by Andre Sanchez

Golf is a game whereby you have to hit a small ball using a club into a hole set some distance away using as few a number of strokes as you can.  That is the basics of golf in a nutshell. It sounds very easy, although even average golf players can do this in as few as four strokes, depending of the distance which is normally between around 150 yards and over 600 yards.

There are a number of different clubs graded as to how far you can hit the ball with them.  This allows you to play with the same golf swing, and use the clubs to determine distance rather than the strength with which you hit the ball.  The clubs range from the ‘driver’ that provides you with the longest distance to the long irons, then to the short irons that have high loft to them. 

This means that most of the energy you expend on the ball is used to lift it high into the air before dropping down to its target. Finally, there is the putter than has little or no loft, and is used to run the ball along the ground into the hole.

Each hole is started at what is called the ‘tee’, where you place the ball on a small cupped peg , again called the ‘tee’, that is used as a platform for the ball. That is the only time that you use the tee:  for the first shot to each hole.  The term ‘par’ refers to the number of strokes you should need on average to hit the ball from the tee into the hole.  If you play one over par, for example if you use 5 strokes on a par 4 hole, it is called a ‘bogey’, and a one under par shot is called a birdie.  There are similar terms for other shorts that vary from par.

Courses are usually of 18 holes, though there are some smaller 9 hole courses.  The holes vary in length between Par 3, 4 and 5 holes, and the most common par for a course is 72, though some are more and some less.

The fairway is the main part of the course, where the grass is cut fairly short, the uncut part being called the rough.  Some courses have a semi-rough, where the grass is cut, but not as short as the fairway. The green is the part of the course you putt from, to hit the ball along ground to the hole.  This is usually cut as short as possible to allow the golf ball to run as fast as possible.
Golf is a game that you can play against somebody else, or against the course.  The better you get in competitions, the lower your ‘handicap ‘ will get.  That is the difference between what you normally score and the par for the course. The best way to learn how to play golf is to practice and study. 

You should take lessons in how play from a professional golf instructor, and most golf courses have their resident ‘pro’ who is available to provide you with lessons, although at a price!  It is important that a beginner understands the basics of golf and its etiquette, and for that you need professional tuition. You will be taught how to hold a golf club properly, how to stand correctly, or ‘address the ball’, and how to swing your club and body so that you hit the ball accurately the same distance each time.

Golf is a game that hooks you if you start to get good at it, and that will also allow you to meet a lot of new friends on the greens and in the clubhouse.  For some, the nineteenth hole is the best part of the course, but you will learn about that when you begin to play!

The Basics of Golf was originally published at http://www.golfplayernow.com