History
- Very old game
- Unclear origins
- The origin of golf is open to debate as to being Chinese, Dutch or Scottish.
- The most accepted golf history theory is that this sport originated from Scotland in the 1100s.
- The word golf derives from the Dutch kolf meaning stick, club or bat.
Golf course
- Golf is played in an area of land designated as a golf course.
- A typical golf course consists of eighteen holes, but many have only nine.
- There are some very important golf courses such as St. Andrews.
Play of the game
- Every game of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order.
- A hole of golf consists of hitting a ball from a tee (where you first shoot) and once it rests, hitting it again until the ball is on the cup.
- The player with the lowest number of strokes wins.
Scoring
- Each hole is classified by its par (number of strokes a golfer should require to complete a game). Depending on the number of stokes you get a score.
- Scores for each hole can be described as follows […]
Handicap System
- Handicap.
Types of shots
- A drive is a long-distance shot played from the tee.
- An approach shot is made with the intention of placing the ball on the green.
- A putt is a shot designed to roll the ball along the ground.
- A chip shot is a very short lofted shot.
Equipment
Very important in golf:
- Ball: 45 g. They used to be made by leather. Nowadays they are usually made by surlyn or balata.
- Clubs: every player uses several types of clubs depending on the kind of shot. On a golfer’s bag there could be a maximum of 14 clubs.
-Woods: woods are long-distance clubs. There are five kinds of woods. They are numbered from 1 to 5. The most famous one is the called “driver”. They are more or less 1 meter and 40 cm long. This kind of club needs a special wooden or plastic object that is placed on the ground to rest a ball on top of it for an easier shot.
- Irons: irons have shorter shaft than a woods. They have the widest range of uses and they are numbered from to 1 to 9.
- Wedges: the wedges are used for short-distance and high-altitude shots such us approaches or chippings. There are several types of wedges such us the pitching or the sand.
- Putter: Which are designed to push or roll the ball along the ground.
- Shoes: Golfers wear special shoes with exchangeable spikes attached to the soles, designed to increase grip.
- Gloves: Golfers also often wear gloves that help grip the club and prevent blistering.
By Victor Nieto
