Golf Course Layout

Golf Glossary

Golf Course Layout

In short

A golf course consists of nine or eighteen holes. Each hole leads from the tee across the fairway to the green with the cup, flanked by rough, bunkers and sometimes water. This overview page explains all the parts for beginners, assigns them to the five areas of the Rules of Golf and points to the detailed glossary entry for each individual term. That way you see layout, areas and terms in context.

The golf course at a glance

A golf course is divided into holes. Each hole is a separate section of play with a tee, a playing surface and a green. 18 holes is the norm. There are also 9-hole courses and short courses. The holes differ in length, shape and difficulty. Together they make up the round that you play from hole 1 to the last hole.

The 2023 Rules of Golf divide the course into five areas, described in Rule 2.2: the general area, the teeing area, penalty areas, bunkers and the putting green. In the official German translation the general area is simply called Gelände. The general area includes everything not assigned to one of the other four areas, such as fairway, rough and trees. This division matters because each area has its own rules on relief and conduct.

Beyond the playing field lies out of bounds. It is usually marked with white stakes or lines. A ball out of bounds cannot be played. A fuller explanation of the scoring is in the entries on out of bounds and penalty strokes.

Layout of a hole: from the tee to the cup

Every hole follows the same basic pattern. You start at the tee, a prepared area where you place the ball on a tee peg. The fairway is the closely mown strip leading to the green. On both sides lies the rough, longer grass in which the ball is harder to play. In front of the green there is often a short strip, the fringe, before the smooth surface of the green begins.

The green is the area around the hole. The grass is cut very short so the ball can roll. The flagstick stands in the hole so that you can see the target from afar. The hole has a diameter of 108 millimetres and a minimum depth of about ten centimetres.

The path of a typical par 4: drive off the tee with the driver, hit a second shot onto the green with an iron, then hole out with the putter. Hazards between can affect strategy. On some holes the fairway curves towards the green. That is called a dogleg.

Hazards and special zones

Besides the playing surface there are zones that influence play. These include bunkers, penalty areas and sometimes protected biotopes.

It is important that penalty areas, bunkers and out of bounds are treated differently. If you know the markings, you recognise at once which rule applies.

Par, length and hole types

Every hole has a par, the number of strokes a very good player is expected to need for it. There are par 3s, par 4s and par 5s. Par depends mainly on length. Short holes are par 3, medium holes par 4 and long holes par 5. The total par of an 18-hole course is often 70 to 72.

Example: an 18-hole course with four par 3s, ten par 4s and four par 5s is par 72. Calculation: 4 × 3 = 12, 10 × 4 = 40, 4 × 5 = 20. Together that is 72.

For orientation, holes are split into groups. The first nine holes are the front nine, the second nine the back nine. Each hole has a number and a stroke index showing how difficult it is compared with the others. Both appear on the scorecard you receive at the start.

The most important terms at a glance

You will meet the following terms on every course. Each has its own glossary entry.

There are also practice areas such as the putting green, chipping green and driving range. They belong to the facility but not to the round. For beginners it is worth reading these terms once before heading onto the course.

Getting started: how to read a course

A look at the course plan helps at the start. It shows the order of the holes, their length and par. Many courses also have a yardage book with distances in which hazards and green shapes are drawn.

If you understand how a course is laid out, you play quicker and make better decisions. The course loses its strangeness, and the round becomes a pleasure.

Try it at Golf Lounge

At Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg you can see how a course is laid out in three steps. The 9-hole “Black” course is par 33 with par 3 and par 4 holes, water hazards, bunkers and protected greens, and needs the Platzreife. The 6-hole short course “Red” needs no Platzreife, and the 9-hole putt course “Blue” is mini-golf style fun for all ages. There is also an Academy Area with hitting mats and a putt and chip area.

View the 9-hole course

Frequently asked questions

How is a golf course laid out?

A golf course consists of nine or eighteen holes. Each hole starts at the tee, runs along the fairway to the green and ends in the cup. Rough, bunkers and sometimes water lie alongside. The Rules of Golf divide the course into five areas: general area, teeing area, penalty areas, bunkers and putting green.

What are the parts of a golf course?

The main parts are tee, fairway, rough, bunker, penalty area, green and hole. There is also out of bounds as the boundary and often biotopes as nature protection zones. Practice areas such as the putting green, chipping green and driving range lie outside the round.

What does par mean on a hole?

Par is the number of strokes a very good player is expected to need for the hole. There are par 3s, par 4s and par 5s depending on length. The total par of an 18-hole course is often 70 to 72. Playing under par is a very good result.

How big is a golf hole?

The hole has a diameter of 108 millimetres and a depth of at least about ten centimetres. It sits on the green with a flagstick so you can see the target from afar. The hole position is changed regularly on many courses so the green wears evenly.

What is the difference between rough and fairway?

The fairway is the closely mown main playing strip where the ball sits well and is easy to strike. The rough is longer grass beside it. The ball sits deeper there and the club meets more resistance. Both belong to the general area in the Rules of Golf.

All terms on this topic

As of: October 2026

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