Golf Courses

A golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and the other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes. Some, however, only have 9 holes and the course is played twice per round, while others have 27 or 36 and choose 2 groups of 9 holes at a time for novelty and maintenance reasons. Additionally, par-3 courses also exist, consisting of 9 or 18 holes, all of which are a Par 3. Many older golf courses, often coastal, are golf links, of a different style to others. For non-municipal courses, there is usually a golf club based at each course, and may include a pro shop.

The first section of every hole consists of what is known as the teeing ground, or tee-box. There is usually more than one available box for a player to place their ball, each one a different distance from the hole. They are generally as level as feasible, and most are slightly raised from the surrounding fairway. The most common tee areas, in increasing order of length from the hole, are the ladies' tee, the men's tee, and the championship tee. Other common tee-boxes include the junior tee, closer to the hole than the ladies' tee, and the senior tee, generally between the ladies' tee and the men's tee. In tournaments, golfers generally tee off from the box one level further from the "normal" box for their class (men use the championship tee, ladies use the senior or men's tee, and juniors use the ladies' tee).

Each tee box has 2 markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area. The teeing area spans the distance between the markers, and extends from 2-club lengths behind the markers up to the markers themselves. A golfer may play the ball from outside the teeing area, but the ball itself must be shot from within the area. A golfer may place his ball directly on the teeing ground (called hitting it "off the deck"), a manufactured support known as a tee, or any natural substance such as sand placed on the teeing surface.

Par

Most courses have only par three, 4, and 5 holes, though some courses include par 6 holes. Typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows.

Men

    Par 3 – 250 yards (230 m) and below
    Par 4 – 251 to 450 yards (410 m)
    Par 5 – 451 to 690 yards (630 m)
    Par 6 – 691 yards (632 m) or more

Women

    Par 3 – 210 yards (190 m) and below
    Par 4 – 211 to 400 yards (370 m)
    Par 5 – 401 to 575 yards (526 m)
    Par 6 – 575 yards (526 m) or more

Harder or easier courses may have longer or shorter distances, respectively. Terrain can also be a factor, where a long downhill hole might be rated a par 4, but a shorter uphill or treacherous hole might be rated a par 5. Professional tournament players will often encounter longer Par 3 holes (up to 290 yards) and longer Par 4 holes (up to 520 yards).