Why is a golf course 18 holes? 18 shots in a Scotch bottle? Nope , it’s just not as cute as 4 Scottish sheep herders running out of Scotch after the 18th hole. According to the Scottish Golf History web sight the reason for 18 holes has no rhyme or reason, it just kinda evolved into 18 holes. Prior to the mid 1700s it was typical to find golf courses with 12, 14, 15, or 22 holes. In 1764 St. Andrews converted from 22 to 18 holes. Why ? SGH says it was because 18 holes was easier to maintain then 22 but it was also common for clubs to use land for other reasons and add and subtract holes as issues arose.

SGH states that 18 holes did not become the standard until the early 1900s but from 1764 on, courses copied the St. Andrews 18 hole format. In 1854 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews issued new rules, one of which was, that a match would consist of 18 holes unless other wise stipulated. From that point on courses that were not 18 holes began to convert to 18 holes. It is the current 19th hole where the bottle of Scotch comes into play!

Chip Shot- Golf was originally and primarily a winter sport; they didn’t have lawn mowers to cut large areas of grass.

Tags: Golf Facts and figures //