Why does a game of golf have 18 holes? This is a question many people ask. The simple answer is tied directly to history, specifically the history of the St Andrews Old Course in Scotland. Over time, the layout at St Andrews changed. This change led to the number 18. Because St Andrews was, and still is, very important in golf, its way of doing things became the rule for everyone else. There is a common story about a bottle of whisky, but that story is not true. The real reason is about how the famous St Andrews course developed hundreds of years ago.
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The Puzzle of 18 Holes
Think about golf today. You see players walk from hole 1 to hole 18. This feels normal. But was it always this way? No, it was not. The number of holes used to be quite different. Golf started in Scotland many years ago. The first places where people played golf were nothing like the courses we see today.
Early Days of Golf Courses
The origin of 18 holes is not from the very start of golf. In the game’s early days, there was no set number of holes. Golf was played on public land, often near the sea. These areas had sandy ground called ‘links’. Players would find natural spots to hit the ball from (the tee) and other spots to hit the ball into (the hole).
The history of golf holes shows a lot of change. Early players made holes where the land allowed. A course might have 5 holes, 7 holes, 11 holes, or even more. The number could be different from one place to another. It could even change at the same place if the players decided to add or remove a hole.
Different Numbers of Holes
Imagine a golf course laid out naturally on open land. Players would find good spots. Maybe a rabbit hole worked as a target. Maybe they dug a simple hole. They would just play from point A to point B. Then from B to C, and so on. The total number of holes was not fixed. It depended on the land. It also depended on how many targets the players wanted to use that day.
So, the early golf course layout was very simple. It was just a series of starts and ends marked on the ground. The path taken between holes might even cross other paths. There were no strict rules about the number of holes. The number of holes in golf history started with no standard at all. People played on what felt right for that place.
Think about playing in a big park. You might decide to hit the ball to a certain tree. Then to a bench. Then to a post. The number of targets you choose is up to you. Early golf was a bit like that. There was freedom in how many holes you played.
The Tale of St Andrews
To find the answer to why there are 18 holes, we must look at St Andrews. This town in Scotland is known as the home of golf. The St Andrews Old Course is the most famous course in the world. What happened here shaped the game for everyone.
The First St Andrews Layout
The St Andrews Old Course history is key. People were playing golf at St Andrews long before it had 18 holes. The original St Andrews golf course was laid out in the 15th century. But it was very different from today.
The course was played on a narrow strip of links land. Players would hit the ball out away from town, then turn around and hit it back towards town. It was like playing out and back on the same fairways.
How many holes did it have at first? The records are a bit fuzzy from the very earliest times. But by the mid-18th century, we know more. In 1764, the golfers at St Andrews made a decision. They were playing on a course with 22 holes. Yes, 22!
This course had 11 holes going out away from the clubhouse. Then players would turn around and play 11 different holes coming back in. They used the same ground, the same fairways, but aimed for different holes or played to the same holes from a different direction or distance. So, it was 11 holes out and 11 holes back. That adds up to 22 holes in total for a full round.
This 22-hole setup shows clearly that 18 was not the origin of 18 holes. Golf was being played with many different numbers of holes. St Andrews, even as the main place for golf, had 22.
How St Andrews Changed
The big change happened in 1764. The golfers at St Andrews looked at their 22-hole course. They had 11 holes going out and 11 coming back. Some of these holes were quite short. The golfers decided that some of the holes were “too near each other”. They thought it would be better to join some of these short holes together.
Combining Short Holes
Imagine the first few holes going out from the start. Let’s say they were holes 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., all the way to 11. On the way back, they had holes 12, 13, 14, etc., up to 22. The golfers decided to take some of the short holes at the start of the round going out and join them.
For example, maybe hole 1 and hole 2 were short. They decided to make them one longer hole. They did this for several holes at the start and end of the course (which were the same area).
Here is how the change might have looked in a simple way:
| Old Holes (Out) | New Holes (Out) |
|---|---|
| Hole 1 | Combined into 1 |
| Hole 2 | Combined into 1 |
| Hole 3 | Hole 2 |
| Hole 4 | Hole 3 |
| … | … |
| Hole 11 | Hole 10 |
They combined some holes on the way out and some on the way back. They combined the first four holes played away from the start into two holes. They combined the last four holes played towards the finish into two holes.
So, the first four holes going out became two longer holes. This reduced the number of holes on the way out from 11 to 9. When they turned around, they played towards the same flags but from different tees or distances. They did the same thing coming back. The last four holes coming in became two longer holes. This reduced the number of holes on the way back from 11 to 9.
The Shift to 18
By combining the short holes at the beginning and end of the course, the total number of holes was reduced.
- They started with 11 holes out and 11 holes back (22 total).
- They combined some short holes.
- The number of holes going out became 9.
- The number of holes coming back became 9.
When you play 9 holes out and 9 holes back on the same course, playing to the same 9 flag positions, you have 9 holes played twice in a round. So, playing the 9 holes out and then playing the same 9 holes back, but counted as different holes for the round, makes a total of 18 holes.
This change in 1764 at St Andrews reduced their round from 22 holes to 18 holes. They now had 9 holes played away from the start and 9 holes played back towards the finish. Playing all of these made a round of 18 holes.
This moment in 1764 is the key origin of 18 holes. It was a practical change made by the golfers at St Andrews to improve their specific course layout. They made their short holes longer and better by joining them up. This happened on the original St Andrews golf course.
How 18 Holes Became the Rule
The decision at St Andrews in 1764 was important. But it didn’t instantly make every golf course in the world have 18 holes. It took time.
The Role of the R&A
St Andrews was already seen as a leading golf club. The golfers there were respected. Over time, the club at St Andrews, which later became the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), grew in importance. People looked to them for guidance on how the game should be played.
The R&A began to set rules for golf. They published these rules. As golf spread, people making new courses or managing old ones started to follow the lead of the R&A and St Andrews.
The R&A did not make a rule in 1764 saying “all golf courses must have 18 holes”. That rule came much later. What happened was that the St Andrews Old Course, with its new 18-hole setup (9 out, 9 back played twice), became the model.
New golf courses built copied the design of the famous Old Course. They designed courses with 9 holes out and 9 holes back. Or they designed courses with 18 different holes. Either way, the total number for a full round became 18.
This is how 18 holes became standard. It wasn’t a rule made first. It was the most important golf club changing its course, and then others copied it. It became the tradition.
Making Golf Play Uniform
The evolution of golf rules is linked to the R&A. Over the years, the R&A made rules about many things: what kind of ball to use, how to drop a ball, what to do in different situations on the course.
Eventually, the R&A did put the 18-hole standard into the official rules of golf. This made it the formal way to play a full round anywhere in the world. The rule stated that a round of golf is played over 18 holes, unless the course is set up for fewer holes, in which case a round can be 9 holes (played twice if needed to make 18).
This formal rule sealed the deal. But the reason they put 18 in the rule book goes back to that practical change at St Andrews in 1764. The Royal and Ancient rule changes about course layout and the standard round number were based on what St Andrews was already doing for many years.
Why 18? The Simple Truth
Let’s pull it all together. The main reasons for 18 holes in golf are historical.
- Early golf had no fixed number of holes.
- The St Andrews Old Course, a very old and important course, once had 22 holes.
- In 1764, the golfers at St Andrews decided to make some short holes longer by combining them.
- This reduced their course to 9 holes played out and 9 holes played back, making a total round of 18 holes.
- St Andrews and the R&A became the leaders in golf rules and how the game was played.
- Other golf clubs and course designers copied the St Andrews model.
- Playing 18 holes became the common way to play a full round.
- Later, the R&A made 18 holes the official standard in the rules of golf.
It really is that simple. A decision made by golfers on one famous course hundreds of years ago became the blueprint for the game worldwide.
Dispelling Myths
You might have heard other stories. The most common one is about whisky. The story goes that a bottle of whisky has enough for 18 drinks, and that’s why there are 18 holes – one drink per hole. This is a nice story, but it is not true.
There is no proof that the number of holes is linked to drinks or bottles of whisky. The historical records from St Andrews clearly explain the change from 22 holes to 18 holes based on improving the course layout. The whisky story is just a fun tale people tell.
The true reason is less romantic than whisky, but it is based on real history. It’s about the practical needs of playing golf on a specific piece of land in Scotland long ago.
The Power of Tradition
Golf is a game that respects tradition. Once St Andrews set the example of playing 18 holes, other clubs followed. This created a strong tradition. As golf spread to other parts of Scotland, then England, and then the rest of the world, building 18-hole courses became the normal thing to do.
Even though the first courses were simple and had varying numbers of holes, the number of holes in golf history changed forever because of St Andrews. The 18-hole design worked well. It offered a good length for a round. It used the available land effectively at St Andrews. And because St Andrews was so important, its practice became the global standard.
18 Holes Goes Global
Once the R&A started publishing rules and golf became more organized, the 18-hole standard spread quickly. As golf clubs formed outside of Scotland, they looked to the R&A and St Andrews for guidance.
Golf course architects started designing 18-hole courses from scratch. The idea of playing a ‘full round’ became fixed at 18 holes. Tournaments were played over 18, 36, 54, or 72 holes (multiples of 18).
This move to a standard number of holes helped the game grow. It meant that competitions could be compared fairly. Players knew what a ’round’ meant. It created a level playing field, quite literally. The evolution of golf rules and the spread of the game went hand-in-hand with the adoption of the 18-hole standard born at St Andrews.
Other Golf Course Sizes
While 18 holes is the standard for a full round, not all golf courses have 18 holes. Many courses have 9 holes. These are often older courses, shorter courses, or courses where there isn’t enough land for 18 holes.
When playing on a 9-hole course in a competition, players often play the course twice to complete an 18-hole round. This shows how strong the 18-hole standard is. Even on a 9-hole course, the goal is usually to complete 18 holes for a full score.
There are also shorter courses, like pitch-and-putt courses, that might have 9, 18, or more very short holes. But for what is considered a ‘standard’ golf course, 18 holes is the worldwide norm. This norm comes directly from that important change made at St Andrews way back in 1764.
So, the next time you are on a golf course playing your round, remember the history. Remember the early days with no set number of holes. Remember the golfers at St Andrews improving their course by combining short holes. And remember how that one change became the standard for the whole world. It’s a great story of how history and tradition shaped a game loved by millions.
FAQ About Golf Holes
h4: Is the whisky story true?
No, the story that there are 18 holes because a bottle of whisky has 18 servings is a myth. The historical records from St Andrews show the change to 18 holes was made to improve the course layout by combining shorter holes.
h4: Where did the 18-hole rule come from?
The practice of playing 18 holes started at the St Andrews Old Course in 1764 when golfers changed the course from 22 holes to 18. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews later made this the official standard in the Rules of Golf.
h4: Did early golf courses always have 18 holes?
No, in the very early days of golf, there was no set number of holes. Courses had different numbers of holes based on the land available and how the players chose to lay them out.
h4: Why did St Andrews change to 18 holes?
The golfers at St Andrews in 1764 decided to combine some of the shorter holes on their 22-hole course to make longer, better holes. This reduced the number of holes for a full round from 22 to 18.
h4: Are all golf courses 18 holes?
While 18 holes is the standard for a full round, many courses have 9 holes. Players often play a 9-hole course twice to complete an 18-hole round.