Golf: What It Is and How It's Played
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 Courses
Golf is played on a course, and the green area of the course is known as the fairway. The typical course consists of 18 holes, although golfers can play a 9-hole course through twice to play a full game of 18 holes. Golfers begin a play by standing at the teeing green and aiming the ball towards the putting green, the area where the flagstick and hole are located. The length from the teeing green to the hole varies depending on the course, and it may or may not be seen from the teeing the green. Most courses have holes that are seen from the teeing green, but some angle left or right making the invisible from the teeing green.
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.
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.
A team play game pits two people or a team of two to three people against each other. Similar to a stroke game, the strokes used count as your score but it's tallied as a team rather than individually. Amateurs also tend to use handicaps when calculating the score, as it allows you to subtract from the total score. Scoring in golf is called a par, and the distance from the teeing green to the hole usually determines what a typical par is for that hole. You are then scored on whether or not you go above or below the allotted par for that hole.
Anyone who enjoys a nice walk and doesn't mind learning a few rules can begin to play golf. While many professional golfers have contributed to the growing popularity of golf, amateur players still bring a passion for the game that excites fans and players alike.