole course might have a mix like four par-3s, ten par-4s, and four par-5s. This adds up to a total par of 72 for the course (4×3 + 10×4 + 4×5 = 12 + 40 + 20 = 72). But the mix of par-3s, 4s, and 5s can vary from course to course. The total par can also be different, like 70 or 71.
Here is a simple look at a common course setup:
| Hole Type | Number of Holes (Example) | Total Par Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Par 3 | 4 | 4 holes * 3 strokes = 12 |
| Par 4 | 10 | 10 holes * 4 strokes = 40 |
| Par 5 | 4 | 4 holes * 5 strokes = 20 |
| Total | 18 Holes | Total Par = 72 |
This structure is a direct result of the 18-hole standard that came from St Andrews.
The Lasting Power of St Andrews Tradition
The St Andrews golf tradition is very strong. Its history is tied closely to the game’s development. St Andrews is not just a golf course; it is a symbol of the game’s roots. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s role in rules makes it even more important.
Because of this history, the choices made at St Andrews, like changing to 18 holes, had a huge impact. Golfers and course designers around the world respected and followed this example. This is why even modern courses, built in places far away from Scotland, still follow the 18-hole pattern.
It shows how powerful history and tradition can be in sports. The simple decision in 1764 at one golf course became the basis for golf played around the world today. The history of golf holes is truly centered on this one key change at St Andrews.
Why Not 20 Holes? Or 16?
Could golf have ended up with a different number of holes as standard? Yes, it could have. If the Society of St Andrews Golfers had decided to combine their holes differently, or not at all, the standard might be something else.
For example, if they had kept the 22 holes, maybe that would have become the standard. Or if they had combined more holes, maybe it would have been 16 holes.
But they made the decision to go to 18. It worked well for their piece of land. It created a good mix of long and short holes. It provided a good length of a golf round in terms of time and challenge for a full day’s play (or half a day, depending on how fast you play!).
This decision, made for practical reasons on one specific course, set the global standard because of the status of that course and the group managing it. The original number of holes golf courses had varied greatly, but 18 became the single common number.
The evolution of golf rules includes many changes over time about how to play the game. But the number of holes in a round is perhaps the most basic structural rule that became standard through history and tradition, starting with St Andrews.
Comparing Early Golf to Today
Think about the big differences between early golf and today’s game:
| Feature | Early Golf (Before 18th Century) | Today’s Standard Golf (18 Holes) |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Holes | Varied (5, 7, 12, 22 at St A) | 18 (Standard Round) |
| Course Design | Natural land, simple targets | Shaped fairways, planned greens |
| Rules | Local, often unwritten | Formal, written rules (R&A/USGA) |
| Equipment | Wood clubs, leather balls | Many types of clubs, advanced balls |
| Playing Time | Varied | ~4-4.5 hours for 18 holes |
The move to a standard golf round of 18 holes is one of the biggest changes in the history of golf holes. It created a common structure for the game everywhere.
Final Thoughts on the 18-Hole Standard
So, why is there 18 holes in golf? It is not because of a magic number or a rule made at the very start of golf. It is because of a practical decision made at the famous Old Course at St Andrews in 1764 to improve their course layout. They reduced their holes from 22 to 18.
This change was adopted by the important Society of St Andrews Golfers. Because St Andrews was the center of the golf world, other places copied them. Over time, having 18 holes became the normal way to build a golf course and play a full game.
This is how the original number of holes golf used to have gave way to the standard 18 we know today. It is a simple, historical reason rooted in the St Andrews golf tradition and the evolution of golf rules by the people who played and governed the game in its early days.
The length of a golf round today is based on playing these 18 holes. The design of modern courses, the flow of play, and even how long a game takes are all tied back to that decision made in Scotland over 250 years ago. The history of golf holes is a clear line from the flexible early days to the firm 18-hole standard we have now. This is why golf courses are 18 holes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Did golf always have 18 holes?
A: No, golf did not always have 18 holes. In the very early days, the number of holes on a course was not fixed. It varied from place to place.
Q: Where did the 18-hole rule come from?
A: The 18-hole standard comes from the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. In 1764, they changed their course layout from 22 holes to 18 holes.
Q: Why did St Andrews change to 18 holes?
A: They changed to 18 holes to improve the course. They combined some shorter holes to make longer, more challenging holes. This made better use of the land.
Q: Who made the change at St Andrews?
A: The Society of St Andrews Golfers, the group that managed the course and later became the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, made the change.
Q: Why did other golf courses start using 18 holes?
A: Other golf courses started using 18 holes because St Andrews was the most important golf location. They copied the St Andrews way of doing things, including the 18-hole round. It became the tradition.
Q: Is playing 18 holes an official rule today?
A: Yes, playing 18 holes is the definition of a standard golf round today according to the official rules of golf, managed by groups like the R&A and USGA.
Q: How long does it take to play 18 holes?
A: The time it takes to play 18 holes varies. For a group of four players, it usually takes about 4 to 4.5 hours.
Q: Is the story about whisky and 18 holes true?
A: No, the story that golf has 18 holes because there are 18 sips in a bottle of whisky is just a fun story, not the real reason. The real reason is the historical change at St Andrews.
Q: Are there any golf courses with fewer than 18 holes?
A: Yes, there are courses with fewer than 18 holes, often called 9-hole courses, executive courses, or pitch-and-putt courses. But 18 holes is the standard for a full round.
Q: How did the history of golf rules relate to the 18-hole standard?
A: The evolution of golf rules happened over time. The groups making rules built upon established practices. The 18-hole round, started by St Andrews, became such a strong practice that it was naturally part of the structure of the game covered by the rules.