The first Open Championship was played on a 12-hole Scottish course, Prestwick, laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1851. Shinnecock Hills, a six-time U.S. Open site and one of the founding clubs of the USGA, was originally a 12-hole layout on Long Island before expanding to the current 18.
Today, the 18-hole routing is golf’s norm. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. courses (65%) have 18 holes.
But the 12-hole golf course is making a comeback — of a sort. While still decidedly niche, the trend is growing as a new generation of owners, developers and architects are creating 12-hole courses in an effort to offer shorter rounds and, in some cases, easier entry to the game.
Sand Valley, a multicourse resort in central Wisconsin, recently opened The Commons — an alternative layout that consists of four par 3 holes, seven par 4s and a single par 5.
Another destination property from the same ownership group is building a 12-hole course at Old Shores on the Florida panhandle.
The owners of Tobacco Road, the cult favorite in North Carolina, this year introduced a 12-hole Par 3 course in the pines that features synthetic greens and tee boxes. Old Dane, a public course in Nebraska owned by the family behind Landmand, is expanding from nine holes to 12 holes by replacing its former practice range.
While there are only about 30 12-hole courses among the roughly 16,000 courses in the U.S., more than half of them have been opened in the past decade. Among them are The Dozen at Arcadia Bluffs in Michigan, The Yards in Florida, Belmont in Virginia, and 12 North at Trappers Turn in Wisconsin.
There are about one dozen 12-hole courses in the pipeline as well, according to NGF’s Construction Report.
In addition to Old Shores and The Broadmoor in Colorado, which is converting its closed Mountain course from 18 holes to 12, there is a forthcoming 12-hole short course at Candyroot Lodge in the South Carolina sandhills. Michelle Wie West is a co-designer, marking her foray into golf course design.
Overall, 99% of the golf courses in the NGF database are of the 9- or 18-hole variety. But there are still 141 alternative courses that range anywhere from three to 22 holes.
Six-hole courses have the highest representation among the alternate category, with 45 courses. But 12-hole courses continue to see a slow increase in overall supply and, while not necessarily a throwback to 175 years ago at Prestwick, perhaps it’s a sign that — at least in some cases and some places — what’s old is new again in the traditional game.
Those interested in licensing NGF’s domestic or international databases can reach out to Kevin McLendon.
NGF members can click here to access the annual Golf Facilities in the U.S. Report.
