1764 The 18-hole round was invented in 1764 at St Andrews' Old Course. The Open Championship, commonly known as the British Open, was originally played in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is golf's first major and the world's oldest competition. The first U.S. Open was held at Oakland Golf Club in Rochester, New York, in 1894. This was followed by another U.S. Open being held at Chicago Golf Club in 1901. In 1902, the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) was formed with the mission of governing men's golf across the United States. The number of holes on a golf course has changed over time. Originally, there were only nine holes. In 1872, the first American courses with eighteen holes were built. Today, almost all courses have thirty-three or more holes. The USGA limits the length of a hole to 375 yards for men and 270 yards for women. This is because they believe that anything longer than this is not fun for most people. Holes like these one at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia are called par 3s. They are usually about 350 yards in length. The number indicates the amount of points you can score during play. Par 4s are longer at approximately 450 yards. These are considered harder challenges than par 3s.