Golf: From Tee-Off to Putting the Hole

A sport in which an individual or a team of individuals hit a small white ball into holes with the help of different clubs is known as golf and is one of the few ball games that do not require a fixed playing area. The definition of golf under the Rules of Golf can be summarized as being the playing of a ball with the help of a club from a teeing off point into a hole by one or more successive strokes in conformance with the rules of the game.

Scotland is often thought of as being the home of golf and has been known to the British Isles for centuries. The game is avidly played there and the oldest golf course in the world is situated at Musselburgh and is known as The Old Links. The Old Links has hosted golf as we have come to know it today since 1672 though earlier versions had also been played and known of in the British Isles as well as other countries of Northern Europe many centuries earlier. It is primarily an upper-class sport but has increased in popularity and become accessible to almost everyone today.

Playing the Game

There are a number of holes that must be played in a given order and a round of golf usually consists of eighteen holes that have to be played in an order as determined by the layout of the course. A nine-hole course would mean playing two successive nine-hole rounds. By playing the ball from a teeing box the player needs to put the ball into a hole in the green that is an area of finely cut grass. Stroking the ball into the hole is known as putting with the ball being hit along the ground. The idea is to rest the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible in order to win the hole and there are many hazards along the way to contend with such as bunkers and water hazards.

The players usually walk the course though there are motorized carts to take them as well and a caddie who holds the golf bag for the player and also gives advice will accompany the player throughout the duration of the game. The player needs to tee-off or take the first shot from the tee-off point of the hole and when all the players of a particular round have completed bringing the ball into play, the player with the longest shot is next to play. Whoever wins the hole is given the honor of teeing off the next round.

There are certain terms used in golf such as albatross or double-eagle, eagle, birdie, par, bogey, double bogey, and triple and quadruple bogies. There are also two forms of playing golf and these are known as match play and stroke play and the former alludes to every player playing each hole as a separate contest with another player while the latter alludes to every player counting the number of strokes taken for the entire round or tournament to arrive at a total score with the lowest scorer being the winner.