Golf – Overview
Golf is a game in which the players hit the ball with a club. The game is played on a long course that contains a lot of holes at random spots. The aim is to hit the ball and to put it inside a series of holes. This should be done with as less number of strokes as possible.Both men and women can participate in this game.
History of Golf
Inception of golf is believed to be during the period of 100 BC at Rome where people use to hit a leather ball with a stick. During the reign of Sung Dynasty, this game was a bit popular in China but with a name Chuiwan. But the actual modern form of this game was seen at Scotland in 15th century.
In 1457, James II banned the game in Scotland but James IV lifted the ban in 1502 by himself becoming a golfer. Musselburgh links in Scotland is considered as the oldest golf course and is also recorded in Guinness Book. In 1764, the golf course was created at St.
Andrews having 18 holes. The rules of golf were made in 1744 and is considered to be the oldest. The Open Championship is considered as the oldest championship which was first played in 1860. Later on, the game was introduced in US in 1888.
Participating Countries
Popularity of this game grew when first WATC game (World Armature Team Championships) was held between Japan and USA in the year 1957. After that, many countries started to participate in WATC championships. Now in total 26 countries actively participate in this championship.
The players who have dominated golf over the years mostly belong to USA, Argentina, Canada, and Australia.
How to Play Golf ?
Position of Ball
The position of your ball with respect to your stance is a key factor in deciding the winning chance of yours in the game. If you are on short irons, then it is advisable to position the ball in the middle of the stance (at equidistance and at the centre of both of yours legs). When a golfer hits the ball a turf of grass is cut while hitting. This is known as divot. The distance will eventually increase as half inch with the type of club in your stance. The distance will increase towards your lead toe i.e. towards left toe for right handed golfers and vice versa.
The ball and the lead heel should be in line with each other for the player. To ensure proper striking of the ball on the upswing, the toe should be flared little outward.
If the position of the ball is too far forward, then you will face problem in having a strong impact on the ball. This will also cause the club to move from outside to inside at the moment of impact. To resolve this issue, move the ball back into the stance an inch or two.
To have an edge over others, place the ball to the inside of left foot. This position will help you in drawing a line at an angle of 90 degrees with the target line that connects the left heel and the golf ball.
It is often advised to the beginners not to use the same positioning of the balls for their fairway woods. This mistake will not let you produce quality shots. Instead you can make slight adjustment with your balls to get the best shot.
Grip Position
As a beginner, your prime focus should be on gripping mechanism. This is because many people often neglect this and regret later. A good gripping can help you in delivering the best shot with desired angle and will also help in developing a consistent set up. First we should know about the hand orientation over the club.
If you are a right-handed golfer, then the position of your left hand must be near the butt of the shaft on the top while the right hand should be exactly below the left hand and vice versa for the lefties. Extend the thumb of the left hand towards the downside of the club’s handle but do not wrap it around the underside.
There are various types of gripping mechanism. Some of them are discussed below.
Interlock grip
In this type of gripping, the position of the pinky finger of the right hand will be in between middle and index finger of the left hand. Many of the famous champions like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger woods use this gripping mechanism.
Vardon Overlap Grip
It is another popular gripping mechanism and is more similar to the interlock gripping mechanism. Here instead of placing the small finger in between the index finger and middle finger, place it over the gap in between them.
Baseball or Ten-Finger Grip
Professionals do avoid this gripping but it is more popular among the amateurs. Unlike other two gripping mechanisms, there is no interlocking or overlapping of fingers in the grip. The player has to place the little finger of the trailing hand close to the index finger of the leading hand and the thumb of the leading hand is covered by the lifeline of the trailing hand
Aim
As we all know that golf is a target-oriented sport and our main objective is to move the ball from its initial position to the goal. The target is far away from the hitting point. Our primary aim is to move the ball from the hitting point to the green, and then from that point the target is cup.
Bunker Shot
Bunkers are nothing but the sand traps which becomes very difficult for the player if he is not aware with the strategies of moving out the ball out of it. Unless you are well prepared for a bunker shot, it will cost you shots and will affect your sanity too. There are mainly two major types of bunkers that you must be aware of and they are;
- Greenside bunker
- Fairway bunker
Greenside Bunker
Here bunkers are positioned near to the greens. This will add obstacle for the player. This is because these shots are hit during the approach shot and shot is made through an iron with a very heavy uplift.
Fairway Bunker
These are even more difficult than the sand ones. Here we have to deal with more club than a wedge of sand. The hitting of shots in this case will depend upon the lip of the bunker.
Techniques for Hitting Better Drives
Hitting always with a perfect drive is very important in golf. But this requires regular practise and certain tricks are to be employed while playing. On the flat area, we need to tee up the golf ball in the desired area so that it will have a better sweep shot. Some of the tips that should be followed for hitting better drives are as follows −
- Most of the performers think the shot as a performance that should be delivered with perfection. This creates muscle tightening and brain cramping. Instead you take this as an aim to put your ball into a good position for hitting the second shot. This will enhance your performance.
- Another important aspect that most of the golfers neglect is the placement of the ball with respect to their stance. Unless the ball has been placed with right stance, it will be difficult to achieve a perfect shot.
- Always have an eye on the degree of loft that your club head is maintaining. Degree of loft has two advantages. First it increases the height of the drive and secondly it decreases the curves which obviously is another advantage.
- While preparing for swinging, do not think about those area where you do not want to hit the ball. Instead focus on the areas where you definitely want your ball to be positioned after the drive.
- Sometimes golfers gamble during situations when their handicap is very low. You should aim to put the ball into the play.
Golf – Rules
The rules of golf is maintained and governed by International Golf Federation (IGF) all over the world. Apart from this, all countries have their own governing bodies to organise the game in the fairway. Some of the important rules that one must be aware of before getting his/her hands into the game are as follows −
- The teeing of the ball should be done within a club’s length of the hole.
- Position of your tee must be upon the ground.
- The player is not allowed to remove any obstacles while playing. Only obstacles within the club’s length of the ball on fair green can be removed.
- In case it has been found that your balls are touching each other, you have to pick up the first ball till you play the last one.
- During the time of holing, it is expected of you to play the game fairly without laying yourself in the way of hole.
- The person whose ball lies farthest from the hole is supposed to play first.
- If you are at the position of holing, then you are not allowed to mark the path of holing with any material like your club or foot etc.
- If the movement of the ball is stopped by any animal like dog or birds etc, then it has to be played again from its initial position.
- Once you strike off a ball with a tee, you cannot change the ball with another one.
- While playing, if your ball comes under any watery filth, then you are free to take out your ball from that position and tee it again.
Golf Basics
GOLF SCORING
HOW TO KEEP SCORE OF YOUR GAME
- Put the ball on the tee at the tee box.
- Hit the ball until the ball is in the hole.
- The number of shots it takes you to get the ball
- in the hole is your score for that hole.
- Every attempt to advance the ball counts as 1
- shot. The distance the ball travels is irrelevant (i.e.: a shot of 2
- feet = 1 stroke, a shot of 200 yards = 1 stroke).
NOTE: If you are a beginner and have taken 10 shots on a hole and the ball is not in yet. Mark 10 in your
card, pick up the ball and move to the next hole.
SCORING TERMINOLOGY
- Par: When your score is equal to the par of the hole (i.e.: a score of 4 on a par 4 hole).
- Eagle: When your score is two shots less than the par for the hole (i.e.: a score of 3 on a par 5 hole).
- Birdie: When your score is one shot less than the par for the hole (i.e.: a score of 3 on a par 4 hole).
- Bogie: When your shot is one shot more than the par for the hole (i.e.: a score of 4 on a par 3 hole).
- Double Bogie: When your score is 2 shots more than the par for the hole.
- Triple Bogie: When your score is 3 shots more than the par for the hole.
Each video is meticulously crafted by our team of experienced golf professionals who have dedicated their lives to the sport. With their expertise, they break down complex concepts into easily understandable steps, ensuring that you can grasp and apply the tips effortlessly.
Practical AT HOME Golf Drills
Sometimes it is not very convenient to go all the way to the golf course to work on your game. Sometimes work gets in the way or the weather is bad outside. I give 3 super practical and easy drills to do in the comfort of your own home! Too busy? No problem, bust out these simple drills to improve your golf game today!
Tips On How To Fix Your SLICE From a PGA PROFESSIONAL
Do you ever struggle with hitting a slice and don’t know how to fix it? Me too. I traveled down to the George Bryan Golf Academy and asked the PGA Teaching Pro, George Bryan, to help me fix my slice! Using the FlightScope Mevo Plus, George explains his thoughts on how to help eliminate the dreaded slice. Hopefully by watching this video, his tips can help YOU figure out your slice!