UNDERSTANDING THE GOLF


Playing the Game
The game of golf is played in two basic ways--match play and stroke play.


Match Play
In match play, one golfer or team plays against one or more others. The player or team hitting the ball into the hole in the fewest number of strokes wins that hole. The player or team winning the most holes wins the match. The score is determined by the number of holes won. For example, a player who is "2 up" has won two holes more than the opponent. A match is decided when a golfer leads by more holes than there are holes left to play. If both golfers or teams make the same score on a hole, that hole is said to be halved. If the two golfers or teams are tied at the scheduled end of the match, it is halved and play may continue. Then the player or team who first wins a hole wins the match
Stroke Play
In stroke play, the winner is the golfer who takes the fewest number of total strokes to complete a competition. Most professional tournaments use stroke play for a total of 72 holes (four rounds). Ties are broken by a playoff. In most tournament playoffs, the tied golfers continue to play until one golfer scores lower on a single hole. In some cases, ties are settled using an 18-hole playoff.

Golf Terms
Birdie: A score of one under par on a hole.
Bogey (BOH-gee): A score of one above par on a hole. A double bogey is two over par and a triple bogey is three over par.
Eagle: A score of two under par on a hole.
Handicap: A method of equalizing competition by allowing a certain number of strokes to a golfer competing against a more skillful player. The handicap is computed from a golfer's previous scores.
Hole-In-One or Ace: This rare score occurs when the golfer's tee shot goes into the hole.
Lie: The position in which the ball lies on the course after a stroke. An unplayable lie exists when the ball's position makes it impossible to hit.

The Golf Course
Golf courses have no regulation length or shape, but most consist of 18 holes numbered 1 to 18. Playing all 18 holes makes up a round of golf. Some courses have only nine holes. Each hole is played twice for a round.

An 18-hole course averages about 140 acres (57 hectares). Each hole includes a tee, a fairway, a green, and often one or more hazards. See diagram, above, for the layout of a typical golf course. Courses for men generally range from about 6,500 to more than 7,000 yards (5,900 to 6,400 meters) in length. This distance is the total length from the tees to all 18 holes. Courses are shortened for women by positioning the ladies' tee closer to the hole.

A golf course contains a mixture of par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes. A player shoots par by hitting the ball from the tee into the hole in a certain number of strokes, usually 3, 4, or 5. A typical par 3 hole measures up to 250 yards (229 meters), a par 4 from 251 to 470 yards (230 to 430 meters), and a par 5 measures at least 471 yards (431 meters).
Most courses are laid out in a loop that brings the golfer back to a point near the first tee at the end of each nine holes. The holes are arranged so that players are relatively safe from balls hit by players on another hole. Golfers shout the traditional warning "Fore!" to alert other golfers that a shot is about to be hit or that a ball has been hit in their direction.

The Tee
Each golf hole begins at the tee, a small flat area from which the golfer takes the first stroke, or shot. This stroke is sometimes called a drive. Before hitting the ball, the golfer places it on a wooden or plastic peg that is also called a tee. The peg may only be used on the tee. After the tee shot, the golfer must hit the ball as it lies on the course.

The Fairway
The fairway is a stretch of closely mowed grass that extends from the tee to the green. The fairway may be a straight path to the green or it may be laid out at an angle, called a dogleg. The fairway is designed to give the golfer the clearest route to the green. Golfers who hit their ball outside the fairway land in the rough. This area borders each side of the fairway. It has higher grass and may include bushes and trees.

The Green
The green is an area at the end of the fairway. The green is covered with special grass that is mowed very closely. It contains a hole 4 1/4 inches (10.8 centimeters) in diameter and at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) in depth. A movable marker called the flagstick or pin is placed in the hole to show its location.
Play on the hole is completed when the golfer hits the ball into the hole. The number of strokes the player takes to hit the ball into the hole becomes the player's score for that hole. The player normally takes progressively shorter shots from the tee to the green. Once on the green, the golfer putts (rolls) the ball into the hole with a club called the putter. The surface of the green is usually gently sloped, and the golfer should allow for the slope when putting.

Hazards
Hazards are obstacles placed throughout the course to make play more difficult. Golfers try to avoid them. Hazards include bunkers and water hazards. Bunkers are depressions in the ground. If they contain sand they are called sand traps. Water hazards include ponds and streams. If the ball lands in a water hazard, the golfer may hit it out if the ball is playable. Otherwise, the golfer lifts it out by hand or plays another ball, adding an extra stroke to the score as a penalty.

Golf Equipment
A golfer's main equipment consists of the ball and a set of clubs. Each club is designed to play a particular type of stroke or to hit the ball a certain distance.
Golf balls used in competition throughout the world can weigh no less than 1.62 ounces (45.9 grams) and must measure at least 1.68 inches (4.27 centimeters) in diameter.

There are two types of balls, wound and two-piece. Wound balls are made of thin rubber thread wound tightly around a core. The core may be solid rubber, or a sac filled with water or another liquid. Wound balls are softer and take more spin, allowing skillful golfers more control of the ball's flight. Two-piece balls have a solid core with no rubber thread. They are harder and more popular with less skillful golfers. Both types can be covered with rubber or synthetic material. The cover has numerous tiny depressions called dimples that increase the ball's distance and accuracy.
Golf clubs are slender tubes, usually of steel, with a grip at one end for the golfer to hold and a head at the other for striking the ball. There are two types of clubs: woods and irons. Woods have a large, thick head made of a solid block of wood or of laminated wood. But some woods may have hollow metal heads. Players use woods for the longest shots. Irons have much thinner, bladelike heads of steel. They provide less distance than woods but more accuracy. Although it is sometimes considered an iron, the putter is usually sold separately. Most club shafts are made of steel. Shafts of such materials as aluminum, fiberglass, graphite, and graphite and steel are also available. In golf's earliest days, shafts were often made of ash, and later of hickory.

fig 1

Woods and irons are usually numbered from 1 to 9. The higher the number of the club, the greater is the loft (slope) on the face (front of the head). Each club has a different vertically angled loft. The greater the loft, the higher and shorter the ball will travel.
The No. 1 wood, also called the driver, has the least amount of loft of any club except the putter. It also hits the ball the farthest. The driver is used off the tee. Professional golfers and top amateurs will average about 250 yards (229 meters) on a drive. Other woods, called fairway woods, are used for long shots off the fairway. Fairway woods include the No. 2 (rarely used today), No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 woods. Professional golfers usually do not carry woods beyond No. 5.

fig 2

The loft on an iron ranges from the No. 1 iron, which has the least amount, to No. 9, which has the most. Other irons include the pitching wedge for short, accurate shots, and the sand wedge, for shots from sand traps. Most golfers carry both wedges.
Golfers may carry a maximum of 14 clubs during a round. Golfers are free to choose their own set. By the mid-1980's, the set used by professional or top amateur golfers consisted of a driver, a No. 3 wood, and either a No. 4 or No. 5 wood, No. 2 iron through No. 9 iron, the two wedges, and a putter. When a No. 1 iron is included, one of the fairway woods is usually left out.

Grip and Stance

fig 3

The grip is an important golf technique. Nearly all golfers use one of three grips--the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip, or the baseball grip. The overlapping grip is the most popular, but a golfer should choose the most comfortable one.

fig 4

A proper stance is necessary for an accurate swing. The above drawing shows the position of the feet for right-handed golfers. To maintain balance, a golfer should use a wide stance for long-distance shots and a narrower stance for shorter shots.

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