A composite golf course is a special 18-hole layout created by cherry-picking individual holes from two or more existing courses at the same facility. Think of it as a greatest hits album, temporarily assembled to create the most challenging, exciting, and spectator-friendly test of golf possible. This article will break down exactly what a composite course is, explore why clubs put them together for major championships, and highlight some of the most famous examples from golf history.
At its core, the concept is simple. Many prestigious golf clubs have more than 18 holes. They might have a "North Course" and a "South Course," or in some cases, 27 holes or even 54 holes split across multiple routings. For everyday play, members and guests play these courses as distinct, separate 18-hole standalone loops.
However, when a major championship like the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, or an international team event like the Presidents Cup comes to town, the organizing body (like the USGA or PGA of America) and the host club want to showcase the very best the property has to offer. They will collaborate to build a new, one-off routing. This temporary course is the "composite" course.
Imagine a club with two courses, the Meadow and the Ridge. The regular routings are holes 1-18 on each. A composite course might look something like this:
Suddenly, you have a completely new 18-hole experience. The new routing connects different parts of the property, creating a course that exists only for the duration of the tournament. The "composite" is born from combining parts of the whole to make something new and spectacular.
Creating a completely new course map for a week-long event might seem like a monumental task, and it is. So why do clubs and tournament officials go to all the trouble? It usually comes down to three key motivating factors.
This is the number one reason. Not all holes are created equal. One course might have an iconic run of punishing par-4s, while the other course on the property features a set of beautiful, risk-reward par-5s. A composite layout allows the club to string together all of its "signature" holes into a single, unrelenting test for the best players in the world.
The goal is to produce drama and identify the strongest player. This means selecting holes that demand precision, punish mistakes, and offer scoring chances at just the right moments. By Frankensteining a course together, architects and officials can perfect the rhythm and flow of the round, ensuring a tough start, a demanding closing stretch, and a balanced mix of hole designs, lengths, and directions.
Hosting a modern professional golf tournament is a massive logistical operation. You need space for tens of thousands of fans, corporate tents, television towers, merchandise areas, and a small army of volunteers and media.
Sometimes, a standard course routing is simply not conducive to this. The walk from the 9th green to the 10th tee might be half a mile long, or the finishing stretch might be located on a remote part of the property, far from the clubhouse. A composite course can solve these problems. Oftentimes, they are intentionally designed to bring the drama back to a central hub.
For example, a new routing could be designed so that holes #1, #9, #10, and #18 all start or finish near the main clubhouse area. This creates a natural stadium-like atmosphere, making it easier for fans to see action on multiple holes without having to hike all over the property. It also simplifies things for TV broadcasts and tournament operations, keeping everything contained in a more manageable footprint.
One of the biggest perks for a golf club hosting a major is the prestige, but a major downside is the complete shutdown of the facility for its own members, sometimes for several weeks before and during the event. Creating a composite course can be a clever way to mitigate this.
If a club with 36 holes uses nine holes from their North Course and nine from their South Course for the championship, what happens to the remaining 18 holes? In many cases, the club can create a *second* composite course from the leftover holes. This allows them to keep an 18-hole routing open for members, which is a huge benefit that keeps the membership happy while the world's best players are competing next door.
Some of the game's greatest moments have unfolded on these temporary layouts. They’re woven into the fabric of golf course architecture and championship history. Here are a few of the most renowned examples.
Unquestionably the most celebrated composite course in the world. Royal Melbourne boasts two masterpieces: the West Course (designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie) and the East Course. When the Presidents Cup or other major international events visit, the club combines twelve holes from the West and six from the East to form what is simply known as "The Composite Course." The genius is how seamlessly they blend. Even the world’s most astute architecture fans would have trouble discerning where one course ends and the other begins, creating a timeless and perfect test of golf that’s consistently ranked among the best in the world.
The site of Francis Ouimet's legendary 1913 U.S. Open victory and the host of the 2022 U.S. Open, TCC is one of America's founding clubs. It actually has 27 holes - the main 18-hole Clyde & Squirrel routing and a nine-hole course called the Primrose. For major championships, the club creates a composite layout. For the 2022 U.S. Open, they used a routing that integrated three-and-a-half holes from the Primrose nine with holes from the main course. This included dropping one of the main course's shortest par-3s in favor of a different, rarely-seen par-3, proving that a composite isn't just about combining holes but sometimes about carefully omitting them, too.
Olympia Fields has two acclaimed courses, the North and the South. The North Course is a championship monster on its own, but when it hosted the 2003 U.S. Open, officials made a small but significant tweak. They created a composite course that used 17 holes from the North Course but swapped in the par-4 18th hole from the neighboring South Course. Why? Because the South's finale sits right below the club’s iconic clock tower and clubhouse, providing a much grander and more spectator-friendly amphitheater for a major championship finish.
Famous for hosting multiple U.S. Opens, Congressional’s Blue Course has seen its an iconic final hole changed over the years using a composite strategy. For many years, the 18th hole was a short, quirky par-3 playing over a pond directly toward the clubhouse. While unique for member play, it was considered by many to be an anticlimactic finishing hole for a major. To fix this, before the 2011 U.S. Open, the routing was reversed. The original 17th hole became the new closing hole, and a new hole was brought in earlier in the round, fundamentally changing the championship experience even while using the same piece of land.
This is the question every curious golfer asks, and the answer is usually: not exactly. Composite courses are temporary creations. After the tournament ends, the ropes come down, the TV towers are disassembled, and the courses are returned to their original, everyday routings.
So, you can't book a tee time to play the "Royal Melbourne Composite" or "The Country Club's U.S. Open Routing." However, you can play the holes that make up those legendary layouts. A true golf aficionado might book back-to-back rounds at a club like Olympia Fields, playing both the North and South courses. With a scorecard from the championship routing in hand, they could mentally piece together the composite course, imagining how the pros navigated the specific sequence of holes.
In that sense, the spirit of a composite course is accessible to everyone. You get to walk the same fairways and hit shots to the same greens, experiencing the architectural genius hole by hole, if not routing by routing.
In short, a composite golf course is a special, temporary layout built by blending the best holes from a club's multiple courses. It’s purpose-built for the big stage, designed to test the world's best, improve logistics for spectators, and create maximum television drama.
While you might not have the chance to play a formal championship composite course, you're faced with creating your own smart "routing" or game plan every time you tee it up on a new track. This is where I find modern tools can be so powerful. Instead of guessing how to handle a tough hole, with Caddie AI we help you see the smart play right away. You can describe the layout and get an instant strategy, or even snap a photo of a tricky lie to see your best options. We give you that pro-level course management insight, so you can build your own great round, one smart decision at a time.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
