Blame it on Musselburgh. It was at the Links of Musselburgh in central Scotland in 1829 where the first hole cutter was created with a converted piece of drain pipe, which happened to be 4.25 inches in diameter. A handle was affixed to the top and the holes could be screwed into the ground at a standard size. When the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St.Andrews set about standardizing the rules of golf in 1893, they went with the original hole cutter, which the Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club still has on display.
Why Isn’t the Hole Larger?