Why is there 18 holes on a golf course?
I believe the first modern golf course, the Old Course at St. Andrews (where they played the British Open this year), originally had 22 holes: 11 out and 11 back. There were only 11 fairways though. For example the fairway that led to hole 11 also led to hole 12. Same with holes 10 and 13, 9 and 14, etc. The same thing with greens: the green for hole 10 was the same for 12, and the same for holes 9 and 13 Eventually two of the greens were eliminated, eliminating four holes and making remaining holes longer. It stuck and became the model for the thousands of golf courses in the world today.
