Golf Course Layout 101: A Guide to the Parts of the Course

Golf course layouts can vary in distance and difficulty. Courses are measured in the number of yards they have. A standard professional round of golf consists of 18 holes. Most courses in the world are 18 holes, though there are 9-hole courses. You play each hole twice in a 9-hole course to get a full score. Typically, the longer a course is, the more difficult it plays. For instance, a course that’s 6,400 yards long is likely easier than a course that’s 7,000 yards. Other elements can also make a course hard. If the fairways are narrow or if there are many trees, the course can be more difficult.

Overview of Golf Course Design

Every hole on a golf course has a tee box, a fairway, and a green. The components of a hole come in various shapes and sizes. Below are descriptions of each:

Tee Box: The tee box is the area where a golfer places their golf ball on top of a tee about 3 inches long. The teeing area, where you can hit your ball, is designated by 2 markers on each side of the box. You must place your tee within the line or behind the line of the markers. If you place it in front of the line, it’s a penalty. The tee box is the only place on the course where you can put your ball on a tee and hit it.
Fairways: The fairway is the area of play where you want to hit your golf ball. The length and width of a fairway vary from course to course. More difficult courses have smaller fairways and more rough. Rough is longer grass adjacent to the fairways that’s harder to hit your ball out of. Fairways typically consist of short grass. A shot that lands in the fairway is easier to hit because the ball sits on top of the grass or “up.” Hitting into the fairway is considered a reward for a good shot.
Greens: The green is the destination for your golf ball for each hole. Each green has a flagstick that rests inside of a hole that has a diameter of 4.25 inches. The goal is to get your golf ball into the hole in the fewest number of strokes. The grass on the greens is super short, allowing you to roll your golf ball toward the target instead of taking a full swing. This is where you can use a putter. A putter is a club with a face that helps you roll the ball on the ground instead of hitting it in the air. Adjacent to the green is the fringe, a strip of grass that’s slightly longer than the grass on the green. It can be tricky to putt off the fringe because it won’t have the same texture as the green.

Types of Hazards

To make play more challenging for golfers, hazards usually are part of the hole design. A golf course typically has a mix of easy holes, hard holes, and some that are average. Strategically placing hazards is a way to make the holes more difficult. A hazard is defined as a place where unique rules apply if you hit the ball from it:

Water: A water hazard is any area that contains water. It could be a small pond, creek, or even a lake that’s part of the course. Golfers can hit the ball out of hazards, but often it’s impossible to make a swing from the hazard. For instance, if a ball is hit into a lake, it probably will be unplayable. If a ball is unplayable, you must hit your shot again and take a penalty stroke.
Bunkers: Bunkers, which are typically holes filled with sand, are hazards. Usually, golfers can play a shot out of a bunker. The shot, though, is difficult. Hitting a ball into a bunker is sometimes considered a 1-stroke penalty because often, a golfer must hit the ball a short distance to get to a spot where they can take a full shot to the green. The intermediate shot then is like a penalty because had you not hit it into the bunker, you wouldn’t have had to take that extra shot.
Vegetation: Long grass, a cluster of plants, or bushes are often hazards. These are spots where you might have to take an unplayable lie because you can’t take a swing.

While rough isn’t considered a hazard, it’s often penal. A course usually has short rough adjacent to the fairway and then longer rough farther out. Environmentally sensitive areas (ESA) on a golf course, like wetlands, are often not considered a hazard. If you hit the ball into an ESA, you usually get a free drop. That means you can drop the ball near to where the ball entered the ESA without penalty.

<h2>Out of Bounds<h2>

Out of bounds in golf is usually when you hit the ball off the golf course. Hitting the ball out of bounds has its own set of rules. If a ball lands out of bounds, the golfer can’t play the shot. They must hit again from the same spot and take a 2-shot penalty. Out of bounds is typically marked by white stakes or white lines. If your ball lands on the out of bounds line, it’s considered in bounds and no penalty is incurred. If it lands outside of the line, it’s considered out of bounds. Below are some examples of out of bounds:

Property Line: Sometimes, a golf course will butt up against a homeowner’s property. Any shot that lands in someone’s yard or property is out of bounds.
Parking Lots: The parking lot for a golf course is almost always considered out of bounds.
Public Roads: Hitting the ball onto a public road is out of bounds.
Fence: A fence often marks out of bounds. Your ball is out of bounds if it lands outside of the fence.

Some golf courses have in-course out of bounds. In-course out of bounds means that a player hits the ball in an area that’s on the course but out of bounds. In-course out of bounds exists to make sure the player doesn’t take what might be considered an unfair route to get to the green. Very few golf courses that professionals play on have in-course out of bounds, but public and private courses do have them.

Finding a golf course design you like can make playing more enjoyable. A long course with numerous hazards and many places where your golf ball can go out of bounds can be discouraging for the average golfer. Many public courses are designed so amateur players can finish with good scores. Play courses that challenge you appropriately. The game will be a lot more fun.