GOLF

ABOUT GOLF

Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. The game of golf as we know it today originated in the 1400s in Scotland but the first relations of the game go back as far as the first century B.C. In 1457 King James II of Scotland outlawed the game as an unwelcome distraction so it got banned. James IV lifted the ban in 1502 when he became a golfer himself, with golf clubs first recorded in 1503–1504:

Golf is a game enjoyed all over the world by both players and fans. It’s a sport that requires concentration and precision, and it’s enjoyed by professional athletes and amateurs, both of whom compete throughout the year for titles and prizes. Many people consider golf an easy game to learn, but not everyone is actually good at golf. The basics of golf include hitting a ball with a club, trying hard to hit the ball directly into the hole on the green.

GOLF COURSE

A golf course consists of either 9 or 18 holes, each with a “tee box” that is set off by two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area, fairway, rough and other hazards and the putting green  surrounded by the fringe with the pin (normally a flagstick) and cup.

Golf courses use different lengths of turf or grass to increase the difficulty of the game. On the putting green, the area closest to the hole, the grass will be short and smooth to make it easier to putt into the hold. The course may also consist of intentional hazards such as sand dunes or lakes. If a ball is hit into a hazard area, a golfer can attempt to make the next swing from the hazard or hit a new ball in an area across from the hazard.

RULES OF GOLF

• The ball must be hit using standard clubs from the start of each hole to the green and ultimately into the hole, which is marked by a flag.
• Players strike the ball in turn with the furthest away from the hole going first. At the start of a new hole whoever took the least shots on the preceding hole shall go first.
• The penalty for a lost ball is one stroke and this includes balls struck out of bounds (off that particular hole) or into water hazards. You have five minutes to search for your ball and the penalty is both stroke (one shot) if the ball is lost and additionally distance (you play again from your original starting point) if it goes out of bounds or into the water.
• Players can only use up to 14 clubs.
• Players cannot seek advice from anyone other than their partner or caddy.
• The ball should be played as it is found – you must not move, break or bend anything fixed or growing, other than to assume your normal stance, to improve the lie of the ball, your line of site or your area of swing.
• On the putting green a player can mark, lift and clean his ball so long as it is replaced exactly where it was. He or she may also repair ball marks or hole plugs but not spike marks that are on the putting line.

Scoring

The goal is to play as few strokes per round as possible. A golfer’s score is usually expressed as the difference between the player’s number of strokes and the par score. A hole in one (or an “ace”) occurs when a golfer sinks his ball into the cup with his first stroke from the tee. Common scores for a hole also have specific terms.

Numeric term	Name	Definition
-4	Condor	four strokes under par
-3	Albatross (Double Eagle)	three strokes under par
-2	Eagle	two strokes under par
-1	Birdie	one strokes under par
E	Par	equal to par
+1	Bogey	one stroke over par
+2	Double bogey	two stroke over par
+3	Triple bogey	three stroke over par

General Rules of Golf

To play golf a golfer needs a set of clubs, no more than 14, of varying lengths and sizes, a set of golf balls, and a golf bag. There are more accessories available, but a beginner can start with just clubs, balls, and a bag. Next, you will decide on the type of golf game you want to play. Stroke play is the most commonly played type of game for professionals and simply uses the amount of strokes it takes you to complete the game to determine your score. The player with the lowest amount of strokes wins.