Each golf course has a unique profile. Its size, shape, design, and other attributes are significantly different from other golf courses. Therefore, a comparison or generalization is almost impossible.
Each of the golf courses develops by acclaimed golf course architects and technicians. It’s a cost and skill-intensive enterprise that requires years of grooming and development.
What is the average size of a golf course? To know how much land would be needed to develop a new golf course, I have compared some golf courses to work out the average figure. For example, I believe that an 18-hole golf course will need 175 to 200 acres of usable land.
What Is The Average Size of a Golf Course in Acres?
There is no cut-and-dry rule for the size of a golf course. It depends on the size of the land available and the type of game to plays. It is entirely situation-specific.
So, What is the number for the average size of a golf course in acres? According to the experts of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, a 400-yard par-four hole may take as much as 10.4 acres.
This amount of land will give a course of 420 yards in length and 120 yards in width. It means a land parcel measuring 10 acres can make for a 400-yard long hole.
The exact amount of land can give four par 3s, each having 60 to 150 yards in length. With the professional design, there could be more.
At this rate, an 18-hole course having all short par 3s will take about 30 acres. An intermediate length course of par 3s and 4s will take about 75 to 100 acres.
Full-Size per 72 Course
A full-size par 72 course will require 120 to 200 acres. This entire amount of land will call for laying out the design of the golf course. It should use this whole amount of land for golf courses. It does not provide for restricted areas, wetlands, etc.
An analysis of the golf courses presents worldwide reveals that they are available in all shapes and sizes. Some of these courses are more than 7,000 yards, while most of them are around 5,000 yards. All golf courses are unique in size and design.
Thinking of a golf course in terms of fixed size is not appropriate because size is not the only factor in planning a golf course. There are other factors such as design and layout and how the property space out.
However, an average golf course should be about 170 acres. In addition, it may include space for a small practice area and a clubhouse. But the exact number of acres required for a golf course would depend on many factors such as the additional facilities plan, type of property, how much of it can use for golf, etc.
An executive golf course’s acres are range from 80 to 100 probably and with around 36 par, not a 72 par full-size golf course. The difference in land required for an executive course and a full-size golf course is because par 3s take much less than par 5s.
The Average Size of a Golf Course in other measurement units. (Table)
| measurement Units | Average Size Of a Golf Course |
|---|---|
| Acres | 10.4 |
| Hectares | 4.208731 |
| Square Kilometers | 0.0420873 |
| Square meters | 42087.3099 |
| Square Miles | 0.01625 |
| Square Yards | 50336.0038 |
| Square Feet | 453024.0344 |
Types of golf courses
Golf courses are available in different sizes. You may often hear golf courses refer to in terms of the number of holes they feature. You may also have heard of par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes. To understand what they mean, please read on.
18-hole course
18-hole golf courses are the standard or ‘regulation’ golf courses. For example, Chicago Golf Club is one of the oldest 18-hole golf courses in North America.
An 18-hole course mostly has par 4s holes and a mix of par 3s and par 5s holes.
9-hole course
A 9-hole golf course is a more miniature course having 9 holes. It has majorly par 4s holes and a mix of par 3s and par 5s holes. But, again, there is no particular significance to the name. It just says what the golf course is – a 9-hole golf course.
Executive course
Probably you heard about executive golf courses; it’s rapid-fire golf, a little shorter and quicker, and it offers the kinds golf course both 18-hole and 9-hole courses. The distinction between the executive golf course and the standard golf course is shorter and quicker than the definitive version.
Par-3 course
If you are looking at the shortest version of golf, it is the par-three golf course. It is faster than the executive golf course. It offers you the opportunity to play a quick round of golf and return to your routine. The name par three courses denotes the fact that the course involves playing on par three circuits only.
Approach course
The approach course is for those who find the par-3 course a tad too much. They are looking for a shorter version of the game. At the approach course, you have holes between 30 and 100 yards. Your golf at this course is all about laying the ball, pitching, and putting.
It improves your golf game understanding by these details of golf courses and the ball games.
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Different Parts of a golf course
A golf course divides into different parts such as Tee, Fairway, rough, etc. Let’s have a look at what they mean:
Tee: A tee is the beginning hole located at the tee box. A golf course has several tee boxes.
Fairway: This is a small area that lies between the tee box and the green. Fairway is the area that most golfers use to make great shots.
Rough: This is a large area that lies beyond the green and the fairway. You would like to skip this area as a golfer because it takes more effort to hit the ball.
Green: This is a beautiful green area, and here lie the holes. In this part of the golf course, golfers use putters.
Hazards: Hazards are obstacles in the game, and they make your game enjoyable by introducing a twist. Hazards may come in the form of artificial ponds, lakes, or other areas. These areas mark with red or yellow colors. All these parts make the golf course longer and more enjoyable.
Grass Length
For comfortable play, the length of the fairway grass should not exceed half (0.5) an inch. If the grass is more or less of this length, your game will be affected. It is, therefore, necessary to mow the grass regularly and maintain its ideal size.
The golf course management needs to ensure the grass is mowed regularly throughout the course and around the year.
When the grass is shorter, hitting the golf ball is more accessible. Shorter grass leaves mean tighter surfaces, and it becomes easy to take shots on such surfaces. On a softer texture, taking a picture is not as easy as on a faster surface.
If the length of the grass is more than 1.5 inches, taking an accurate shot from the fairway is a tricky thing, even for professional players. So it should maintain the grass length between half an inch and 1.5 inches.
Why does the length of the golf course need to be increased?
The average length of an 18-hole golf course is an essential point of discussion when we talk about the size of golf courses. At present, the average length of an 18-hole golf course is between 6500 and 7000 yards. The golfers require to walk down the golf course starting from the tee boxes to complete their mission.
Now, there are golf courses that extend beyond 7000 yards. In addition, in recent years, the length of 18-hole golf courses has been developed.
It is completely keeping in view the improved performance of golfers who are increasingly taking longer shots. In addition, golfers are using improved golf clubs and techniques to make longer shots.
Golf courses are required to increase the course length to pace with the long shots of the golf ball. Earlier, sending the ball for 200 yards was a difficult feat, but now golfers are sending the ball 250 yards and more. As a result, it has made it necessary to increase the average length of the golf courses.
Final Thoughts
I have seen many golf courses around the world, and all of them have unique specifications. For example, you can find 18-hole, 9-hole, and executive golf courses.
Each of these has varying sizes and its own set of unique features. While an 18-hole golf course can commission in 200 acres, a 9-hole golf course or an executive golf course can be made ready in 80 to 100 acres. It can implement a par 3 golf course on 30 acres.
What is the average size of a golf course? The actual size of a golf course depends on many factors, including the kind of facility it plans to be – 18-hole, 9-hole, or par-3 golf course.
Suppose it will be a par-72 full-size golf course with additional facilities such as a clubhouse and store. You would need no less than 200 acres of usable land, keeping wetlands and restricted areas from the calculations.
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