Average Golf Course Length; Size | Acres | Areas

Golf is a sport that has been around for centuries. Throughout the years, many people have found themselves wondering about how many acres are in a golf course.

This article will explore this question and others related to it such as what the size of an average golf course is in terms of acres or areas.

Along with that, we'll also consider what other areas are measured in the same way as golf courses and see how these relate to the acreage of a golf course.

How many acres are in a golf course

The average golf course in the U.S measures from 5,000 to 300,000 square yards while maintaining an 18 hole standard course design.

Most of these course sizes range between 7,500 and 14,000 acres with an average length of 6800 yards.

There are some highly rated golf courses that have been extended to as long as 300 miles, maintaining a par of 70. These courses are not public but private establishments and are often referred to as super golf courses.

The average length of a 9 hole golf course

Most golfers will play 18 holes, since it requires less time to complete a round. However, 9 hole courses are more likely to be found on college campuses or in backyards - since most new golfers aren't ready to play 18 holes of golf the first few times they pick up a club.

A standard 9-hole course will measure somewhere between 3,000 and 4,500 yards long. This works out to an average of about 0.375 - 0.75 acres per hole, or a total of roughly 3-4 acres for the entire course.

How many Acres does an 18 hole golf course have?

An 18 hole golf course will have approximately 554 acres with the length in yards of 1.63 miles which is 2,611 meters and roughly covers 554,000 square feet or a little over half an acre per hole on average.

The same course would have around 1,080 acres if it were 9 hole golf course. The total area of an 18-hole golf course is between 2,000 and 4,000 square feet per acre. The length of a 9 hole golf course is typically about 1/10th that of an 18-hole course.

What's the size (acres) of an average PGA tournament golf course?

The size of the average PGA tournament golf course is somewhere between 88 and 123 acres. The exact number depends on the tournament.

For example, a course for the 2007 20 Golf World Cup in Japan measured about 90+ acres while the average length of a PGA regular tournament is around 123.5 acres.

The length of a tournament can be different because the course is built for one specific event while others have a similar design that gets altered to accomodate varying lengths - typically between 5,800 and 6,400 yards. The extra length makes it easier on the PGA golfers who aren't nearly as good as the pros.

The size (acres) of a mini golf course

A typical 18-hole miniature golf course ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet in area. The average length for an 18-hole miniature golf course is around 400 yards or 362 metres.

Below are the sizes of some popular golf courses, sorted by average size:

  1. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pacific Grove, California) - 600 acres
  2. The Old Course at St Andrews (St Andrews, Scotland) - 598 acres
  3. Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Kiawah Island, South Carolina) - 354 acres
  4. Torrey Pines Golf Course (La Jolla, California) - 340 acres
  5. Pinehurst Resort No. 2 Course at Village of Pinehurst (Pinehurst, North Carolina) - 341 acres
  6. Troon North Golf Club (Troon, Arizona) - 276 acres
  7. South Course at PGA National Golf Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) - 265 acres
  8. 18-Hole Course at Whistling Straits (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) - 262 acres
  9. Pebble Beach Golf Links South Course (Pacific Grove, California) - 219 acres
  10. Southern Course at PGA National Golf Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida) - 213 acres
  11. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Kiawah Island, South Carolina) - 200 acres

Faqs

What is an acre?

An acre is a measure of area used in imperial units. In the United States the 1-acre lot size defines the amount of land covered by one family farm and varies, but usually ranges between 10 to 20 acres. An international acre is defined as the area of one square chain by 1 furlong (or 10 × 660 feet). The metric equivalent is 20 ares or 16,000 square metres.

How big is an acre?

In the UK one acre equals 4,840 square yards or 4047.6 square metres (exactly). In the USA one acre equals 43,560 square feet (exactly) or approx 4840 US square yards. An international acre equals 20 ares or 16000 m2. One hectare is approximately 10 - 20 acres.

Is a golf hole the same as an acre?

No, A golf hole is not just one single acre. For every 18 holes on a golf course, you will need 36 acres. So if your local clubhouse has 20 full size (18-hole) golf courses and 400 acres in total, it will mean each individual course uses 100 acres.

Conclusion

It is not possible to give an exact number for the size of a golf course as they vary in respect of different factors such as design, age and length played.  But everybody can be sure of the fact that a golf course is not that small, as assumed by many people.

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