Golf is one of the most popular outdoor games in the world and among the few which has a large following in almost every nation. It can be easily played and does not require any technical skills as such. The game can be played by people of all ages irrespective of their gander, though golf is sometimes related to the myth that it is an acronym for Gentleman Only, Ladies Forbidden. The word golf actually comes from the medieval Dutch word “kolf” or “kolve” which meant club which was then transformed by the Scots to “glove”. By the end of the 16th century, the word golf had evolved and has not been changed since.
The principle behind this game is to strike a small white ball into a hole along a distance using a customised stick with a heavy end that is called the club. Golf is basically a ball and club sport where the players use a wide range of clubs to hit the ball successively into a series of holes on a golf course. The ball has to strike the hole in the fewest number of strokes and this is what makes the game difficult. The golf course may have either nine or eighteen holes according to the type of course. The golfer is equipped with a set of clubs which have varying lengths, different density of club head and loft of face. A maximum of 14 clubs are provided to the player for hitting the ball towards the hole with different length and height. The size of golf course also varies widely. It can have different shapes, sizes and hazards that the player has to hit the ball around. The hazards or obstacles in the golf course may be of three types. There may be water hazards such as lakes and rivers, man-made hazards such as bunkers and natural hazards such as dense vegetation. A set of special rules apply when the ball falls into a hazard.
The set of rules to be followed while playing golf are enormous and quite confusing. Thus, the golfer must know the basic rules that govern the game and be prepared for facing odd situations like when the ball falls into a hazard or gets lost. In such situations, the rules become quite complicated. The rules of golf etiquette are even more important and must be known to the golfer. The game is started when the golfer strikes the ball with his club on the teeing ground. A tee is a small peg which is used to elevate the ball above ground level for covering large distances. This shot, intended for covering long distances, is called a drive. Once the ball comes to rest, the golfer strikes it again as many times as is required for putting the ball in the hole or “sinking the putt” as it is usually called. For becoming an expert in the game, rigorous training with good quality balls at a good college is sufficient for an ordinary individual.