Golf
Golf is a sport in which a player, using many types of clubs including a driver, a putter, and irons, hits a ball into each hole on a golf course. The first game of golf for which records survive was played at Bruntsfield Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland, in A.D. 1456. The modern game of golf spread from Scotland to England and has now become a worldwide game, with golf courses in the majority of countries. Nowadays there are over 60 million golf players around the world.
Purpose of the game
The purpose of the game is to hit the ball into each hole in the lowest possible number of strokes. Golf course consists of 18 holes, and the length of the course is over 7000 meters. During the game you need to mark the number of strokes and penalty strokes on your score card.
Golf course
Golf is played in an area of land designated a golf course. A course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing area, fairway, rough and other hazards, and the green with the pin and cup. A typical golf course consists of eighteen holes, but many smaller courses have only nine.
Golf ball
A regulation golf ball weighs no more than 45.93 grams, with a diameter over 42.67 mm, and is symmetrically spherical in shape. Most golf balls on sale today have about 300 – 450 dimples.
Par
A hole is classified by its par, the number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play of the hole.Traditionally, a golf hole is either a par-three, -four or -five. Old Lake Golf & Country Club has par-71 course.
Even
Strokes equal to par.
Eagle
Two stroker under par
Birdie
One stroke under par.
Bogey
One stroke over par.
Double Bogey
Two strokes over par.
Stroke Play
Every player (or team) counts the number of shots taken for each hole. In Stroke Play the score achieved for each and every hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins.
Match Play
Two players (or two teams) play each 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 the party that wins more holes than the other. In the case that one team or player has taken a lead that cannot be overcome in the number of holes remaining to be played, the match is deemed to be won by the party in the lead, and the remainder of the holes are not played.
Gross and net score counting
In stroke play competition, the competitor's handicap is subtracted from their total "gross" score at the end of the round, to calculate a "net" score against which standings are calculated. In match play competition, handicap strokes are assigned on a hole-by-hole basis, according to the handicap rating of each hole (which is provided by the course). The hardest holes on the course receive the first handicap strokes, with the easiest holes receiving the last handicap strokes.
Handicap
Calculating handicaps are often complicated, but essentially are representative of the average over par of a number of a player's previous above average rounds, adjusted for course difficulty. Legislations regarding the calculation of handicaps differs among countries. For example, handicap rules may include the difficulty of the course the golfer is playing on by taking into consideration factors such as the number of bunkers, the length of the course, the difficulty and slopes of the greens, the width of the fairways, and so on.
Handicap systems are not used in professional golf. Professional golfers often score several strokes below par for a round and thus have a calculated handicap of 0 or less, meaning that their handicap results in the addition of strokes to their round score. Someone with a handicap of zero or less is often referred to as a 'scratch golfer.
