A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick ("pin") and hole ("cup"), all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing eighteen holes, and most golf courses therefore have this number of holes. Some, however, only have nine holes, and the course is played twice per round. Other courses have twenty-seven or thirty-six holes and players choose two groups of nine holes each, providing novelty, and also for maintenance reasons. Additionally, par-3 courses also exist, consisting of nine or eighteen holes, all of which are par 3 (the number of strokes considered standard for a scratch golfer). Many older golf courses, often coastal, are golf links, which are a different style from the others. Non-municipal courses usually include a golf club based at the course, which generally provides a pro shop.

The first section of every hole consists of the teeing ground, or tee-box. There is typically more than one available box where a player places his ball, each one a different distance from the hole. The teeing ground is generally as level as feasible, and most are slightly raised from the surrounding fairway. The most common tee areas, in increasing order of length from the hole, are the ladies' tee, the men's tee, and the championship tee. Other tee-boxes commonly designated include the junior tee, closer to the hole than the ladies' tee, and the senior tee, generally between the ladies' tee and the men's tee. In tournaments, golfers generally tee off from the box one level further from the "normal" box for their class (men use the championship tee, ladies use the senior or men's tee, and juniors use the ladies' tee).