
What are the different types of golf courses?
- Links Courses. The origin of golf is widely disputed, and to an extent we will never know the truth of where it began.
- Parkland Courses. Parkland golf courses appeared as a result of moving links courses more inland. Characterised by...
- Desert Courses. Popular in parts of the USA and the Middle East , desert golf...
What are the best golf courses?
May 12, 2020 · There are two types of this kind of course: 18 holes course or 9 holes course. The main difference between these and the others is that they are shorter and people play fasterbeing able to play par-3, par-4 and par-5 holes. But the main target in this kind of course is to finish the rounds faster than the others. Mini golf
What are the different styles of golf courses?
Oct 01, 2019 · The most famous links course is the Old Course in St. Andrews. Others include Carnoustie, Turnberry and Royal Liverpool. Every course on the male Open rota is a links. Parkland. These are the bread and butter of golf courses, and …
What are some examples for golf courses?
There are a 3 main types of golf coursesthat vary in landscape and design. These include the typically Scottish ‘Links course’, the ‘Parkland course’ and the ‘Desert course’. Links courses: these are courses often found in the UK. These types of golf coursesare located on the sand and grass between the farmland land and the coast.
What is the most prestigious golf course?

What are the types of a golf course?
What are the 5 different areas of a golf course?
What are the four course types in golf?
What else is a golf course called?
How many holes are there in a 9 hole golf course?
A 9-hole course is just what it sounds like, a course with nine holes, most of them being par four holes. It also features a few pars three and par-five holes, but not as many, and is nine holes, so it is shorter in length.
What is municipal golf course?
A municipal course is a course that is run by the county or the city so that the town’s residents have a place to go play. These types of golf courses are open to local residents and out-of-towners alike.
Why are parkland courses called parkland courses?
They are fast greens that are mostly located in inland regions. They are named parkland courses because the setting is so park-like. These are the types of courses that most PGA tour courses are played on and a good example of the type of golf course you can expect if you choose to play on a parkland course.
What is resort access golf?
Our second type of access golf course is the resort course. This type of golf course is just what it sounds like, a course that is on the property of a resort. These are usually open to the public, but the best tee times and greens are reserved for guests of the resort. While these are technically public courses, many times, the resort will make staying at the resort’s hotel a requirement in order to use their greens.
Is golf course grass good?
While golf courses are designed for having a good game, sports, and competition, if you have ever looked around at the course you’re playing on, you will notice that it is very well manicured. There are quite a few types of grass that are perfect for the landscape of a golf course.
What is an executive golf course?
An executive course is one where the course will always be shorter but will feature 9 to 18 holes. It will include more par three holes, than par four and par 5. The purpose of an executive course is to be able to finish the course in less time, which makes it perfect for a short game on a busy day.
What is a par 3 golf course?
Par 3 courses are designed where all of the holes on the course are par three holes. This type, of course, will be shorter than an executive course and will be even faster to play.
What is a public golf course?
Public courses: A public golf course is one that is open to the general public. Everyone who plays golf is welcome at a public golf course. Within the public category, there are two main sub-types - the municipal course and the daily fee course. Municipal courses are those owned by cities or counties and run for the benefit of the local citizens ...
What is a semi private golf course?
Semi-private courses: A semi-private course is one that both sells memberships and allows non-members to play. Those purchasing memberships might receive preferential tees times and discounted green fees, or access to other club amenities or perks.
Where did golf originate?
Golf first developed on the links of Scotland. Parkland course: A parkland course is one that is lushly manicured with verdant fairways and fast greens, with plenty of trees, and typically located inland. So named because of the park-like setting. Most PGA Tour courses are good examples of parkland courses.
Can all golfers play all golf courses?
Not all golf courses are available to be played by all golfers. Some are private clubs, some restrict access in other ways or give preferential treatment to certain golfers over others. When grouping golf courses by access, here are how those groups are labeled:
What is resort golf?
Resort courses: A resort course is a golf course that is part of a resort property, typically including a large, luxurious hotel, perhaps a spa and multiple restaurants. Some resort courses are open to the public in the same way a daily fee course is, with guests of the resort receiving preferential tee times and discounted green fees.
What is a link course?
There are three main types of courses when grouping by setting and/or design: Links course: A links course is one built on a sandy coastline that is open to the wind with few or no trees, but with plenty of tall coastal grasses.
What is a desert course?
Desert course: A course built in the desert, natch, where the teeing grounds, fairways and putting greens are lush but might be the only grass in the area. Seen from above, desert courses appear as ribbons of green running through seas of sand or rock and cactus.
What are the characteristics of a golf course?
Apart from the obvious temperature issues, characteristics of these golf course types include: 1 Snow blindness and movement constrictions due to thermal clothing. 2 Rough surfaces due to a layer of snow lying over the course – graphite clubs are discouraged as they may shatter! 3 The danger of seal dens and crevasses.
What is a link golf course?
Built on sandy soil between the coast and farmlands of Scotland, links are the most popular types of golf courses. They’re mostly known for their large, slow greens and fast fairways. Its wide use has rendered the links course to be recognised as any course that is relatively treeless, or as a synonym for ‘golf course’.
What is desert golf?
(Copyright Brocreative/shutterstock.com) Popular in parts of the USA and the Middle East , desert golf courses are as they sound: built in the desert. Greenery from this range of golf courses is sometimes the only green seen for miles, and they require heavy irrigation as a result of their location.
What is a championship golf course?
Many regulation golf courses are known as championship courses, even if they may never host an official championship. These courses have excellent playing surfaces, and they are often par-72 courses. However, this is not an official standard, and championship courses are sometimes par 70 or 71.
How many holes are there in an executive golf course?
The course leans toward par-3 holes with just a few par-4 or par-5 holes thrown in. An executive course can have 9 or 18 holes.
What is landscape golf?
Landscape Style. Golf course architecture is an art form. Many courses incorporate elements of the natural setting into their designs. How the architect uses or reshapes the natural terrain determines the landscape category of the course. Most American courses fall into one of three main types.
Where did golf originate?
Golf originated in Scotland, and links golf, too, has its roots in Scotland. Links courses are built on narrow sections of sandy land between coast and farmland. Links courses work with the natural landscape of these strips of lands along the Scottish and Irish coasts. They incorporate the land's slopes and turns, ...
What is a parkland course?
A manicured golf course with careful landscaping and an abundance of green grass and trees is usually known as a parkland course. The land is more tailored, so fairways are typically smooth. Unlike links courses, which are, by definition, found in coastal areas, parkland courses are often far from the shore.
How often do you stop at a parkland golf course?
Casual golfers may prefer to stick with stopping in at the municipal parkland course once or twice a year. Those more committed to the game will appreciate what a challenging-yet-enjoyable, championship-level private golf club has to offer.
Do golf courses charge fees?
There is a fee to play at pretty much any golf course. However, some courses charge you each time you visit while others offer the opportunity to pay upfront for continual access to the facilities.
9 holes golf courses
This kind of course is perfect for people who love this sport but have no time to play a whole course. You could play for an hour and a half or two hours. As its name already indicates, this golf course has 9 holes and the goal is to put the ball into this holes using 30 hits with your golf club.
Pitch and Putt courses
This kind of golf courses are used by golf academies and teachers because they are the perfect courses to learn how to play golf. In these courses the total lenth is limited to 98,43 yards, being all of them a Par-3-hole. It’s faster to play and smaller than other. For that reason is a good way to start to play.
Executive course
There are two types of this kind of course: 18 holes course or 9 holes course. The main difference between these and the others is that they are shorter and people play fasterbeing able to play par-3, par-4 and par-5 holes. But the main target in this kind of course is to finish the rounds faster than the others.
Mini golf
This courses are very small because they are adapted for kids and learners. They are usually located in parks or city center. The only rule is to hit the ball and be better than your rival. The holes are very close and normally you don’t need a lot of hits to place the ball in the hole.
How many holes are there in an executive golf course?
Executive Course. Executive courses are defined less by their scenery than by their length. The typical executive track is either an abbreviated 9 holes of par 4s and par 3s (there are rarely par 5s), or an out-and-out par 3 course, which, again, will typically only stretch to 9 holes.
What is a link course?
Let’s start with the most obvious: the links course. Or as you probably otherwise know it: the one by the seaside. The most salient characteristic of a links track is that it’s by the sea. Typically, a links course will be set out on tight, sandy turf which is constantly being battered by a stiff sea wind. A true links track usually also has an absence of trees, relying instead for its protection on the aforementioned South-Westerlies, as well as undulating dunes. The number one defence of most links courses, however, is, bunkers. Though inland courses’ bunkers sometimes copy the iconic links style, links courses have unusually deep ‘pot bunkers’ which are a calling card of seaside golf. The most famous links course is the Old Course in St. Andrews. Others include Carnoustie, Turnberry and Royal Liverpool. Every course on the male Open rota is a links.
Why are trees important in golf?
Trees are an abundant feature of the typical parkland, often set tight to fairways to force the golfer to hit accurate drives , and many park lands also rely heavily on water hazards, such as streams and lakes, to add difficulty to play. Compared to the typically browned links courses, parklands tend to be sumptuously green.
Where is the Sandbelt Course?
Sandbelt. Sandbelt courses reside in Australia, in the famous Melbourne Sandbelt. The most illustrious of these is without question Royal Melbourne, the site the 2019 Presidents Cup.
What are some examples of parkland?
Some well-known examples of the parkland type are The Grove, The Belfry and, in the States, of course, Augusta National. If you’re a member of a club in the UK, the chances are the course you’ve a member of is one of these.

Golf Course Types by Access
Golf Course Types by Size
- Another way of grouping golf courses is by size, which refers both to the number of holes (18 is standard) and the types of holes (a mix of par-3, par-4, and par-5holes, with par-4s being prevalent, is the standard on a "regulation," or full-sized, course). When grouping courses by size, here are how those groups are labeled: 1. 18-hole course: There really is no dedicated name, no special la…
Golf Course Types by Setting/Design
- The third way of grouping golf courses by type is to group them according to their geographical setting and/or the architectural elements of their design (those are often the same things since courses are often designed to fit into their natural surroundings). There are three main types of courses when grouping by setting and/or design: 1. Links course: A links course is one built on …
Landscape Style
Length of Play
- Unlike many sports, golf does not have a regulation field size. Differing hole lengths and challenges on each course mean that it takes less time to play some courses than others.
Course Access
- There is a fee to play at pretty much any golf course. However, some courses charge you each time you visit while others offer the opportunity to pay upfront for continual access to the facilities.
Types of Golf Courses For You
- Golfers are as varied as the different types of golf courses. Casual golfers may prefer to stick with stopping in at the municipal parkland course once or twice a year. Those more committed to the game will appreciate what a challenging-yet-enjoyable, championship-level private golf club has to offer.