The first game of golf for which records survive was played at Bruntsfield Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world, approximately half of them in the United States. Golf is one of those games which is unique in having lucrative competition for older players.
When playing Golf at any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the match is said to be "dormie", and is continued until the leader increases the lead by one hole, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie. When the game is tied after the predetermined number of holes have been played, it may be continued until one side takes a one-hole lead.
In the case that one team or player has taken a lead that cannot be overcome in the number of holes remaining to be played, the match is deemed to be won by the party in the lead, and the remainder of the holes are not played. The two basic forms of playing golf are Match Play and Stroke Play/Stableford Points scoring. For example, if one party already has a lead of six holes, and only five holes remain to be played on the course, the match is over.
There have been alternative ways to play golf have also been introduced, such as miniature golf, sholf and disc golf. Penalty strokes are not actually strokes but penalty points that are added to the score for violations of rules or utilizing relief procedures. A game of putting a small ball into a hole in the ground using clubs was played in 17th century Netherlands.
Golf Equipment
Golfers wear special shoes with exchangeable spikes (or small plastic claws termed soft spikes) attached to the soles, designed to increase grip on greens or in general wet conditions. A golf ball is also used and when on the green, the ball may be picked up to be cleaned or if it is in the way of an opponent's putting line; its position must then be marked using a ball marker (usually a flat, round piece of plastic or a coin). In addition to the officially printed rules, golfers also abide by a set of guidelines called Golf etiquette.
Woods are also used and played for long shots from the tee or fairway, and occasionally rough, while irons are for precision shots from fairways as well as from the rough. Golf shafts are used between the grip and the club head.
Golf is one of the few ball games that doesn't use a standardized playing area; rather, the game is played on golf "courses," each one of which has a unique design and typically consists of either 9 or 18 separate holes. A course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing area, fairway, rough and other hazards, and the green with the pin and cup.
Golf Techniques
A hole of golf consists of hitting a ball from a tee on the teeing box (a marked area designated for the first shot of a hole, a tee shot), and once the ball comes to rest, striking it again.
For a right-handed player, a subtle curve to the left is called a draw. At any given point, if the lead is equal to the number of holes remaining, the match is said to be "dormie", and is continued until the leader increases the lead by one hole, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie. Sidespin makes the ball curve left or right, and can be used intentionally or occur unintentionally. A golfer who plays right-handed, but holds the club left-hand-below-right is said to be "cack-handed" or "cross-handed". A shot which fades too much, or unintentionally and thus uncontrolled, is called a "slice".
