Why is a round of golf 18 holes?

casperone123

the reason why golf courses are 18 holes is partly at least an accident of history http://www.scottishgolfhistory.net/eighteen_hole_round.htm May 31 06, 3:13 PM

mochyn

The real answer is that since the game originated in Scotland, the number of holes on a golf course was equivalent to the number of "shots" in a bottle of whiskey or Scotch. One "shot" per hole , bottle empty , game finished. Therefore 18 "shots" in a bottle , 18 holes of golf! May 31 06, 3:35 PM

robboy

I think somebody's already had 18 shots and thought that one up hanging out at The 19th (watering) Hole. The truth is that there wasn't any standard until the The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews became the authority and set standards for play. There were courses with 5, 7, 9, 15, 22, and other numbers in between before St. Andrews' crew weighed in and set it at the current number, because theirs, at an existing 22, was deemed more manageable at 18. http://golf.about.com/cs/historyofgolf/a/hist_18holes.htm May 31 06, 5:04 PM