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Golf

This articleaboutgamegolf. For other meanings, see Golf (disambiguation).

Golf isoutdoor game where each player hasplay his own small ball intohole using various typesclubs. The gamedefined inRulesGolf: "The GameGolf consistsplayingball fromteeing ground intohole bystroke or successive strokesaccordance withRules."

Tablecontents
1 Elements ofgolf course
2 Play ofgame
3 Handicap systems
4 Rulesgolfetiquette
5 History
6 Clubs
7 Other equipment
8 Environmental impact
9 Professional Golf
10 Golf terminology
11 See also
12 External links

Elements ofgolf course

Golfplayed by holes. It should be noted that "hole" can mean eitheractual hole inground into whichballplayed, orwhole area fromteeing ground (an areaspecially prepared grass from whereballfirst hit) toputting green (the area aroundactual hole inground). Most golf courses consist9 or 18 holes. (The "19th hole" isbar atclub house.)

Forshortest holesgood player requires only one strokehitball togreen. On longer holesgreentoo far awayreachwithfirst stroke, so that one or more strokesplayed fromfairway (wheregrasscut so low that most balls can be easily played) or fromrough (uncut grass or ground not prepared at all).

Many holes include hazards, namely bunkers (or sand traps), from whichballmore difficultplay than from grass,water hazards (lakes, ponds, rivers, etc). Special rules applyplaying balls that comeresthazard which makehighly undesirableplayball into one. For example,player must not touchground inhazard withclub priorplayingball, not even forpractice swing. A ball inwater hazard may be played aslies or may be replaced by dropping another ball outsidewater, butpenaltyincurred inlatter case.

The grass ofputting greencut very short so that balls can roll over distancesseveral meters,"to putt" indeed meansplaystroke ongreen whereball does not leaveground. The hole must havediameter4 1/4 inches (108 mm) anddepthat least 4 inches (101.6 mm). Its position ongreennot staticmay be changed from dayday.

The borders ofcoursemarked as such,beyond themoutbounds, that is, ground from whichball must not be played. Special rules applycertain man-made things oncourse (obstructions) andgroundabnormal condition.

Every holeclassified by its par. The par ofholedefined bydistance from teegreen. Typical values forpar three hole range from 130230 yards (120-210 m),par four hole from 300475 yards (275-435 m), andpar five hole from 450600 yards (410-550 m). Paralsotheoretical numberstrokes that an expert golfer should requireplaying ball into any given hole. The expert golfer will reachgreentwo strokes under par (in regulation)then use two puttsgetball intohole. Many 18-hole courses have approximately four par-three, ten par-four,four par-five holes. The total par of18-hole courseusually around 72.

At most golf courses thereadditional facilities thatnot part ofcourse itself. Often there ispractice range, usuallypractice greens, bunkers, anddriving area (whereshots can be practiced). There may even bepractice course (whichoften easierplay or shorter than other golf courses). A golf schooloften associated tocourse or club.

Play ofgame

Every gamegolfbased on playingnumberholes ingiven order. A round typically consists18 holes thatplayed inorder determined bycourse layout. Onnine-hole course,standard round consiststwo successive nine-hole rounds.

Players usually walk (or sometimes drive) overcoursegroupstwo, three, or four, sometimes accompanied by caddies who carryplayers' equipmentassistplaying. Each player hasplay one ball fromtee tohole. Once every player has broughtball into play, italways he or she whose ball isfarthest fromhole who isplay next. When all players ofgroup have completedhole, that player who scored best on that hole hashonor, i.e.rightdutytee off first onnext.

To hitball,clubswung atmotionless ball onground (or whereverhas comerest) fromside-stance. Many golf shots makeball travel throughair (carry)roll outsome more distance (roll). Thistypicallycasetee shots (drives)fairway shots. When playing over shorter distances aroundgreen, high approach shots (pitches) may be used whereball rolls very little, stopping more or less wherehitsground, or low approach shots (chips) whereball makesshallow flightthen rolls out ongreen. Ongreen itself, puttsplayed whereball does not leaveground at all.

Each player acts as markerfor one other player ingroup, that is, he or she recordsscore onscore card. In stroke play (see below),score consists ofnumberstrokes played plus any penalty strokes incurred.

The two basic formsplaying golfmatch playstroke play. In match play, two golfers (or two teams) play every hole asseparate contest against each other. The party withlower score wins that hole, or ifscoresboth players or teamsequalhole"halved" (drawn). The gamewon by that party that wins more holes thanother. In stroke play, every player (or team) countstotal numberstrokes forset numberholes andparty withlower total score wins. Theremany variationsthese basic principles, somewhichexplicitly described in"RulesGolf" andtherefore regarded "official".

Handicap systems

Golf scoresamateursusually calculated usinghandicap system. Suchsystem allows playersdifferent proficiencyplay against each other on equal terms. While theremany variationsdetail, all handicap systembased on calculating an individual player's playing ability from his or her recent historygolf rounds. A player's handicap(very roughly) equal toaverage numberstrokes that he or she plays abovepar ofcourse. Thus,player who constantly plays100 onpar-72 course will havehandicap100 - 72 = 28. An expert golfer who playscoursepar (scratch golfer) will havehandicap0.

Handicapsadministrated by golf clubs or national golf associations. In most countries, official handicaps will start from between 2836. Handicap systemsnot usedprofessional golfers.

Rulesgolfetiquette

The rulesgolf [1]internationally standardised andjointly governed byRoyalAncient Golf ClubSt Andrews (R&A) andUnited States Golf Association (USGA). The "Decisions onRulesGolf"based on formal case decisions byR&AUSGA andregularly published. The etiquettegolf, although not formally equivalent torules,included inpublications on golf rules andconsidered bindingevery player. They cover matters such as safety, fairness, easinesspaceplay,players' obligationcontribute tocare ofcourse. Therealso strict regulations regardingamateur statusgolfers [1]. Essentially, everybody who teaches or plays golfmoney (withexceptiontrophies ofmodest monetary value)not considered an amateurmust not participateamateur competitions.

One ofmost basic rules (Rule 13-1) states thatball must be played aslies (i.e. fromposition wherehas comerest afterstroke) unlessrule allows or demands otherwise.

History

Golfusually regardedbeScottish invention, asgame was mentionedtwo 15th century laws prohibitingplaying ofgame"golf". Some scholars however suggest that this refersanother game whichactually much akin tomodern field hockey. The same scholars also point out thatgameputtingsmall ball inhole inground played"golf clubs" was played in17th century Netherlands.

What we thinkasmodern game really came into being insecond half of19th centuryScotland. The basic rules ofgame anddesignequipmentcourses strongly resemble thosetoday. The major changesequipment since then were better mowers, especially forgreens, better golf ball designs using rubberman-made materials beginning around 1900 andintroduction ofmetal shaft beginning in1930s. In1970susemetalreplace wood heads began,shafts madegraphite composite materials were introduced in1980s.

Clubs

Therethree major typesclubs, known as woods, irons,putters. A golfer usually carriescouplewoods, perhaps 10 irons, andputter. The rules forbidgolfercarry more than 14 clubs duringgame.

The parts ofclub areshaft andhead. The shaft istapered tube mademetal or fiberglass or graphite. The shaftroughly 1/2 inchdiameter (12 mm) neargripabout 3545 inches (89-115 cm)length depending onclub. The head ispart that hitsball. Each head hasface which contactsball duringstroke. Various clubsdesigned withface having differing "loft",angleface makes withground whenclubat rest. Typically,greaterloft,highershorterresulting shot. The end ofshaft oppositeheadcovered withrubber or leather grip forplayerhold. A complete club weighs about 14 ounces. The clubsnumberedidentification withsmallest numbered clubs usedhitballlongest distances.

Woodslong clubs (shaft length about 40-45 inches or 100-115 cm)long shots. The have large heads thatsomewhat sphericalshape withslightly bulging clubface andflattened bottom that slides overground without diggingduringstroke. Originally"wood" heads were madewood but modern club headsmadehollow metal, sometimes filledfoam. The shaft enterswood off-center,suchway thatface ofwoodroughly atright angleone side ofshaft. Woodsused forlongest shots, ranging from 200300 yards (180-275 m). The typical loftwood faces ranges from 626 degrees.

Ironsusedshorter shots than woods, especially including shots approachinggreens. Irons typically range from 3640 inches (90-100 cm)length. Iron headstypically solid withflat clubface. The typical loftsirons range from 1660 degrees. "Long"intermediate irons (i.e. those withlower loft)usually played from fairway or other easy ground. "Short" irons (withhigher loft)played from difficult groundespeciallyapproach shots togreen.

Ironsloftsmore than approximately 50 degreescalled wedges. Pitching wedgesrather similarother irons but havehigher loft than those. Some wedges have specially designed undersides that make them suitableshots from bunkers (sand wedges) or fromrough. Lob wedges havevery high loft andusedapproach shots or from sand.

Traditionally, most metal golf club heads were made by forging, which involves careful shaping ofclub head through hammeringpressingheated steel. Today, most modern golf club headscast, that is, molten metalpoured into inticate moldsallowedcool. Forged clubsstill prizedfeel while cast clubs often have modern game improvement characterists.

Putters come invarietyhead shapes;havevery low loftoftenshort shaft. Theyusedrollball ongreengetball intohole.

Other equipment

Sometimes transportationby special golf carts. Clubsother equipmentcarriedgolf bags. Golfers wear special shoesexchangeable spikes (or little plastic claws termed soft spikes) attached tosoles. Teesoften madewood or plasticresemble nails withflattened head. A teepushed intogroundrestball on topitan easier shot; however thisonly allowed forfirst stroke (tee shot or drive)each hole.

Environmental impact

The major results ofequipment changesthat today's players can hitball much furthermore accurately. One consequence ofavailabilitymore high-tech equipmentdrive balls further,that golf courses have tendedbecome larger. Also, many pesticideslawn grooming aids, foreign grasses,evensome cases genetically modified grasses,used on golf courses. Golf courses have tendedbecome more controlledtheir terrain more specifically changeddesigned forgame - accordingly,tendhavequite high environmental impact although some designers have soughtrecent yearsminimize this.

The popularitystatus appealgolfsuch crowded countries as JapanKorea has ledsome caseseviction or murderfarmers (e.g. inPhilippines)gain accesslandsdidn't wishsell,damage tolocal agricultural economy duepesticides, whichpoorly regulateddeveloping nations. Evendeveloped nations, golf runoffsometimes identified asfactorcancerother environmental health hazards.

Finally, most golf courseson land that usedbe forests, as opposed tomoorsScotland or grassy hillsIreland. This leadscharges that golf courses contributedeforestation. Similar charges have been laid against luge runs. Golf was removed fromOlympic Games1908part becausethese issues, whereas luge was cut back alsorecent years.

Although golf isrelatively minor issue comparedother land ethics questions,has symbolic importance asisgame normally associated withwealthier Westernized population, andculturecolonizationglobalizationnon-native land ethics. Resisting golf tourismgolf's expansion has become an objectivesome land reform movements, especially inPhilippinesIndonesia.

Professional Golf

Golf, like other sports,played professionallymany different countries. Organizations usually called "tours" form tournaments, find sponsors, select participants,set rulesstandards. Theremany different tours aroundworld, includingEuropean Tour andCanadian Tour, as well asChampions Tourpro golfers over 50 years old, andLPGA tourwomen golfers. The most widely known isPGA TOUR (correctly renderedall caps), which attractsbest golfers from allother tours. Thisdue mostly tofact that prizesPGA TOUR events reach intohigh six figures,PGA TOUR wins can mean endorsement deals, automatically providewinnerminimum two-year exemptionplayother tournaments,supplyprestige earned by beatingbest ofbest.

The Majors

The four biggest tournamentsprofessional golfcalled "majors"theyplayed at roughlysame time every year. The four majors are:

  1. The Masters
  2. U.S. Open
  3. British Open (The Open Championship)
  4. PGA Championship

The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf ClubAugusta, GA since its inception1934. The U.S. OpenPGA Championshipplayed at various courses aroundUnited States, whileBritish Openplayed inU.K.

Winningmajor iscrowning career achievementmany professional golfers. Most will never accomplish this very difficult feat. Jack Nicklaus, whowidely regarded asbest golferall time, has won 18 majors. Tiger Woods, whopossiblyonly contenderNicklaus' record has won 8 majors, all beforeage27. Tiger has also comeclosestwinning all four majorsone year (known as"grand slam") when he wonU.S. Open,British Open, andPGA Championship2000,thenMasters2001

The LPGA's listmajors has changed several times overyears, withlast change2001. LikePGA TOUR,LPGA currently has four majors:

  1. Kraft Nabisco Championship
  2. U.S. Women's Open
  3. LPGA Championship
  4. Women's British Open

Golf terminology

See also

External links


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