Although the exact origin of the game of golf is unknown, we know that people have played games with balls and sticks since ancient times. Some historians think that the first true golfers were ancient shepherds who passed the time by using their wooden staffs to knock small stones into holes. In the 1200's the Dutch played a game similar to hockey called colf. The strong trading ties between the Dutch and the Scots during the 1400's may account for the migration of a similar game from Holland to Scotland. There it grew into the game played today. There is no question that the modern game of golf was born in Scotland. Golf swing attracted attention of many audiences as newer techniques like golf swing evolved.
How Golf Is Played
The object of golf is to hit a small ball with a special club into a hole with as few hits, or strokes, as possible. A standard golf course is made up of 18 holes, numbered 1 through 18. A golfer plays each hole in order, recording the number of strokes it takes him or her to put the ball in the hole. The number of strokes for each hole are added up to get a final score. Playing all the holes on a course is called playing a round.
For each hole, the golfer begins by striking the ball from a marked area called the teeing ground, or tee box. The ball travels across a grassy field called the fairway toward the hole, which lies in a manicured area of grass called the green. The green is also referred to as a hole.
Equipment
A golf ball is designed to fly long distances. It is no less than 12/3 inches (4.27 centimeters) in diameter, and weighs no more than 1.6 ounces (45 grams). The ball is made up of a rubber core surrounded by a high-impact plastic cover. Hundreds of small dimples in the cover enhance the ball's aerodynamic qualities. A golf ball can travel more than 300 yards (274 meters) in the air when struck by the strongest players. For maximum visibility, most golf balls are white.
The rules state that a golfer may carry no more than 14 golf clubs at a time. A set of clubs has four categories: woods, irons, wedges, and a putter. Each category is different, but the basic construction is the same: Each club has a rubber grip for the hands; a shaft, which is usually made of steel or graphite; and a clubhead, usually made of steel, which makes contact with the ball.
With the exception of some putters, every golf club has an angled clubface that lifts the ball into the air at impact. This angle is called loft. Generally, the less loft a club has, the longer the shaft and the farther the ball will fly. A number, usually from 1 to 9, which refers to the loft, is stamped on the bottom of most clubs. The lower the number, the less loft the club carries. The longest-hitting club in a set is usually a 1-wood. It has the least loft (typically 7 to 11 degrees) and the longest shaft (usually 43 to 45 inches, or 109 to 114 centimeters). A 2-wood club carries about 3 degrees more loft in the clubface and has a shaft that is about an inch shorter. This produces a slightly shorter shot that rises faster in the air.
Woods are so named because for years they were made with wooden heads. In the early 1980's, manufacturers began making the heads out of stainless steel. Today, heads made of wood are rare. Woods have the longest shafts in the set, and they can send the ball farther than irons. They also have their own subcategories. The driver (also known as the 1-wood) is used to hit the ball off a tee. Fairway woods (usually 3-, 4-, and 5-woods) are slightly shorter and more lofted than the driver. They are used for long shots from the fairway. Utility woods (usually 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-woods) are shorter and more lofted than the average fairway wood. They are used for shorter shots from the fairway and for long shots from the rough. The rough is an area of longer grass that makes it more difficult to make clean contact with the golf ball. The standard set of clubs has a driver and two or three fairway woods. Utility woods, while valuable, are usually optional. Woods create better gold swing than irons.
Irons were once made of iron, giving them their name, but for years they have been made of steel. They are shorter than woods and are used for shorter shots from the fairway and rough that are intended to reach the green. Irons have their own subcategories: long irons (1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-irons), mid-irons (5-, 6-, and 7-irons), and short irons (8- and 9-irons). Most sets come with irons 3 through 9. The 1- and 2-irons are optional.
Wedges, which look like irons, are the most lofted clubs in the set and are useful around the green. Here, special shots called chips and pitches are required. Chips are short, controlled shots that fly a very short distance and roll most of the way to the hole. Pitches fly slightly farther than chips. There are four types of wedges. The pitching wedge is the least lofted and is used for short approach shots, chips, and pitches. The sand wedge is designed specifically for play from sand bunkers (large pits in the ground filled with sand). The lob wedge, the most lofted club in the entire set, is used for high-flying, soft-landing short shots around the green. Wedges have a major role in creating perfect golf swings.
The putter is used to roll the ball across the green and into the hole. Most putters have a loft of only about three or four degrees. For control, putters usually have the shortest shafts, at 32 to 35 inches (81 to 89 centimeters). This allows the golfer to crouch directly over the ball while lining up a shot. Some putters, called belly putters, are longer.
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