Golf

Golf

Golf is a a club-and-ball game in which a ball is struck using various clubs in a prepared area, known as the "teeing ground" to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible, across a second prepared area known as the "putting green"., which has a hole in it.

A golfer hitting the ball

It has an estimated global following of 450 Million people, and its primary influence is in Western Europe, East Asia, and North America. It is mainly played by using  different clubs to hit a ball, over a determined course, using the fewest possible amount of strokes. The contemporary game of golf was first played in Scotland from where it spread to the UK and to the rest of the world.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is  to get the ball from the tee (the starting point of any hole) to the green and ultimately into the hole in as few shots as possible. Both the physical hole marked by a flag into which the ball must be sunk and also the entire area from the tee to the green are referred to as the hole which is a unit of the course, with a standard course consisting of 18 separate holes

Play of Game

Golfers

The golfer plays a number of holes in a given order in accordance to the course. Normally, a game is made up of playing 18 holes in an order. Two nine-hole rounds make up a normal game in a nine-hole course. The teeing ground is where each hole starts. The player would put the ball on a small stand called a tee and swing a club at it to try and hit it as straight and far as possible. After the completion of a round, the person whose ball landed farthest from the hole hits his again, followed by everyone else, one person at a time, until everyone is on the green (area near the hole where the grass is cut very short). After reaching the green, the players will try to "putt" the ball into the hole. Only after each player has put their ball into the hole, the group moves on to the next hole.

When a player swings at his ball, it is considered a "stroke". Each hole is a certain number of strokes that golfers are expected to need to get their ball into the hole which is known as the "par". If a player gets a "birdie", if he gets his ball in the hole in less than the par. If it takes him one more shot then the par it is known as a bogey.

The Course

A golf course

A golf course is the area where the game is played. A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground and a green with a flagstick ("pin") and hole ("cup"). A standard round of golf will consist of eighteen holes but nine hole courses are common and can be played twice through for 18 holes.

Most courses will contain 18 holes which may have 4 par 3, 10 par 4, and 4 par 5 holes, though other combinations exist and are not less worthy than courses of par 72.

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.
• The player striking the ball furthest from the hole will go first.
• If a ball goes out of bounds or into the water, you have to play again from your starting point if you cannot find it within five minutes.
• Upto 14 clubs can be use by a player.
• Seeking advice from anyone other than their partner or caddy is not allowed.
• You cannot move the ball, break or bend anything fixed or growing, you should play it as it is found.
• On the putting green a player can mark, lift and clean his ball so long as it is replaced exactly where it was.