Editing Golf course (section)

==Design==
[[File:Kytajakoulu.JPG|thumb|Kytäjä Golf in [[Kytäjä]], [[Hyvinkää]], Finland]]
Although a specialty within [[landscape design]] or [[landscape architecture]], golf course architecture is considered a separate field of study. Some golf course designers become celebrities in their own right, such as [[Alister MacKenzie]]; others are professional golfers of high standing and demonstrated appreciation for golf course composition, such as [[Jack Nicklaus]]. The field is partially represented by the [[American Society of Golf Course Architects]], the [[European Institute of Golf Course Architects]], and the [[Society of Australian Golf Course Architects]], although many of the finest golf course architects in the world choose not to become members of any such group, as associations of architects are not government-sanctioned licensing bodies, but private groups. While golf courses often follow the original landscape, some modification is unavoidable. This is increasingly the case as new courses are more likely to be sited on less optimal land. Bunkers and sand traps are always built in by architects unless the formation of such items is already in the course's natural terrain.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/04/20/the-ghost-course|title=The Ghost Course - Links to the past on a Scottish island | date=13 April 2009|magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>

The layout of a course follows certain traditional principles, such as the number of holes (nine and 18 being most common), their par values, and the number of holes of each par value per course. It is also preferable to arrange greens to be close to the tee box of the next playable hole, to minimize travel distance while playing a round, and to vary the mix of shorter and longer holes. Combined with the need to package all the fairways within what is frequently a compact square or rectangular plot of land, the fairways of a course tend to form an oppositional tiling pattern. In complex areas, two holes may share the same tee box, fairway, or even green. It is also common for separate tee-off points to be positioned for men, women, and amateurs, each one respectively lying closer to the green. Eighteen-hole courses are traditionally broken down into a "front 9" (holes 1–9) and a "back 9" (holes 10–18). On older courses (especially links courses, like the Old Course at St. Andrews), the holes may be laid out in one long loop, beginning and ending at the clubhouse, and thus the front 9 is referred to on the scorecard as "out" (heading out away from clubhouse) and the back 9 as "in" (heading back in toward the clubhouse). More recent courses (and especially inland courses) tend to be routed with the front 9 and the back 9 each constituting a separate loop beginning and ending at the clubhouse. This is partly for the convenience of the players and the club, as then it is easier to play just a 9-hole round, if preferred, or stop at the clubhouse for a snack between the front 9 and the back 9.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xYU1eWI37xEC&dq=golf+routing+clockwise+or+counterclockwise+returning+nines&pg=PA18|title=Routing the Golf Course | last1=Richardson | first1=Forrest | date=29 July 2002 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons | isbn=978-0-471-43480-1}}</ref>

A successful design is as visually pleasing as it is playable. With golf being a form of outdoor recreation, the strong designer is an adept student of natural landscaping who understands the aesthetic cohesion of vegetation, water bodies, paths, grasses, stonework, and woodwork, among many other elements.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://golf.com/travel/course-rater-confidential-underrated-architect|title=Who is the most underrated golf architect of all time?|magazine=Golf Magazine| date=22 February 2020|first1=Javier|last1=Reviriego|first2=Thomas|last2=Brown}}</ref>

New environmentally responsible design practices mean that a successful design more than harmonizes with the landscaping; it benefits the environment. A successful design also not just pleasing and playable, but is environmentally responsible. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Love |first1=Bill |title=An Environmental Approach to Golf Course Development |url=https://asgca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/environmental-course-development-final.pdf |website=American Society of Golf Course Architects |publisher=asgca.org |access-date=May 15, 2025}}</ref>


===Par===
{{Main|Par (score)#Determination of par}}

Most golf courses have only par-3, −4, and −5 holes, although some courses include par-6 holes. The Ananti CC and the Satsuki golf course in [[Sano, Tochigi|Sano]], Japan, are the only courses with par-7 holes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a2727/esq0903-golf/|title=The World's Longest Golf Hole|author=Victoria Robb|work=Esquire|date=13 April 2007 |access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref>

Par is primarily determined by the playing length of each hole from the [[teeing ground]] to the [[putting green]]. Holes are generally assigned par values between three and five, which includes a regulation number of strokes to reach the green based on the average distance a proficient golfer hits the ball, and two [[Golf swing#Putt|putts]].<ref name=sn>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/other-sports/news/how-is-par-on-a-golf-course-determined/yln8cjdj9lne1trmiqwt8tv15 |title=How is par on a golf course determined? |website=Sporting News |date=23 March 2015 |access-date=26 June 2022}}</ref> On occasion, factors other than distance are taken into account when setting the par for a hole; these include altitude, terrain and obstacles that result in a hole playing longer or shorter than its measured distance, e.g. route is significantly uphill or downhill, or requiring play of a stroke to finish short of a body of water before hitting over it.<ref name=usga>{{cite web |url=https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping/roh/Content/rules/Appendix%20F%20Establishing%20Par.htm |title=Rules of Handicapping {{!}} Appendix F: Establishing Par |publisher=USGA |access-date=26 June 2022}}</ref>

Under the [[United States Golf Association]], the typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows:<ref name=usga/>

Men
:*Par 3 – Under {{convert|260|yd|m}}
:*Par 4 – {{convert|240|-|490|yd|m}}
:*Par 5 – {{convert|450|-|710|yd|m}}
:*Par 6 – {{convert|670|yd|m}} or longer

Women
:*Par 3 – Under {{convert|220|yd|m}}
:*Par 4 – {{convert|200|-|420|yd|m}}
:*Par 5 – {{convert|370|-|600|yd|m}}
:*Par 6 – {{convert|570|yd|m}} or longer