golf hole vs period of play

golf hole and period of play both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
golf hole	Yes	No	No	No
period of play	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, period of play is a hypernym of golf hole; that is, period of play is a word with a broader meaning than golf hole:

golf hole: one playing period (from tee to green) on a golf course
period of play: (in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds

Other hypernyms of golf hole include play, playing period.

golf hole (noun)	period of play (noun)
one playing period (from tee to green) on a golf course	(in games or plays or other performances) the time during which play proceeds