Editing Golf course (section)

==Types==

===Links===
{{main|Links (golf)}}

[[File:Domburg golf aug 05 007.jpg|thumb|left|Domburgsche, a links course in the [[Netherlands]]]]

Links is a [[Scots language|Scottish]] term, from the [[Old English]] word hlinc : "rising ground, ridge", describing coastal [[sand dunes]] and sometimes similar areas inland.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.dsl.ac.uk/ |title = Links | work = Dictionary of the Scots Language |publisher = Scottish Language Dictionaries, Edinburgh | access-date  = 16 July 2012 }}</ref> It is on links land near the towns of central eastern Scotland that golf has been played since the 15th century.<ref name=BHOL>{{cite web|url=http://www.standrews.org.uk/About-Us/History.aspx |title=A Brief History of The Links |publisher=St Andrews Links Trust |access-date=16 July 2012  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704091144/http://www.standrews.org.uk/About-Us/History.aspx |archive-date=4 July 2012 }}</ref>

The shallow topsoil and sandy [[subsoil]] made links land unsuitable for the cultivation of crops or for urban development and was of low economic value. The links were often treated as common land by the residents of the nearby towns and were used by them for recreation, animal grazing and other activities such as laundering clothes.

The closely grazed turf and naturally good drainage of the links was ideal for golf, and areas of longer grass, heather, low growing bushes and exposed sand provided the hazards that are familiar on modern courses. Although early links courses were often close to the sea it was rarely used as a hazard, perhaps due to the instability of the dunes closest to the water and the high cost of hand-made golf balls precluding anything that could result in their irrecoverable loss. The land is naturally treeless and this combined with their coastal location makes wind and weather an important factor in links golf.

Traditional links courses are often arranged with holes in pairs along the coastline; players would play "out" from the town through a series of holes to the furthest point of the course, and then would return "in" along the second set of holes.<ref name = BHOL /> The holes may share fairways and sometimes greens (such as at [[Old Course at St Andrews|St Andrews]] to economize on land use, but in modern times this is rare due to the potential for injury from balls coming the other way.

Famous links courses include the [[Old Course at St. Andrews]], often described as the "Home of Golf", and [[Musselburgh Links]], which is generally regarded as the first recorded golf course. The [[Open Championship]], the oldest of golf's major championships, is always played on a links course.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.theopen.com/en/History/OpenVenues.aspx | title = Open Venues | work = The Open Championship | publisher = The R&A | access-date = 16 July 2012  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120803040332/http://www.theopen.com/en/History/OpenVenues.aspx | archive-date = 3 August 2012 }}</ref> Links and links-style golf courses have been developed throughout the world, reproducing the broken, treeless terrain with deep bunkers of their Scottish prototypes.

===Executive===
An ''executive course'' or ''short course'' is a course with a total par significantly less than that of a typical 18-hole course. Two main types exist:
* A "9-hole course", typically the type referred to as an "executive course", has only 9 holes instead of 18, but with the otherwise normal mix of par-3, par-4 and par-5 holes (typically producing a par score of between 34 and 36), and the course can be played through once for a short game, or twice for a full round.
* A "par-3" course has either 9 or 18 holes, and the distance of each hole is a par 3 rating (typically 240 yards or less from the "men's" tee), with no par-4 or par-5 holes mandating shots through the green (though, occasionally, a "par-3" course may feature a par-4 or even a par-5 hole). As a result, the total par for 18 holes of a par-3 course would be 54 instead of a typical 68–72. Some par-3 courses still require the use of a [[wood (golf)|wood]] on some tee shots, and thus a "complete" set of clubs is used.
** A common standardized type of par-3 course is the "[[Golf Course#Pitch and putt|Pitch and Putt]]" course, where each of the 9 or 18 holes has a distance from tee to cup of less than 100 yards, with an overall 18-hole course distance no more than 1,200 yards (so each hole averages 67 yards). This allows the course to be played without a full set of clubs; typically only [[wedge (golf)|wedges]] are needed, possibly a 9-iron for the longest holes, along with a [[putter]], to play the course. The rules for formal Pitch and Putt competitions mandate a three-club limit, consisting of two irons and one putter.

These types of courses provide a faster pace of play than a standard course, and get their name from their target patronage of business executives who would play the course on a long lunch or as part of a meeting. They are also popular with young professionals, because during the normal golf season, the course can usually be played in the time between the end of the work day and sundown.

The popularity of the 9-hole course has waned in recent decades; a full 18-hole course still allows for the player to play only the "front nine" or "back nine" as a shorter game, while attracting more golfers seeking to play a traditional full round of 18 distinct holes. Many older executive courses have been upgraded "in-place" to 18 holes and a traditional par score, or the original course was sold for other development, and new land was acquired and built into an 18-hole course. By contrast, par-3 courses, especially Pitch and Putt, are rising in popularity as a compromise between the long play time and high skill levels required of a traditional 18-hole course, and the artificial nature and single-minded putting focus of [[miniature golf]]. Pitch and Putt, specifically its governing association the IPPA, has received financial support and logo rights from the R&A.

In 2014, the PGA Tour held a [[Champions Tour]] event on a nine-hole par-3 course, the [[Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf]] in [[Ridgedale, Missouri]], with four (regular division) or three (over-65 division) rounds played over the par-3 course, and one round played on a nearby regulation 18-hole course with par of 71.

===Pitch and putt===
{{Main|Pitch and putt}}
[[File:Pitch and Putt - geograph.org.uk - 245542.jpg|thumb|upright|The "par 3" or pitch and putt course in [[Shibden Hall]], [[England]]]]

'''Pitch and putt''' is an [[amateur]] [[sport]], similar to [[golf]] and is also known as chip and putt. The maximum hole length for international competitions is {{convert|90|m|yd|-1}} with a maximum total course length of {{convert|1200|m|yd|-1}}. Players may only use three [[Golf club (equipment)|clubs]]; one of which must be a [[Putter (golf)|putter]]. The game is played from raised artificial teeing surfaces using a tee and it has its own handicap system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitch-putt.info/index.php/definition-mainmenu-12|title=Pitch and putt rules|publisher=[[European Pitch and Putt Association|EPPA]]|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027233447/http://pitch-putt.info/index.php/definition-mainmenu-12|archive-date=27 October 2013}}</ref>