Golf Myth: 18 Shots in a Bottle of Whiskey

Of all the sports, golf may have more myths surrounding its early days than any other two sports combined. So let’s do our best to dispel one of them today. 

Chances are if you have played the Old Course at St Andrews you have heard a caddy share the extraordinary story of how there are 18 holes of golf because there are 18 shots in a whiskey bottle. A whimsical story that has somehow bled into the collective “facts” of too many golfers. 

Well… to start off there are 16 shots in a whiskey bottle not 18. 

So why do we play 18 holes?

The full story can actually be read in a wonderful book by Golf Historian, Peter Lewis (no relation) called, “Why Are There 18 Holes?” The short story is a simple one- “because St Andrews is the Home of Golf and Home of the R&A.”

St Andrews Links (before it was called the Old Course) prior to  1762 was 22 holes, consisting of 11 holes out and 11 holes back in. Over time, some of these holes were found by the Society of St Andrews Golfers (the precursor of the R&A) to be too short, so they combined several holes to create a much more robust 18 hole links.

So why do we play 18 holes?

To be fair, we didn’t always play 18 holes- for example Leith Links, which was the original home to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers had a mere 5 holes. Old Musselburgh Links (the second home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) started with only 7 holes then in 1838 when they added a single hole to get to 8 holes. Thirty-two years later in 1870 (ten years into the Open Championship Era) they added their final hole to get to 9 holes. Within 4 years of that adding their 9th hole, Musselburgh’s 9 hole links would host the first of six Open Championships (the only 9 hole course to host the Open). And then there is the Home of the Open Championship, Prestwick. Prestwick was designed by the venerable Old Tom Morris himself. Surely if the law of the land was 18 holes, Old Tom never would have broken that protocol and yet in 1851 he designed the 12 hole links. And that incredible links, of just a mere dozen holes, hosted 15 Open Championships before they expanded the course to 18 holes. 

So why do we play 18 holes? In short we don’t. We play 18 for sure, but we also play 9 and in some rare cases, like the Links of Shiskine you can still play 12.

The standard is 18 because the most famous golf course in the world, St Andrews’ Old Course is 18 holes. It served as the standard bearer of golf back then, as much as it does today. 

For the Love of Askernish

The two men who rediscovered Askernish, Old Tom Morris’ famed ghost course in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, recently made a return visit to South Uist to see how the links was holding up nearly two decades later.

Architect Martin Ebert and golf course consultant Gordon Irvine walked away from their late-October visit content that the Tom Morris jewel they uncovered on that wild and windswept stretch of natural dunesland was thriving.

“It was wonderful to be able to make a return to Askernish after so many years,” Ebert wrote in a report to the golf club. “It served as a reminder of how good the golf course is, how beautiful the natural terrain is and what a unique golfing experience the course provides for anyone coming to play.”

Designed by the game’s Grand Old Man in 1891, Askernish was a popular destination in its heyday, but by World War II the 18-hole links had disappeared. It was rediscovered by Irvine during a 2005 fishing trip to South Uist, and a year later he recruited Ebert to revive Old Tom’s lost course.

Wisely, Ebert and Irvine recreated the course to play precisely as it would have in 1891. No irrigation system was installed, and no chemicals or fertilizer are used in the maintenance of the links. To play Askernish is to step back in time -- an experience simply not available at any other golf course.

The principal reason for the visit by Ebert -- whose firm Mackenzie & Ebert advises many of the world’s leading courses -- was to review changes to the stretch of holes from 12 through 14, in particular the new 13th, a short par 4 built after the resuscitated course had been reopened.

He declared the 13th a success, saying “this is a great addition to the course and, in fact, strengthens the layout.” In his report to the club, a summary of which was recently sent to members, he suggested a new tee placement that would slightly extend the 235-yarder, a true  half-par hole. 

Ebert also suggested a few tweaks to the tees on 12 and 14, and encouraged the club to hold fast to its tradition of presenting an 1891 golf experience, rather than succumbing to any pressure to buff up playing conditions.

‘The raw and wonderful natural beauty of the course should be celebrated and retained,” Ebert said.   --- Stephen Proctor.

 Stephen is an Honorary Life Member of Askernish Golf Club

Some early maps of Scotland’s Home of Golf

Admittedly I am a little addicted to old maps - even more so old maps of golf towns or old golf courses. I thought I would share a couple of my favorites of St Andrews in Scotland with you.

Golf History Trivia:

Between the years of 1457 to 1744 Scotland banned playing golf three times because the powers that be believed it interfered with military preparedness.