18 Holes of Golf
Why is Golf 18 Holes?
Many golf enthusiasts often ask why golf courses have 18 holes. The truth is that it’s not always been so. Golf courses had different numbers of holes and were not played in any defined order in the past. However, 18 holes have become the standard, leading more people to ask why a golf course would have 18 holes. Here’s a detailed article to explain it.
So, why is golf 18 holes? The story of why golf is 18 holes dates back to 1764 when golfers at St Andrew decided to combine the first four short holes into two, producing a total round of 18 holes. Although it still had 10 holes, with 8 of the holes played twice, it would mark the beginning of 18 holes in golf. 100 year later, other courses began to adopt the 18-hole system as copycats.
Despite adopting the 18-hole system in many courses after the St Andrews decision, it didn’t become a standard for golf courses until the early 1900s.
Today, we’ve seen more experimentation in the size and shape of golf courses, often driven by the desire to provide shorter, faster alternatives for golfers. Both 12 and 6-hole courses are springing up in different parts of the world. But 18 holes remain in the regulation rounds.
The game of golf didn’t have any standards regarding the number of holes to be played per round. Before the standardization of the 18 holes system, different courses had different numbers of holes. Some courses had 15 homes, some had 7, and some less. Even the Old Course at St. Andrew in Scotland, which was the first course to have 18 holes, originally had 12 holes.
However, this variation meant that golfers had to play many holes twice on many of the courses, making the total number more than 18 holes. Confusing right? It was the same for many people at that time, which was part of what necessitated the change.
The Rule Change
Until today, most golf legends regard the Old Course at St. Andrew’s as the home of golf because it was the venue of the first recognized golf event in the 1400s.
However, it was until 1764 that the golf course owners (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club) decided to shorten the 22-hole course to 18 holes to improve the links.
This golf club is still active to date as the oldest golf club globally. The history of this club, as well as its records, made them prominent leaders in golf. So, it’s not surprising that many golf courses soon followed suit in adopting the 18-hole system. However, with the adoption of this system, the course still maintained 12 unique holes.
Constructing The 18-Hole Golf Course
But in 1856, the R&A golf club decided to take the 18-hole system to another level by renovating their golf course. Parts of the renovation included adding holes and replacing the putting greens. Each hole had a flag attached to it, and the colors of these flags showed golfers which hole they should aim for. This would become the beginning of the use of unique 18 holes in courses.
Of course, the hole arrangements meant that multiple holes shared the same green. Some examples of such holes are 6 and 12, 7 and 11, along with 8 and 19.
As we’ve stated before, the R&A golf club had such a tremendous influence over the golf world that other clubs copied the construction of the 18-hole course.
Will Golf Always Be 18 Holes?
This is one question that we now always see in golf forums. While it may seem like several golf rules and playing patterns change from time to time, we think the 18-hole standard may never change. Its connection to the game’s history and the general acceptability it enjoys are among the reasons it may never change.
However, we’ve seen several golfers raise interesting arguments on the need to change the trend. One of the main arguments that springs up almost every time are the fact that people’s lives are becoming busier and busier. As such, the time invested in playing 18 holes is becoming less feasible since it eats into the time set for other activities.
But, a nine-hole round is too short and would be unsatisfactory to most golfers.
Therefore, proponents of change are proposing that a compromise be found between 9 and 18 holes. It remains to be seen whether the number would become a standard or vary from course to course. We don’t see the likelihood of this ever happening. If anything, we sometimes wish there were more holes than the 18 we already enjoy (although, even that doesn’t look feasible).
Regardless, you can research shorter courses and opt for them if fewer holes work best for you.
How Long Does It Take To Golf 18 Holes?
If you’re an amateur or just starting out in golf, this is one question you’ll often think about. The truth is that the time varies. Although it’s generally believed that an 18-hole round would be an enjoyable time, irrespective of who you are playing with, we still think it shouldn’t be an all-day venture.
So, you should expect a reasonable pace of play on the course. Here, look at some factors that may influence the amount of time it would take to play 18 holes.
1. Hole-by-hole
When playing on a standard golf course, it would usually take 15 minutes for a group of four amateurs to complete a golf course. Calculate it, and you’ll see that it’ll take anywhere between 4 hours to 4.5 hours for the same number of golfers to complete an 18-hole round.
2. Course traffic
This is one factor that significantly impacts the length of time it’ll take to finish your holes. Unfortunately, there’s little you can do to control it.
Depending on how busy a course is, you may need to wait for up to five minutes or more on each tee box before you start the hole. Add that to the average time (10-15 minutes) it takes to complete each hole, and you’ll see that a round can last for up to 6 hours.
Remember, traffic is out of your control, but you can take steps to avoid habitually overcrowded courses.
3. Interval between tee times
Before booking your tee time, we recommend finding out the facility’s tee time intervals. If the course sends foursome off every six or seven minutes on weekends and there’s a full tee sheet, you can rest assured it’ll be a very long round.
However, if the facility typically spaces groups out every 10-12 minutes, then you can be guaranteed a more enjoyable time. Inquire about all these from the pro shop before booking.
4. Day of the week
Like most other sports, people prefer to play golf on weekends. So it should be no surprise that traffic is higher on weekends. If you do not want to spend too much time on the course, a good option would be to manipulate your time so you can play on weekdays.
5. Time of the day
Apart from weekdays, time matters too when it comes to playing golf. Courses experience more traffic at certain times and less at others. If you fancy finishing on time, you must research what time your choice course experiences less traffic. In general, we found that most golf courses get more traffic between 7 AM and about mid-afternoon.
So, if you’re comfortable with putting your tee time off until late in the afternoon, do it. However, it may mean struggling with the darkness of the mid-evening sometimes.
6. Group size
Usually, people expect to spend between 4 to 4.5 hours on a foursome. Smaller groups should expect their rounds to be slightly quicker. If you’re playing in a twosome or threesome, your game will last between three to four hours.
Single players would usually play as fast as the players in front allowed. We’ve seen situations where single players finish their rounds in less than two hours.
7. Riding vs. Walking
Definitely, this would affect the pace of your game. Players that use golf carts can reach and play their balls more quicker than walking players. So, it’s easy to assume that a riding round would take less time.
However, this is untrue for course conditions that are cart paths only. Here, your riding can sometimes be longer. For instance, if the cart path is on the right side of a hole and your ball is on the left, you’ll need to walk up to 50 yards or more to your ball’s position and another 50 yards back to your cart.
If you forgot a club you need in the cart, you’ll need to duplicate the walk to get it, and you know how stressful that can be.
Recap: Why Golf is 18 Holes
To wrap this up, the idea of having 18 holes in golf courses is a universal format that has been adopted around the world. 18 holes have not always been the standard. At some point, different courses had random numbers such as 12, 15, and 23.
However, we’ve seen how the idea of 18 holes was birthed in 1764 and how golf courses gradually moved from what they practiced to the 18-hole system that eventually became a standard.
Now that you know everything about how the 18-hole system started, we hope you drink to the information and smash the rounds next time you’re out on the course.
How Long Does It Take to Play 18 Holes of Golf?
If you’ve ever wondered how long does it takes to play 18 holes of golf (without stopping to catch your breath!), you’re not alone! After all, how many of us enjoy spending 3-4 hours in the hot sun or cold rain, with aching legs and sore muscles, to come in well short of par? But I digress…
How long does it take to play 18 holes of golf (with and without a golf cart)? It typically takes around 2 – 4 hours to complete 18 holes of golf with a golf cart. Walking an 18-hole golf course typically takes around 4 – 6 hours. However, this time can widely range depending on the skill levels of the players, the overall difficulty of the course, and how big the course is.
One thing that comes to mind is how long it should take you to play 18 hours of golf with a cart, regardless of how long you've been a serious player. We got your answers, then. The length of time needed to play 18 holes of golf with and without a cart, as well as the reasons behind each, will be covered below.
How Long to Play 18 Holes of Golf with a Cart?
When it comes to playing 18 holes of golf with a golf cart in tow, you should expect to play for at least four hours. This gives you enough time to get through the course without being rushed or slowed down by any outside factors. That said, there are a few things that can make your time longer. Let’s take a closer look.
- Skill level of the players. Obviously, brand new golfers are going to have a more difficult time navigating through the course. They won’t know where to go, for one, and for two, may have to take more strikes than others. This extends the length of time considerably.
- The difficulty of the course. A challenging course will be difficult to get through, even if you’re a novice golfer. So, consider the difficulty of the course when deciding how long it will take you to play.
- Size of the course. Size is also a major impact. A larger-sized course will take more time to play on for obvious reasons.
- The number of players. Someone playing alone on an empty golf course can be done in as little as two hours. The more players you have, the longer the course will take.
- Does this mean you're necessarily destined for four to five hours?
- Not necessarily.
Some golf courses expect their players to be done in less than four hours. If this is the case for the course you’re playing on, then you will have to pick up the pace to ensure you’re done on time.
How Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take Walking?
Okay, so you are not the proud owner of a golf cart – at least not yet. How long should it actually take you to get through 18 holes of golf while walking? Well, you still have to consider the factors listed above. Your skill level, the overall size and difficulty of the course, and how many people are playing.
However, if everyone is healthy and in good shape, a four-person walking group of 18 holes will usually take about the same amount of time as a golf cart. Because you won't have wheels, it will take a little longer than utilizing a golf cart.
That said, walking an 18-hole golf course typically takes around four to six hours, depending on the factors.
How to Speed Up Gameplay
If you need to speed up your gameplay for whatever reason, here are a few simple tricks:
- Gimmes – Gimmes is basically asking players in your group not to putt everything.
- Ready golf – This untraditional gameplay allows players to go as soon as they are prepared to, rather than going with the person furthest from the hole.
- Play the proper tees – Don’t try to impress anyone and play with tees you’re not comfortable with. Instead, choose the right tees for your skill level and driving ability. This saves you and everyone around you plenty of time.
- Try other forms of play – Certain formats such as match play and best-ball are formats that will speed up overall gameplay. Give them a shot on your next trip to the golf course.
- Use the golf cart buddy system – When using a golf cart, don’t wait in the cart and drive to your ball. Instead, walk to your ball and shoot when it’s your turn. Then, wait for your cart mate to pick you up.