Why do golf courses have 18 holes?

Basic idea: a golf course has 18 holes. Why did they choose this? Scots and Irish folk know that whisky has 18 “shots” per bottle.

A golf course is thought to have 18 holes, which is a basic idea. But why did they make this choice? That’s easy to understand for Scots and Irish people, who will tell you that there are exactly 18 “shots” in a bottle of whisky.

18 holes of golf

In fact, the idea that there are 18 holes in a “round” of golf comes from a time when the rules of golf were not well standardised and each Scottish club played by its own set of rules. Before the middle of the 1800s, each course had a different number of holes based on the best way to use the land owned by the club.

At first, the famous St. Andrews course had 22 holes as well. But in 1764, the first and last four holes were joined together to make what are now the first, second, seventeenth, and eighteenth holes, which led to the number 18. The R&A Rules of Golf first explained the 18-hole “round” rule in 1858, but it only applied to St. Andrews at that time. Because of how important and influential the Old Course and the R&A were, the 18-hole course became the norm, and all other clubs changed or rebuilt their courses to follow suit.

There have been a lot of great par 3 courses built with fewer than 18 holes in recent years, though, because of the rise in golf tourists. Even though they have a different number of holes, some of these courses, like Bandon Preserve at the famous Bandon Dunes resort or The Sandbox at Sand Valley, are great.

For romantics, 18 holes will always be in style, but sometimes it’s better to play on a course with fewer holes but better design. This is especially true now that the playing experience and design quality are becoming more essential.

When you play golf, you should follow these rules and steps. They are called the Rules of Golf. Their rules are made and managed by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. This club is the governing body of golf around the world, except in the US and Mexico, which are run by the US Golf Association.

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18 holes of golf