How did 18 holes in Golf come about and why split in two 9`s?

Question

How did 18 holes in Golf come about and why split in two 9`s?

Answer 1

It was only 9 holes, played one way (out) then back (probably from different tee off points).

Answer 2

It was the number of holes in play on the Old Course of St Andrews when the rules were finally drawn up a couple of centuries ago. (It had been 22 at one time: eleven out and eleven back.) For a long time they actually played to the same flag, out and back. However, the increasing popularity of the game forced the R & A to put two holes in each green - thus the famous double greens.

Answer 3

This is true. The scots gentlemen realized that there were 18 shots in a bottle of scotch, hence there should be 18 holes played. ( although I cant imagine how they were able to stand up after 12!.....That's the story.

Answer 4

rumor has it tiger woods hit a shot and split the course in half and why diogolfers only wear one golf glove

Answer 5

I'm not sure about how it was split into two 9's, but a story I've heard several times was that when golf was invented, the old boys ran out of whiskey by the 18th hole so they decided to stop playing.  Originally it was 22 holes.

Answer 6

Apparently they did not always have 18 holes, the oldest course in the world is known as the St Andrews Links, this was built on a narrow strip of land which belonged to Mary Queen of Scots at the time in the 15th century, it followed the topography of the land there and originally consisted of 11 holes extending outwards from the clubhouse end to end right to the outside of the property, where you played the 11 out then turned around and played the 11 in for a total of 22 holes, later in 1764 several of the holes were deemed too short (I'm sorry but I am not aware who made this decision) and were combined to form a total of 9 holes (9 out, 9 in for a total of 18).

So thus the modern 18 hole golf course was born (there are questions over possible earlier examples of the game in china for instance, but none of these consisted of the modern 18 hole format), and also why they are split into two 9's, because of the way that original course was laid out as going 9 out and returning the other direction to play 9 in.

I hope that answers your question for you.

Answer 7

Another long-held belief is that 18 holes equaled the number of shots in a fifth of wiskey, and therefore once one was done, so was the other. (I kind of still love that part of the story!)

The two nines is also the result of what is called a links course in that half the time you are going away from the clubhouse and the othe half you are coming back.  In a series of linked holes AND that the course follows a general shape of a single link of chain.