Golf Courses

Back to the Future in Golf Course Layouts

Many people have asked why golf courses have eighteen holes? The early golf courses all had different numbers of holes.

St Andrews (Old Course) had 12 holes by 1764, and probably much earlier. The holes were laid out in a line and 10 holes were played twice - once 'out' and once back 'in', making a 'round' of 22 holes. However, in 1764, the golfers decided to combine the first four holes into two, which produced a round of 18 holes, though it was really 10 holes of which 8 were played twice.

Therefore, when Prestwick was built in 1851 with only 12 holes, it did not look out of place. By 1857 however, St Andrews had put second holes in the 8 double greens of the Old Course, creating a proper round of 18 holes, and in 1858 the St Andrews club laid down a round of 18 holes for matches between its own members.

Now However, twelve-hole golf courses are becoming a hot topic, especially after Jack Nicklaus told Golf Digest in 2007, "We should consider the possibility of making 12 holes the standard round. ... Eventually it would be accepted because it makes sense in people's lives."

There are already some fantastic 12-hole golf courses in the world. On Scotland's Isle of Arran, Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club is a 19th century links gem that had 18 holes for a short time until World War II and has kept its current 12-hole route since. Just a few miles north from Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, the mysterious course called Sheep Ranch, designed by Tom Doak, boasts 12 holes that can be played in a variety of different routings.

Shiskine and Sheep Ranch are two of the world's best 12-hole designs, but they're also in the middle of nowhere. The 12-hole concept may work most effectively around larger cities, where land is at a higher premium but golf demand is high, too.

"A nine-hole course works great until you have about 100 golfers per day," noted Doak. "In a big city, you can hit that number pretty quickly."

A 12-hole routing offers more flexibility than nine-hole courses and can get more golfers around with the possibility of two or three starting tees, not just one. Get creative with the tee boxes, such as at Sheep Ranch, and you could easily create 18 different holes out of 12 holes worth of acreage and maintenance -- and keep golfers satisfied knowing the shot values will be as good as any 18-hole course.

Several clubs in Sweden are supporting the idea of golf courses with 12 holes instead of the customary 9 or 18. The latest club to promote this concept is Sommarö Golf at Klarälven outside of Karlstad, Sweden. On August 15th, Sommarro Golf inaugurated three new holes to its existing nine. They have expanded their nine hole course into two six hole courses. The course is located on the ground that was formerly the airport outside of Karlstad.

In a press release, Sommarro owner Lars Järner said, "Golf should be easy and accessible to fit in today's society, and we believe a 12-hole course that you can play in 2 to 2.5 hours is the perfect way to go."

The decision to build the new holes was planned last year when and rough excavation began last fall. In May, they seeded the new holes and now, the holes are ready for play.

Martin Lindén is the Head Professional at Sommarro, and he was asked if he noticed any increase in play? "We had noticed that it was a bit quieter this year, both among members playing and with green fees. We opened the new holes on the 15th, and we were fully booked every night after work, when people have the opportunity to play. The golf course has been extremely busy."

Most importantly says Lindén, has been the feedback on the new set-up. "We have received only positive reviews from the members. We have done the loops so that it is a mixture of old and new holes to create two six hole courses. The members feel that it is almost like a new course, and both the members and our visitors say it feels like you go in a full circle now."

In addition to the new golf course expansion, Sommarro also has a 9 hole course open to all players, regardless of handicap.

Other clubs with twelve hole course layouts are Troxhammar Golf Club outside of Stockholm, Leråkra Golf Club in Blekinge, Oxie in the southern part of Sweden known as Skåne and Åsundsholm in Västergötland, the west-central area of Sweden.