18 is just a number
One of precious few things I purchased during lockdown was a book entitled Forgotten greens: the abandoned golf courses of Scotland in which Harry Ward catalogues well over 500 Scottish courses that didn’t stand the test of time. A large percentage disappeared during World War I, but relatively few had 18 holes. Most had nine, but a noticeable number had five, six, seven or whatever they could squeeze into the available space.
Today, there are several clubs throughout the UK and Ireland that have a veritable feast of golf holes, none more so than the Manor House and Ashbury Hotels in Devon, which boast an incredible 99, none of which I’ve yet played. I have played most or all of the holes, though, at several other establishments such as Gleneagles, where there are 63, Celtic Manor, Frilford Heath and Portstewart, which have 54, and Hawkstone Park in Shropshire, which has
