Golf

Golf always gives the impression of a game of the big and rich. It is the trademark of a succesful person esp. in the high class world.

Being a student thats the impression i’ve always had and now I am getting ready to lay my feet on the golf course soon. I gave the game a thorough reading at the library and I think its a good idea to share an overview here.

History Of Golf

origins of golf are uncertain but mostly golf is considered to have its roots in scotland(mainly) and holland. the game was known as ’kolven’. in the nineteenth century the game gained popularity in England. There was a golf boom in England in the middle 19th century which mainly led to popularity of golf in America . Today golf is enjoyed by men and women all over the world . It is also the sport with the highest prize money unparalleled by any other sport .

THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club : previously St.Andrews Golf club in Scotland , this is golfs main governing body . the standard rules for the present day 18 pin(flags/the word h*le is not allowed on MS) golf were made here . this is also the most coveted of all golf clubs in the world . The OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP held here is golf’s oldest and most prestigious championship .

the US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (by the united states golf association) , the USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP ( united states professional golfers association ) , The MASTERS TOURNAMENT ( organised by augusta national golf club ) , PGA EUROPEAN TOUR , THE RYDERS CUP ( participation by countries in europe and the USA ) are some of the most popular championships not to mention the innumerable national tours and club championships .

SO ARE YOU READY FOR THE GAME ? !!!

THE CLUBS

Professional golf game consists of 18 flags(h*les/pins) . each player is allowed to carry a set of 14 clubs in his golf bag . the golf clubs are classified as

1. WOODS (1-9) : wood one is generally known as a driver as is used for long shots . with increase in number the distance travelled by ball decreases .

2. IRON (1-9) and WEDGES : in iron just like the woods increase in no. decreases the distance travelled by the ball . however iron differs from the wood as it has an inclination in the haed of the club ( 10’ in iron 1 to 45-55’ ) these usually take the ball very high. the wedges have very high inclination and are used to take the ball out of bunkers etc.

3. PUTTERS : these are designed to make the last shot in the pin (putting)

THE SHOTS

1. PUTTING : this is the most easy to learn and most undermined shot . it is the winning shot and has made and ruined careers . putting is the shot made from the green region into the h*le (pin) .

2. CHIPS AND LOBS : these are short shorts made no further than 20 feet from the edge of green . chip is a small shot where as a lob is a high shot usually when there is an obstacle between the you and the pin .

3. PITCH AND PUNCH : these sots are made around 30-100 yards from the pin . a pitch is a high trajectory shot used to land in the green whereas a punch is a more powerful low trajectory shot used in windy conditions to minimise the deviation .

4. THE LONG SHOTS : these are usually played by the driver in pars 4 or 5 . (par explained below)

SCORING IN GOLF :

each hle is alloted AT PAR score ( at par means the no. of shots a good player makes to reach the hle ) . if a player misses the pin by one stroke then he’s had a BOGEY . if he misses by 2 its a DOUBLE BOGEY .

if a player gets 1 under par its a BIRDIE , 2 under par is an EAGLE , 3 under par which is very rare is an ALBATROSS .

so the total score at the end of the 18th h*le is calculated to judge the winner .

THE HAZARDS :

the golf course is a beauty in itself . the lush green grass makes the game more so attractive . however designed in the golf course are obstacles to make the game challenging . these include

# BUNKER : an area covered with sand making it difficult to strike the ball properly.

# WATER : usually a ponds . you dont want your ball going there !

# OB : out of bounds .

# TREES : and (sometimes animals in old golf courses like westward ho ! in england )

# DEVIATING FROM THE PATH : this often happens when the golfer is unable to hit off in a straight line .

# the SHANKS - it is when the face of club is open and ball is swung in a tangential direction . it can be the biggest blunder which can destroy a game .

# the YIPS : golfs deadly disease : it is defined as an accidental flick of the ball during the putting shot . no doubt it has destroyed careers .

THE HANDICAP SYSTEM IN GOLF

this is more like a classification of players .

1. HACKER : finishes course in 30+ pars , usually an inexperienced player .

2. CLUB : 10-30 over par

3. MATCH : 4-9 over par

then the two levels most never reach :

1. SCRATCH : 0-3 over par . these are most of whom we see on TV.

2. PRO : a professional golf player . teaching and playing golf is their job . multimillionaires by salaries (mostly).

3. an amateur player is one who doesnt take up golf as a profession .

Golf is more of a game of perseverance and skill and it tests you mentally as well . this is the only game where you can be young , old , tall , short , fat , thin , and still be good and enjoy and love the game .

this is just an overview or an introduction to the game . I just tried to highlight some of the important terms and the basics of the game so that someone like me who doesnt even know how to hold a golf club can have a fair outline and understanding of the game . I recommend everyone interested in this game to check out the golfs greatest players in history in the comments . its just like knowing who is sachin tendulkar and brian lara are in cricket !

so thats all folks ! I would be learning to hold the golf club in some time . I think all the youngsters should try atleast , for a day, being a caddy to a golfer to get the taste of this exquisite game .

ciao .