The nitty-gritties of an executive golf course explained

We all know that a standard golf course consists of 18 holes, which is a par 72. A lot of us may have also come across shorter versions of the golf course; the 9-hole golf course and maybe even the par-3 golf course. But how is an executive golf course different?

How is an executive golf course different from the others?

A common mistake is to confuse the executive golf course with the par 3 golf course. While the former has mostly par 3 courses, it may also contain the occasional par 4 holes and the par 5 holes. This means that executive golf courses can be a combination of par 3 holes, short courses, and pitch and putt courses.

Of course, the executive golf course requires a much smaller distance to cover than a regular golf course. A standard golf course is 6700 yards in length and compared to that, an executive course maybe 5200 yards or even less. Thus, it is faster to play and complete – which is the whole idea – owing to the lack of par 5s and the inclusion of more par 3s.

Par in an executive course is around the low 60s, unlike the standard par of 72. The average standard for PGA is a bit under 15 minutes per hole, which is to stay in pace.

Par 5 holes generally take longer to complete, so by limiting the number of par 5 and par 4 holes, and also limiting the number of shots, the total time required to complete the course is cut down significantly.

Another major difference is that while one can almost never use a driver for par 3 courses, an executive course offers a few holes where it can be used. An executive golf course may be an independent course, but can also be a part of a larger golf course and used separately.

How did the concept originate?

The terminology ‘executive golf course’ can be traced to a very obvious root; American corporates. This course was designed keeping in mind the requirements of business executives; their hectic schedule which also needed a quick getaway like a short golf session.

Playing a two and a half hour session during a lunch break was out of the question, but the shorter courses cut down such sessions to an hour to an hour and a half or so and soon these became a favorite for executives to meet up, deal with, discuss, and do business with each other.

How does this help?

This design was also very convenient for people who wanted to hit a few after an evening shift but had to wrap things up before darkness would creep in. It is also a very useful course for beginners to get the hang of things as well as for people with certain handicaps and those who want a shorter session in general.

It is also great for those who are not able to hit the ball a long distance from their tee, or those who want to improve their approach to the short game. Also, if you are an expert player but your partner is a rookie, a full-blown golf course that is expensive and crowded might not be the right place to tee off, especially since it can be very time-consuming.

However, the shorter, cheaper, and quicker executive golf course takes care of all that. Lastly, one must remember that this is also an ideal place to improve and work on one’s game.