The basic rules and regulations of Golf: A starters guide
For starters, golf has a long and chequered history which dates back to the last 500 years. James II of Scotland, in an Act of Parliament in 1457 had banned the game due to personal reasons. Edinburgh golfers in 1744 formed a club named as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Apart from that, one of the earliest clubs formed outside Scotland was the Royal Blackheath Golf Club of England.
The general etiquettes used to play the game are not only defined to make the game safer, but enjoyable at the same time along with maintaining the quality of the golf course.
Safety is paramount in a game of golf. One should not swing the club when someone is standing at a nearby distance. One should never throw a club in anger as this would only show the unprofessionalism in a golf player. The ball should not be directed at another player and if it happens unintentionally, then one should shout “fore” to alarm the other player.
The second aspect to keep in mind is maintaining a good pace and with pace it implies that be prepared to hit the shot when it is your turn. Regarding the lost ball, which the player should mark to avoid confusion, can be searched for 5 minutes but then the player has to wave at the group coming after him so that they can continue with the game. Another important thing to remember is to carry more than one club with as going back for another one will only be a waste of time.
But what should a beginner do and where should he practice? Joining the right club is the key concern of any up and coming player. Unlike cricket or football, golf is a target sport generally played in teams of four or singles. It starts with a teeing area, which of course is different for men and women. For ladies, the teeing area is slightly ahead of the men’s teeing area though this theory does not apply any more. The tee area only depends on how far you can hit the ball. If the player cannot play the first shot longer than 200 yards, he should move the teeing area ahead and simultaneously backwards if it is longer than 200 yards for the first time. Once the player has taken a start, he should avoid the roughs in the course. One should also try avoiding water hazards. Once the ball lands in a pond, it is irretrievable and the result is a penalty. The same goes for out of bound hits. Another important area to remember is the sand trap which is placed strategically to increase the difficulty level for the player. The last one is the ultimate objective which is the spot where the flag is placed.
What is understood by holes of 18? This number indicates the number of holes that need to be made with minimum possible shots. The one who achieves it in the minimum possible shots is declared the winner. Lastly how to select the club and in what combinations should it be held? Normally a player should carry fourteen clubs with different combinations of drivers, iron, wedges and putter.
The driver is the biggest club in the bag with a loft of 7-11 degrees. It is called as the biggest club because the trajectory it covers is close to 230-290 yards. Wedges on the other hand have a higher loft but the trajectory they cover is in the range of 200-240 yards. This can be used when the player is stuck in the sand bunker. To cover medium range hits, a versatile set of irons are used depending on what distance needs to be covered. The range starts from 1 iron and goes up till 9 irons. The last one is the famous putter, and it is used when the player knows he is near the ultimate objective.
Then comes the score of the game and that is denoted with different nicknames depending on the performance at each shot. Bogey, par, birdie, eagle, albatross, condor, and ostrich are the different scores. As the bird gets bigger, it means that the performance is getting better as well.
Importantly, before holding the club, a player needs to realize that mental positioning of the game and strategy formulation is a very important task. Primarily, this is the first step to know how to play golf.
The first thing to remember is the grip. It is how a player holds the club and the better grip one has on his club, the better of he is from his competitors. The posture of any player is equally important. Posture determines the ability to make swings. If the posture is not right, the pressure exerted through the body to the ball will not be in the desired direction. The position of the ball is another important dimension while playing the sport. The ball needs to be placed in the right direction to avoid results like thin, slices, pulls or bladed shots.
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