How Long Does it Take to Play 18 Holes? 

For many golfers, especially those just getting into the game, 9 holes is enough. But for those who just can’t get enough, or want to spend as much time as possible on the course improving, 18-holes is a must. Fortunately, there are many excellent 18-hole golf courses available to both members and non-members these days, so there’s plenty of choice. The question is how how long does it take to play 18 holes?

Having looked at the typical amount of time it might take to complete nine, here we’re going to go over how long it takes to play 18 holes.

Is every round the same?

Before we can answer the question of how long an 18-hole round takes, we need to understand that not every 18-hole round is the same. For example, some golf courses are longer than others, whereby it would take more time to complete an 18-hole round on a course that measures out over 7,200 yards than it would to play an 18-hole course that measures out over 6,500 yards.

Similarly, some courses are flatter and require less effort to navigate physically. If you’re playing a course with lots of undulations and hills, then you’re going to find yourself spending more time between teeing off and walking off the 18th green.

As discussed in the nine-hole article, there are other things that play a part in the duration of a round. E.g. If the course you’re playing is particularly busy and you’re frequently having to wait for the players in front before you can play your shots, then your round is going to come in slower than average timewise. Moreover, if the weather is particularly, you’re also not exactly going to be flying round at breakneck speeds.

How long it can take to complete 18 holes also depends on who you’re playing with. It’s reasonably obvious that if you’re playing alone you’re going to be finished far quicker than if you’re playing with three other players. The length of time a round depends greatly on your playing partners. The table below is a loose guide as to how long a typical 18-hole round should take for between one and four players.

What type of course are you playing?

Just like the time an 18-hole round can take depends on the number of players, conditions and whether a course is especially long or particularly hilly, it also depends on the type of course that you’re playing. For example, if you’re playing a par-3 course, you'll spend less time playing than if you were playing a full-length course. On average, a standard player takes around seven minutes to complete an average par, so a general guide time for 18 holes of par 3 golf is 126 minutes, or 2 hours, 6 minutes.

The time varies

The bottom line is that the time it takes to play 18-holes varies, and that’s because there are so many different things to take into consideration. However, we can say how long 18 holes should take generally speaking. For just one player, who walks the course in calm, rain-free conditions, playing on a standard full-size course that isn’t rammed full of players should take around 2 hours, 30 minutes.

In general, we can add 30-40 minutes for each extra player. Of course, how the ability of those playing makes a difference. Four below average players could take up to five hours to complete 18 holes, while four exceptionally good amateurs may complete a full round in less than four hours. To get a rough idea on times, use the above table.

Conclusion

I bet you played 18 holes both ways, faster and slower than mentioned above because of the many factors that affect the play time. Above is just and average play time which can differ a lot based on the things we said. If you want to play a quick 18 on the golf course, make sure you choose the right time and the right playing partner. If you're in a hurry and you also like to play alone, then this is the way to go. This way you will avoid the course traffic and unnecessary searching for partner's missed shots 😉 If you're really in a hurry consider playing 18 holes with a cart.