Golf: Difference between revisions

This article is about the sport of golf. For other meanings, see Golf (disambiguation).

US Air Force member Linda Jeffery, playing golf

Golf is an outdoor game where each player plays his own small ball into a hole using various clubs, or, as defined in the Rules of Golf: "The Game of Golf consists in playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules." Golf is believed to have originated in Scotland and has been played for several centuries in the British Isles. Although often viewed as an elite pastime, golf is nowadays widely popular and continues to attract ever more players around the world.

Elements of a golf course

Golf is played by holes. It should be noted that "hole" can mean either the actual hole in the ground into which the ball is played, or the whole area from the teeing ground (an area of specially prepared grass from where a ball is first hit) to the putting green (the area around the actual hole in the ground). Most golf courses consist of 9 or 18 holes. (The "19th hole" is the colloquial term for the bar at a club house.) For the shortest holes a good player requires only one stroke to hit the ball to the green. On longer holes the green is too far away to reach it with the first stroke, so that one or more strokes are played from the fairway (where the grass is cut so low that most balls can be easily played) or from the rough (uncut grass or ground not prepared at all).

Many holes include hazards, namely bunkers (or sand traps), from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass, and water hazards (lakes, ponds, rivers, etc). Special rules apply to playing balls that come to rest in a hazard which make it highly undesirable to play a ball into one. For example, a player must not touch the ground in a hazard with a club prior to playing a ball, not even for a practice swing. A ball in a water hazard may be played as it lies or may be replaced by dropping another ball outside the water, but a penalty is incurred in the latter case.

The grass of the putting green is cut very short so that a ball can roll over distances of several meters, and "to putt" indeed means to play a stroke on the green where the ball does not leave the ground. The hole must have a diameter of 4 1/4 inches (108 mm) and a depth of at least 4 inches (101.6 mm). Its position on the green is not static and may be changed from day to day. This hole on the green has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from some distance (but not necessarily from the tee). It is also termed "the pin".

The borders of a course are marked as such, and beyond them is out of bounds, that is, ground from which a ball must not be played. Special rules apply to certain man-made things on the course (obstructions) and to ground in abnormal condition.

Every hole is classified by its par. The par of a hole is defined by the distance from tee to green. Typical values for a par three hole range from 130 to 230 yards (120-210 m), a par four hole from 300 to 475 yards (275-435 m), and a par five hole from 450 to 600 yards (410-550 m). Par is also the theoretical number of strokes that an expert golfer should require for playing the ball into any given hole. The expert golfer is expected to reach the green in two strokes under par (in regulation) and then use two putts to get the ball into the hole. Many 18-hole courses have approximately four par-three, ten par-four, and four par-five holes. The total par of an 18-hole course is usually around 72.

At most golf courses there are additional facilities that are not part of the course itself. Often there is a practice range, usually with practice greens, bunkers, and a driving area (where long shots can be practiced). There may even be a practice course (which is often easier to play or shorter than other golf courses). A golf school is often associated to a course or club.

Play of the game

Every game of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A round typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. On a nine-hole course, a standard round consists of two successive nine-hole rounds.

Players usually walk (or sometimes drive) over the course in groups of two, three, or four, sometimes accompanied by caddies who carry the players' equipment and assist in playing. Each player has to play one ball from the tee to the hole. The ball may only be replaced by another if it is lost, destroyed, or unreachable, and a penalty is incurred in these cases. Once every player has brought a ball into play, it is always he or she whose ball is the farthest from the hole who is to play next. When all players of a group have completed the hole, the player who scored best on that hole has the honor, i.e. the right and duty to tee off first on the next.

Each player acts as marker for one other player in the group, that is, he or she records the score on a score card. In stroke play (see below), the score consists of the number of strokes played plus any penalty strokes incurred. Penalty strokes are not actually strokes but penal points that are added to the score for violations of rules or for making use of relief procedures in certain situations.

The two basic forms of playing golf are match play and stroke play. In match play, two golfers (or two teams) play every hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is "halved" (drawn). The game is won by that party that wins more holes than the other. In stroke play, every player (or team) counts the total number of strokes for a set number of holes and the party with the lower total score wins. There are many variations of these basic principles, some of which are explicitly described in the "Rules of Golf" and are therefore regarded "official".

Handicap systems

Golf scores for amateurs are usually calculated using a handicap system. Such a system allows players of different proficiency to play against each other on equal terms. While there are many variations in detail, all handicap systems are based on calculating an individual player's playing ability from his or her recent history of golf rounds. A player's handicap is (very roughly) equal to the average number of strokes that he or she plays above the par of a course. Thus, a player who constantly plays a 100 on a par-72 course will have a handicap of 100 - 72 = 28. An expert golfer who plays a course in par (scratch golfer) will have a handicap of 0.

Handicaps are administrated by golf clubs or national golf associations. In most countries, official handicaps will start from between 28 and 36. Handicap systems are not used in professional golf.

Golf rules and other regulations

The rules of golf [1] are internationally standardised and are jointly governed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA). By agreement with the R&A, USGA jurisdiction on the rules is limited to the United States and Mexico. The rules continue to evolve and amended versions of the rules are usually published and made effective in a four-year cycle.

The underlying principle of the rules is fairness. As declared on the back cover of the official rule book: "play the ball as it lies", "play the course as you find it", and "if you can't do either, do what is fair". Some essential rules state that

• every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from from the position where it has come to rest after a stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise (Rule 13-1)
• a player must not accept assistance in making a stroke (Rule 14-2)
• the condition of the ground or other parts of the course may not be altered to gain an advantage, except in some cases defined in the rules

The Decisions on the Rules of Golf are based on formal case decisions by the R&A and USGA and are published regularly.

The etiquette of golf, although not formally equivalent to the rules, are included in the publications on golf rules and are considered binding for every player. They cover matters such as safety, fairness, easiness and pace of play, and players' obligation to contribute to the care of the course.

There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers [2] . Essentially, everybody who has ever taught or played golf for money (or even accepted a trophy of more than a modest monetary value) is not considered an amateur and must not participate in amateur competitions.

Hitting a golf ball

To hit the ball, the club is swung at the motionless ball on the ground (or wherever it has come to rest) from a side-stance. Many golf shots make the ball travel through the air (carry) and roll out for some more distance (roll).

Every shot is a compromise between length and precision, as long shots are inevitably less precise than short ones. Obviously, a longer shot may result in a better score if it helps reduce the total number of strokes for a given hole, but the benefit may be more than outweighed by additional strokes or penalties if a ball is lost, out of bounds, or comes to rest on difficult ground. Therefore, a skilled golfer must assess the quality of his or her shots in a particular situation in order to judge whether the possible benefits of aggressive play are worth the risks.

There are several possible causes of poor shots, such as poor alignment of the club, wrong direction of swing, and off-center hits where the clubhead rotates around the ball at impact. Many of these troubles are aggravated with the "longer" clubs and higher speed of swing. Furthermore, the absolute effect of a deviation will increase with a longer shot compared with a short one.

Types of shots

• A tee shot (drive) is usually made with a driver (i.e. a 1-wood) and the ball on a wooden tee. A tee shot should give the ball a long and rather shallow flight plus long roll.

• A fairway shot is similar to a drive when done with a fairway wood. However, a tee may not be used once the ball has been brought into play, therefore playing from the fairway may be more difficult depending on how the ball lies. If precision is more important than length (typically, when playing on narrow fairways or approaching a green), irons are usually played from the fairway. Irons or wedges are also often used when playing from the rough.

• A pitch is a high approach shot that is played over shorter distances around the green. A pitch makes the ball fly high and roll very little, stopping more or less where it hits the ground. Pitches are usually done with a wedge.

• A flop is an even higher approach shot that stops shortly after it hits the ground. It is used when a player must play over an obstacle to the green. It is usually played with a sand or a lob wedge.

• A bunker shot is played when the ball is in a bunker (sand trap). It resembles a pitch and is done with a wedge.

• A chip is a low approach shot where he ball makes a shallow flight and then rolls out on the green. Chips are done with a wedge or "short" (higher-numbered) iron.

• On the green itself, putts are played where the ball does not leave the ground at all.

The golf swing

Putts and short chips are ideally played without much movement of the body, but most other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf swing that is itself done for tee and fairway shots.

A full swing is a complex rotation of the body aimed at accelerating the club head to a great speed. For a right-handed golfer, it consists of a backswing to the right, a downswing to the left (in which the ball is hit), and a follow through. At address, the player stands with the left shoulder pointing in the intended direction of ball flight, with the ball before the feet. The club is held with both hands (right below left), the clubhead resting on the ground behind the ball, hips and knees somewhat flexed, and the arms hanging from the shoulders. The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a shifting of the player's body weight to the right side, a turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and flexing of the elbows and wrists. At the end of the backswing the hands are above the right shoulder, with the club pointing more or less in the intended direction of ball flight. The downswing is roughly a backswing reversed. After the ball is hit, the follow-through stage consists of a continued rotation to the left. At the end of the swing, the weight has shifted almost entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club hanging down over the players' back.

There are few golfers who play left-handed (i.e. swing back to the left and forward to the right), and even many players who are strongly left-handed in their daily life prefer the right-handed golf swing.

The full golf swing is an unnatural, highly complex motion and notoriously difficult to learn. It is not uncommon for beginners to spend several months practising the very basics before playing their first ball on a course. It is usually considered impossible to acquire a stable and successful swing without professional instruction, and even highly skilled golfers may continue to take golf lessons for many years.

Physics of a golf shot

A golf ball acquires spin when it is hit. Backspin is imparted in most every shot due to the golf club's loft (i.e. angle between the clubface and a vertical plane). A spinning ball deforms the flow of air around it [3] and thereby acts similar to an airplane wing; a backspinning ball therefore experiences an upward force which makes it fly higher and longer than a ball without spin would. The amount of backspin also influences the behavior of a ball when it hits the ground. A ball with little backspin will usually roll out for a considerable distance while a ball with much backspin may not roll at all or in some cases even roll backwards. Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to the direction of swing. Sidespin makes the ball curve to the left or right; this effect can be made use of to steer it around obstacles or towards the safe side of a difficult fairway. However, it is difficult to control the amount of sidespin, and many poor shots result from uncontrolled or excessive spin that makes the ball curve sharply.

Golf equipment

Clubs

A player usually carries several clubs during the game (but no more than fourteen, the limit defined by the rules). There are three major types of clubs, known as woods, irons, and putters. Wedges resemble irons and may also be counted among these. Woods are played for long shots from the tee or fairway, while irons are for precision shots from fairways as well as from the rough. Wedges are played from difficult ground such as sand or the rough and for approach shots to the green. Putter are mostly played on the green, but can also be useful when playing from bunkers or for some approach shots. See golf club (equipment).

Golf balls

Wooden balls were used until the early 17th century, when the featherie ball was invented. A featherie is a handsewn cowhide bag stuffed with goose feathers and coated with paint. Due to its superior flight characteristics, the featherie remained the standard ball for more than two centuries. In 1848, Rev. Dr. Robert Adams invented the gutta percha ball (or guttie). Because gutties were cheaper to produce and could be manufactured with textured surface to improve their aerodynamic qualities, they replaced feather balls completely within a few years. In the twentieth century, multi-layer balls were developed, first as wound balls consisting of a solid or liquid-filled core wound with a layer of rubber thread and a thin outher shell. This design allowed manufacturers to fine-tune the length, spin and "feel" characteristics of balls. Today's golf balls are usually of a two- or three-layer design, consisting of various synthetic materials and available in a great variety of playing characteristics to suit the needs of golfers of different proficiency.

An appendix to the "Rules of Golf" defines that a golf ball must not weigh less than 45.93 grams, that its diameter must not be less than 42.67 millimetres, and that its shape may not differ significantly from a symmetric sphere. Like clubs, golf balls are subject to testing and approval by the R&A, and those that do not conform with the regulations may not be used in competitions.

Other equipment

Sometimes transportation is by special golf carts. Clubs and other equipment are carried in golf bags. Golfers wear special shoes with exchangeable spikes (or little plastic claws termed soft spikes) attached to the soles. Tees resemble nails with a flattened head and are usually made of wood or plastic. A tee is pushed into the ground to rest a ball on top of it for an easier shot; however this is only allowed for the first stroke (tee shot or drive) of each hole. When on the green, the ball may be picked up to be cleaned or if it is in the way of an opponent's putting line; its position must then be marked using a ball marker (usually a flat round piece of plastic or a coin). Scores are recorded on a score card during the round.

History

Golf is usually regarded to be a Scottish invention, as the game was mentioned in two 15th century laws prohibiting the playing of the game of "golf". Some scholars however suggest that this refers to another game which is actually much akin to the modern field hockey. The same scholars also point out that a game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground played with "golf clubs" was played in the 17th century Netherlands.

A golf course in Ireland

What we think of as the modern game really came into being in the second half of the 19th century in Scotland. The basic rules of the game and the design of equipment and courses strongly resemble those of today. The major changes in equipment since then were better mowers, especially for the greens, better golf ball designs using rubber and man-made materials beginning around 1900 and the introduction of the metal shaft beginning in the 1930s. Also in the 1930s the wooden golf tee was invented. In the 1970s the use of metal to replace wood heads began, and shafts made of graphite composite materials were introduced in the 1980s.

Social aspects of golf

In the United States, golf is the unofficial sport of the business world. It's often said, in fact, that board meetings merely confirm decisions that are actually made on the golf course. For this reason, the successful conduction of business golf (which extends beyond merely knowing the game) is considered a useful business skill; many business schools include a "business golf" course.

Most business golfers either cheat at golf, if they are poor golfers, or play under their ability, if they are good, since it is considered most advantageous to lose to one's superior, but within fewer than 6 strokes.

Golf is not inherently an expensive activity; the cost of an average round of golf is $36 [4] and the game is regularly enjoyed by over 26 million Americans. Most regions of the country feature public courses which strive to be affordable for the average golfer.

Golf's status as the American "business sport" is probably connected to the expense of playing the game on a private course. These courses are usually open only to lifetime members and their guests, and private course memberships can cost as much as $300,000.

The purpose of the high membership cost is not, primarily, the maintenance of the course. Rather, many private golf courses set high membership fees to exclude "undesirables" from being able to play on the course. This exclusion also allows corporate dialogue to be concealed from the public.

Environmental impact

A major result of modern equipment is that today's players can hit the ball much further, along with safety concerns, modern golf course architects have had to lengthen and widen their design envelope. This has led to a 10% increase in the amount of area that is required for golf courses today. At the same time, water restrictions placed by many communities have forced the modern architect to limit the amount of maintained turf grass on the golf course. While most modern 18-hole golf courses occupy as much as 150 acres (600,000 m&sup2) of land, the average course has 75 acres (300,000 m&sup2) of maintained turf. - [Sources include the National Golf Foundation and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA)]. Environmental concerns over the use of land for golf courses have grown over the past 30 years. People are concerned over the amount of water and types of chemicals used as well as the destruction of wetlands and other environmentally important areas.

File:Deer on golf course.jpg

Wildlife is common on golf courses

These concerns along with concerns over cost and health issues have led to significant research into more environmentally sound practices and turf grasses. The modern golf course superintendent is well trained in the uses of these practices and grasses. This has led to reductions in amount of chemicals and water used on courses. The turf on golf courses is an excellent filter for water and has been used in many communities to cleanse grey water. While many people continue to oppose golf courses for environmental reasons, there are others who feel that they are plus for the community and the environment as they provide corridors for migrating animals and sanctuarys for birds and other wildlife.

Golf courses are built on many different types of land including sandy links areas along coasts, abandoned farms, strip mines and quarries, deserts and forests. Many Western countries have instituted significant environmental restrictions on where and how courses can be built.

In some parts of the world, attempts to build courses and resorts have led to significant protests along with vandalism and violence by both sides. Although golf is a relatively minor issue compared to other land ethics questions, it has symbolic importance as it is a game normally associated with the wealthier Westernized population, and the culture of colonization and globalization of non-native land ethics. Resisting golf tourism and golf's expansion has become an objective of some land reform movements, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Professional Golf

Golf, like other sports, is played professionally in many different countries. Organizations usually called "tours" form tournaments, find sponsors, select participants, and set rules and standards. There are many different tours around the world, including the European Tour and the Canadian Tour, as well as the Champions Tour for pro golfers 50 years old and up, and the LPGA tour for women golfers. The most widely known is the PGA TOUR (correctly rendered in all caps), which attracts the best golfers from all the other men's tours. This is due mostly to the fact that winning a PGA TOUR event results in a six-figure (sometimes seven-figure) paycheck; in turn, PGA TOUR wins can mean endorsement deals, automatically provide the winner a minimum two-year exemption to play in other tournaments, and supply the prestige earned by beating the best of the best.

The Majors

The four biggest tournaments in professional golf are called "majors" and they are played at roughly the same time every year. The four majors are:

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

The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA since its inception in 1934. The U.S. Open and PGA Championship are played at various courses around the United States, while the British Open is played in the U.K.

Winning a major is the crowning career achievement for many professional golfers. Most will never accomplish this very difficult feat. Jack Nicklaus, who is widely regarded as the best golfer of all time, has won 18 majors. Tiger Woods, who is possibly the only contender to Nicklaus' record has won 8 majors, all before the age of 27. Tiger has also come the closest to winning all four majors in one year (known as a "grand slam") when he won the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship in 2000, and then the Masters in 2001.

The LPGA's list of majors has changed several times over the years, with the last change in 2001. Like the PGA TOUR, the LPGA currently has four majors:

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

Golf glossary

• Birdie: a hole played in one stroke under par
• Bogey: a hole played in one stroke over par
• Dormie: in match play, when one opponent is winning by as many holes as there are left (i.e. 4 up with 4 holes to play). This means that the player who is down must win every hole to continue the match
• Double Bogey: a hole played in two strokes over par
• Double Eagle (a/k/a Albatross): a hole played in three stokes under par
• Draw: a shot that curves slightly to the left, often played intentionally by skilled golfers
• Drive: a tee shot of great length, usually done with a driver (a type of club)
• Eagle: a hole played in two strokes under par
• Fade: a shot that curves slightly to the right, often played intentionally by skilled golfers
• Gimme: when a player has only a short putt left to play, other players may grant a gimme, i.e. one stroke is counted, but the ball is not actually played (under the tacit assumption that the putt would not have been missed)
• Green or putting green: the area of specially prepared grass around the hole, where putts are played
• Hole In One (or ace): the first stroke sends a ball into the hole
• Hook: a poor shot that curves sharply to the left (may occasionally be played intentionally but difficult to control)
• In regulation: a green is reached "in regulation" with (Par minus 2) strokes, i.e. with the first stroke on a par-3 hole, second stroke on a par-4 etc.
• Mulligan: a do-over; it is not allowed by the rules and not practiced in tournaments, but not uncommon in casual rounds
• Par: abbrev. for "professional average result", standard score for a hole (defined by its length) or a course (sum of all the holes' pars)
• PGA: Professional Golfers' Association
• Pro: a professional golfer may work as playing pro on professional competition series, or as teaching pro
• Slice: a poor shot that curves sharply to the right (may occasionally be played intentionally but difficult to control)
• Tee can mean:
  • the area of specially prepared grass from which the first stroke for each hole is made (teeing ground in official terminology)
  • a small peg - made of wood or plastic - placed in the teeing ground, upon which the golf ball may be placed prior to the first stroke on a hole

See also

• golfers
• disc golf
• Ryder Cup
• Solheim Cup
• Golf Instruction
• History of golf instruction
• Timeline of Golf History 1353-1850
• Timeline of Golf History 1851-1993
• Miniature golf

External links

• Royal and Ancient Golf Club - rules
• United States Golf Association - rules
• Golf Equipment Reviews
• Golf ball aerodynamics
• Golfers' Dictionary
• Golf history
• Golf history FAQ
• Golf trivia
• Golf handicap FAQ