Golf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players (golfers), using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area. Instead, the game is played on golf “courses,” each of which features a unique design, although courses typically consist of either nine or 18 holes. Golf is defined, in the rules of golf, as “playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules.” Golf competition is generally played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known simply as stroke play, or the lowest score on the most individual holes during a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play. The origin of golf is unclear and open to debate. Some historians. trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used dental assistant salary a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball. One theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century B.C., and eventually evolved into the modern game.. Others cite chuiwan (“chui” means striking and “wan” means small ball) as the progenitor, a Chinese game played between the eighth and 14th centuries.. A Ming Dynasty scroll dating back to 1368 entitled “The Autumn Banquet”, shows a member of the Chinese Imperial court swinging what appears to be a golf club at a small ball with the aim of sinking it into a hole. The game is thought to have been introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages. Another early game that resembled modern golf was known as cambuca in England and chambot in France.. This game was, in turn, exported to the Low Countries, Germany, and England (where it was called pall-mall, pronounced “pell mell”). Some observers, however, believe that golf descended from the Persian game, chaugán. In addition, kolven (a game involving a ball and medical assistant salary curved bats) was played annually in Loenen, Netherlands, beginning in 1297, to commemorate the capture of the assassin of Floris V, a year earlier. The modern game originated in Scotland, where the first written record of golf is James II’s banning of the game in 1457, as an unwelcome distraction to learning archery.. A golf course consists of a series of holes, each with a teeing area that is set off by two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area, fairway, rough and other hazards, and the putting green surrounded by the fringe with the pin (flagstick) and cup. Different levels of grass are varied to increase difficulty, or to allow for putting in the case of the green. While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the tee-off point to the green, some of the holes may bend, either to the left or to the right. This is called a “dogleg”, in reference to a dog’s knee. The hole is called a “dogleg left” if the hole angles leftwards and Phlebotomy training vice versa; sometimes, a hole’s direction can bend twice and is called a “double dogleg”. A typical golf course consists of 18 holes but nine hole courses are common and can be played twice through for 18 holes… Early Scottish golf courses were primarily laid out on links land, soil covered sand dunes directly inland from beaches.. This gave rise to the term golf links, particularly applied to seaside courses and those built on naturally sandy soil inland. The very first 18 hole golf course in America was located on a sheep farm in Downers Grove, Illinois in 1892. The golf course is still situated there.. Every round of golf is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A round typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. On a nine-hole course, a standard round consists of two consecutive nine-hole rounds. Playing a hole on a golf course is initiated by putting a ball into play by striking it with a club on medical billing job the teeing area (also called the “tee box” or simply “the tee.”) When this initial stroke (or “shot”) is required to be a long one due to the length of the hole, it is usual (but not required) for a golfer to suspend (or “tee”) the ball on a tee prior to striking it. A “tee” in this last sense is a small peg which can be used to elevate the ball slightly above the ground up to a few centimeters high. This elevation is at the discretion of the golfer. Tee pegs are commonly made of wood but may be constructed of any material; the ball may even be “tee’d” on a mound of grass or dirt (at one time a small pile of sand placed by the golfer was routinely used and sand was provided at teeing areas for golfers’ use). When the initial shot on a hole is a long-distance shot intended to move the ball a great distance down the fairway, this shot is commonly called a “drive.” Shorter holes generally physician assistant are initiated with “shorter” clubs. Once the ball comes to rest, the golfer strikes it again as many times as necessary using shots that are variously known as a lay-up, an approach, a “pitch,” or a chip, until the ball reaches the green, where he or she then putts the ball into the hole (commonly called “sinking the putt”). The goal of getting the ball into the hole (“holing” the ball) in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by obstacles such as areas of long grass called rough (usually found alongside fairways) which both slows any ball that contacts it and makes it harder to advance a ball that has stopped on it, bunkers (“sand traps”), and water hazards.. In most forms of gameplay, each player plays his or her ball until it is holed. Players can walk or drive in motorized carts over the course. Play can be done either singly or in groups and sometimes accompanied by caddies, who carry and manage the players’ equipment and who are allowed by the nono hair removal rules to give advice on the play of the course.. A caddies’ advice can only be given to the player or players for whom the caddy is working, and not to competing players. The rules of golf.. are internationally standardised and are jointly governed by The R&A, spun off in 2004 from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (founded 1754), and the United States Golf Association (USGA). The underlying principle of the rules is fairness. As stated on the back cover of the official rule book: Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair. There are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers.. Essentially, anybody who has ever received payment or compensation for giving instruction, or played golf for money, is not considered an amateur and may not participate in competitions limited solely to amateurs. However, amateur golfers may receive expenses which comply with strict guidelines and they may accept non-cash prizes within the limits established mobile phone deals by the Rules of Amateur Status. In addition to the officially printed rules, golfers also abide by a set of guidelines called golf etiquette. Etiquette guidelines cover matters such as safety, fairness, pace of play, and a player’s obligation to contribute to the care of the course. Though there are no penalties for breach of etiquette rules, players generally follow the rules of golf etiquette in an effort to improve everyone’s playing experience. Penalties are incurred in certain situations. They are counted towards a player’s score as if there were extra swing(s) at the ball. Strokes are added for rule infractions or for hitting one’s ball into an unplayable situation. A lost ball or a ball hit out of bounds result in a penalty of one stroke and distance. (Rule 27-1) A one stroke penalty is assessed if a player’s equipment causes the ball to move or the removal of a loose impediment causes the ball to move. (Rule 18-2) If a golfer makes a stroke at the wrong ball (Rule 19-2) or hits a Colorado Springs Realtors fellow golfer’s ball with a putt (Rule 19-5), the player incurs a two stroke penalty. Most rule infractions lead to stroke penalties but also can lead to disqualification. Disqualification could be from cheating, signing for a lower score, or from rule infractions that lead to improper play.. Golf clubs are used to hit a golf ball, Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance (grip) on the top end and a club head on the bottom. “Long” clubs, which have a lower amount of degreed loft, are those meant to propel the ball a comparatively longer distance and “short” clubs, a higher degree, a comparatively short distance. Typically, the actual physical length of each club is longer or shorter, depending on the distance the club is intended to propel the ball. The “driver” is the largest-headed and “longest” club. Woods are slightly shorter but still comparatively large-headed clubs, used for long-distance fairway shots. Woods are now typically made of metal; the traditional name “woods” remains in general use but is gradually being replaced cheap auto insurance by the term “fairway metal.” Next shorter in length are the irons, the most numerous and versatile class used for a wide variety of shots. Hybrid (golf) clubs which embody characteristics of both woods and irons in varying degrees, are increasingly being used in preference to long irons in many places because they are easier for the average golfer to use. Last but not least, putters are used to roll the ball across the green into the cup. A maximum of 14 clubs is allowed in a player’s bag at one time during a stipulated round. The choice of clubs is at the golfer’s discretion, although every club must be constructed in accordance with parameters outlined in the rules. (Clubs which meet these parameters are usually called “conforming.”) Violation of these rules can result in disqualification. The exact shot hit at any given time on a golf course, and which club is used to accomplish the shot, are always completely at the discretion of the golfer; in other words, there is no restriction whatsoever on cheap iphone which club a golfer may or may not use at any time for any shot. Golf balls are spherical, usually white (although other colours are allowed), and minutely pock-marked by “dimples” that decrease aerodynamic drag by decreasing air turbulence around the ball in motion, thereby allowing the ball to fly farther.. A tee is allowed only for the first stroke on each hole, unless the player must hit a provisional or replay his or her first shot from the tee. Many golfers wear golf shoes with metal or plastic spikes designed to increase traction, thus allowing for longer and more accurate shots. A golf bag is used to transport golf clubs. Golf bags have several pockets designed for carrying equipment and supplies such as tees, balls, and gloves. Golf bags can be carried, pulled on a two-wheel pull cart or harnessed to a motorized golf cart during play. Golf bags have both a hand strap and shoulder strap for carrying, and sometimes have retractable legs that allow the bag to stand upright when at rest. Perfect Weddings Singapore Golfers start with the non-dominant side of the body facing the target. At address the body and club are positioned parallel to the target line. The feet are commonly shoulder width apart for middle irons and putters, narrower for short irons and wider for long irons and woods. The ball is positioned in the center of the players stance for short irons and putters, more to the front for middle irons and even more for long irons and woods. The golfer chooses a grip. The golfer chooses a golf club and stroke appropriate to the distance: * The drive is used on the tee box to tee off long distances. * The approach is used in long to mid distance shots * The chip is used for relatively short distance shots around the green. The goal of the chip is to land the ball safely on the green allowing it to roll out towards the hole. * The putt is used in short distance shots on or near the green. The goal of the putt Singapore wedding is to get the ball in the hole or as close to the hole as possible. A hole is classified by its par; the number of strokes a skilled golfer should require to complete play of the hole.. For example, a skilled golfer expects to reach the green on a par-four hole in two strokes (This would be considered a Green in Regulation or GIR): one from the tee (the “drive”) and another, second, stroke to the green (the “approach”); and then roll the ball into the hole in two putts for par. A golf hole is either a par-three, -four or -five, rarely -six.. The key factor for classifying the par of a hole is the distance from the tee to the green. A typical par-three hole is less than 250 yards (225 metres) in length, with a par-four hole ranging between 251 and 475 yards (225–434 metres), and a par-five hole being longer than 475 yards (435 metres). Although uncommon, par-six can stretch well over 650 yards (595 metres). The gradient of the bali hotels course (uphill or downhill) can also affect the par rating. If the tee-to-green distance on a hole is predominantly downhill, it will play shorter than its physical length and may be given a lower par rating; the opposite is true for uphill holes. Par ratings are also affected by factors such as the placement of hazards or the shape of the green, which can sometimes affect the play of a hole by requiring an extra stroke to avoid playing into hazards.. Eighteen hole courses may have four par-three, ten par-four, and four par-five holes, though other combinations exist and are not less worthy than courses of par 72. Many major championships are contested on courses playing to a par of 70, 71, or 72. Additionally, in some countries, courses are classified according to their play difficulty, which may be used to calculate a golfer’s playing handicap for a given course (cf. golf handicap).. In match play, two players (or two teams) play each hole as a separate contest against each other. The party with the free credit report lower score wins that hole, or if the scores of both players or teams are equal the hole is “halved” (tied). The game is won by the party that wins more holes than the other. 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. 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. 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 or ties any of the remaining holes, thereby winning the match, or until the match ends in a tie with the lead player’s opponent winning all remaining holes. When the game is Ebook Readers tied after the predetermined number of holes have been played, it may be continued until one side takes a one-hole lead.. In stroke play, the score achieved for each and every hole of the round or tournament is added to produce the total score, and the player with the lowest score wins. (Stroke play is the game most commonly played by professional golfers.) If there is a tie after the regulation number of holes in a professional tournament, a playoff takes place between all tied players. Playoffs are either sudden death or employ a pre-determined number of holes, anywhere from three to a full eighteen. In sudden death, a player who scores lower on a hole than all of his opponents wins the match. If at least two players remain tied after such a playoff using a pre-determined number of holes, then play continues in sudden death format, where the first player to win a hole wins the tournament. In a skins game, golfers compete on each hole, as a separate contest. Played for prize Elliptical Machine money on the professional level or as a means of a wager for amateurs, a skin, or the prize money assigned to each hole, carries over to subsequent holes if the hole is tied (or halved). If you come to the end of the round and there are still skins left over, play continues until the final skin has been decided. Under the Stableford system the player gains points for the score achieved on each hole of the round or tournament (1 point for a bogey, 2 points for a par, 3 points for a birdie, 4 points for an eagle). The points achieved for each hole of the round or tournament are added together to produce the total points score. The player with the highest score wins.. * A foursome (defined in Rule 29) is played between two teams of two players each, in which each team has only one ball and players alternate playing it. For example, if players A and B form a team, A tees off on the first hole, B website laten maken will play the second shot, A the third, and so on until the hole is finished. On the second hole, B will tee off (regardless who played the last putt on the first hole), then A plays the second shot, and so on. Foursomes can be played as match play or stroke play.. * A four-ball (Rules 30 and 31) is also played between two teams of two players each, but every player plays his/her own ball and for each team, the lower score on each hole is counted. Four-balls can be played as match play or stroke play.. * In scramble (also known as ambrose or best shot), each player in a team tees off on each hole, and the players decide which shot was best. Every player then plays his/her second shot from within a clublength of where the best shot has come to rest, and the procedure is repeated until the hole is finished. In a champagne scramble, each player in a team tees off on each hole. The best drive is stop dog barking used and all players play their own ball from this spot. In best ball, each player plays the hole as normal, but the lowest score of all the players on the team counts as the team’s score.. * In a greensome, also called modified alternate shot, both players tee off, and then pick the best shot as in a scramble. The player who did not shoot the best first shot plays the second shot. The play then alternates as in a foursome.. * A variant of greensome is sometimes played where the opposing team chooses which of their opponent’s tee shots the opponents should use. The player who did not shoot the chosen first shot plays the second shot. Play then continues as a greensome. * There is also a form of starting called shotgun, which is mainly used for tournament play. A shotgun start consists of groups starting on different holes, allowing for all players to start and end their round at the same time. A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur free online dating golfer’s ability to play golf over the course of 18 holes. Handicaps can be applied either for stroke play competition or match play competition. In either competition, a handicap generally represents the number of strokes above par that a player will achieve on an above average day (i.e., when playing well). In stroke play competition, the competitor’s handicap is subtracted from their total “gross” score at the end of the round, to calculate a “net” score against which standings are calculated. In match play competition, handicap strokes are assigned on a hole-by-hole basis, according to the handicap rating of each hole (which is provided by the course). The hardest holes on the course receive the most handicap strokes, with the easiest holes receiving the least handicap strokes. Calculating a handicap is often complicated, but essentially it is representative of the average over par of a number of a player’s previous above average rounds, adjusted for course difficulty. Legislation regarding the calculation of handicaps differs among countries. For example, handicap rules may include the difficulty of Cheap Contact Lenses the course the golfer is playing on by taking into consideration factors such as the number of bunkers, the length of the course, the difficulty and slopes of the greens, the width of the fairways, and so on. Handicap systems are not used in professional golf. Professional golfers often score several strokes below par for a round and thus have a calculated handicap of 0 or less, meaning that their handicap results in the addition of strokes to their round score. Someone with a handicap of zero or less is often referred to as a scratch golfer. In 2005, Golf Digest calculated that the countries with most golf courses per capita, starting with the best endowed were: Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Wales, United States, Sweden, and England (countries with fewer than 500,000 people were excluded). Apart from Sweden, all of these countries have English as the majority language, but the number of courses in new territories is increasing rapidly. The most notable example of this phenomenon is China. The coupons first golf course in the People’s Republic of China opened in 1984, but by the end of 2009 there were roughly 600 in the country. Jack Nicklaus, who in late 2009 had either designed or had plans to design 35 courses in China, claimed in October of that year that China had plans to build 1,400 public courses in the next five years (currently, only a small number of China’s courses are public), although a Chinese golf industry insider called Nicklaus’ claim “bullshit”.. For the last several years, development of new golf courses has been officially banned, but the number of courses has nonetheless tripled since 2004; the “ban” has been easily evaded with the government’s tacit approval simply by not mentioning golf in any development plans.. In the United States, the number of people who play golf 25 times or more per year decreas The majority of professional golfers work as club or teaching professionals (pros), and only compete in local competitions. A small elite of professional golfers are “tournament pros” who compete full cash advance time on international “tours”. Many club and teaching professionals working in the golf industry start as caddies or a general interest in the game, finding employment at golf courses and eventually moving on to certifications in their chosen profession. These programs include independent institutions and universities, and those that eventually lead to a Class A golf professional certification. Golf instruction involves the teaching and learning of the game of golf. Proficiency in teaching golf instruction requires not only technical and physical ability, but also knowledge of the rules and etiquette of the game. In some countries, golf instruction is best performed by teachers certified by the Professional Golfers Association. Some top instructors who work with professional golfers have become quite well-known in their own right. Instructors use a combination of physical conditioning, mental visualization, classroom sessions, club fitting, driving range instruction, on-course play under real conditions, and review of videotaped swings in slow motion to teach golf. There are at least twenty professional golf tours, each run by a PGA or an independent tour organization, Car Insurance which is responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Typically a tour has “members” who are entitled to compete in most of its events, and also invites non-members to compete in some of them. Gaining membership of an elite tour is highly competitive, and most professional golfers never achieve it. The most widely known tour is the PGA Tour, which tends to attract the strongest fields, outside the four Majors and the four World Golf Championships events. This is due mostly to the fact that most PGA Tour events have a first prize of at least US $800,000. The PGA European Tour, which attracts a substantial number of top golfers from outside North America, ranks second to the PGA Tour in worldwide prestige. Some top professionals from outside North America play enough tournaments to maintain membership on both the PGA Tour and European Tour. The other leading men’s tours include the Japan Golf Tour, the Asian Tour (Asia outside Japan), the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Sunshine Tour (for Southern Africa, Payday Loans primarily South Africa). The Japan, Australasian, Sunshine, PGA, and European Tours are the charter members of the trade body of the world’s main tours, the International Federation of PGA Tours, founded in 1996. The Asian Tour became a full member in 1999. The Canadian Tour became an associate member of the Federation in 2000, and the Tour de las Américas (Latin America) became an associate member of the Federation in 2007. The Federation underwent a major expansion in 2009 which saw 11 new tours become full members—the Canadian Tour, Tour de las Américas, China Golf Association, the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association, Professional Golf Tour of India, and the operators of all six major women’s tours worldwide. The OneAsia Tour, founded in 2009, is not a member of the Federation, but was founded as a joint venture of the Australasia, China, Japan, and Korean tours. The charter members of the Federation, as well as the Asian, Canadian and OneAsia Tours, offer points in the Official World Golf Rankings to players who place sufficiently high in their tenant screening events. Golf is unique in having lucrative competition for older players. There are several senior tours for men 50 and older, the best known of which is the U.S.-based Champions Tour. There are six principal tours for women, each based in a different country or continent. The most prestigious of these is the United States based LPGA Tour. All of the principal tours offer points in the Women’s World Golf Rankings for high finishers in their events. All of the leading professional tours for under-50 players have an official developmental tour, in which the leading players at the end of the season will earn a tour card on the main tour for the following season. Examples include the Nationwide Tour, which feeds to the PGA Tour, and the Challenge Tour, which is the developmental tour of the European Tour. The Nationwide and Challenge Tours also offer Official World Golf Rankings points. The major championships are the four most prestigious men’s tournaments of the year. In chronological order they are: The Masters, the U.S. Open, The Meladerm Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open) and the PGA Championship.. The fields for these events include the top several dozen golfers from all over the world. The Masters has been played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia since its inception in 1934. It is the only major championship that is played at the same course each year.. The U.S. Open and PGA Championship are played at courses around the United States, while The Open Championship is played at courses in the UK…. Prior to the advent of the PGA Championship and The Masters, the four Majors were the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur, the Open Championship, and the British Amateur. Women’s golf does not have a globally agreed set of majors. The list of majors recognised by the dominant women’s tour, the LPGA Tour in the U.S., has changed several times over the years, with the last change in 2001. Like the PGA Tour, the (U.S.) LPGA. has four majors: the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the LPGA Championship, the Reverse phone number lookup U.S. Women’s Open and the Women’s British Open. Only the last of these is also recognised by the Ladies European Tour. The other event that it recognises as a major is the Evian Masters, which is not considered a major by the LPGA (but is co-sanctioned as a regular LPGA event). However, the significance of this is limited, as the LPGA is far more dominant in women’s golf than the PGA Tour is in mainstream men’s golf. For example, the BBC has been known to use the U.S. definition of “women’s majors” without qualifying it. Also, the Ladies’ Golf Union, the governing body for women’s golf in the UK and Republic of Ireland, states on its official website that the Women’s British Open is “the only Women’s Major to be played outside the U.S.”. For many years, the Ladies European Tour tacitly acknowledged the dominance of the LPGA Tour by not scheduling any of its own events to conflict with the three LPGA majors played in the U.S., but that changed in 2008, with the fitted wardrobes LET scheduling an event opposite the LPGA Championship. The second-richest women’s tour, the LPGA of Japan Tour, does not recognise any of the U.S. LPGA or European majors as it has its own set of majors (historically three, since 2008 four). However, these events attract little notice outside Japan. Senior (50-and-over) men’s golf does not have a globally agreed upon set of majors. The list of senior majors on the U.S.-based Champions Tour has changed over the years, but always by expansion. The Champions Tour now recognises five majors: the Senior PGA Championship, the United States Senior Open, the Senior British Open Championship, The Tradition and the Senior Players Championship. Of the five events, the Senior PGA is by far the oldest, having been founded in 1937. The other events all date from the 1980s, when senior golf became a commercial success as the first golf stars of the television era, such as Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, reached the relevant age. The Senior British Open was not recognised as a major by the Champions hair loss treatment Tour until 2003. The European Seniors Tour recognises only the Senior PGA and the two Senior Opens as majors. However, the Champions Tour is arguably more dominant in global senior golf than the U.S. LPGA is in global women’s golf. History of golf The origins of golf are unclear and much debated. However it is clearly one of a family of similar and possibly related club and ball games that were recorded across medieval Europe, and many of the unique elements of golf evolved in the port towns around the Firth of Forth in eastern Scotland from the medieval period onwards. Golf spread from Scotland into the rest of the United Kingdom and then to the British Empire and the United States of America during the late 19th century. A golf-like game is recorded as taking place on 26 February 1297, in the Netherlands, in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht, where the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. The winner was whoever hit the ball with the least number hostgator coupon of strokes into a target several hundred yards away. Some scholars argue that this game of putting a small ball in a hole in the ground using golf clubs was also played in 17th-century Netherlands and that this predates the game in Scotland. There are also other reports of earlier accounts of a golf-like game from continental Europe.. In April 2005, new evidence re-invigorated the debate concerning the origins of golf.. Recent evidence unearthed by Prof. Ling Hongling of Lanzhou University suggests that a game similar to modern-day golf was played in China since Southern Tang Dynasty, 500 years before golf was first mentioned in Scotland.. D?ngxu?n Records (Chinese: ???) from the Song Dynasty (960–1279) describes a game called chuíwán (??) and also includes drawings of the game.. It was played with 10 clubs including a cuanbang, pubang, and shaobang, which are comparable to a driver, two-wood, and three-wood. Clubs were inlaid with jade and gold, suggesting golf was for the wealthy. Chinese archive includes references to a Southern Tang official who asked his daughter life insurance quotes to dig holes as a target.. Ling suggested golf was exported to Europe and then Scotland by Mongolian travellers in the late Middle Ages.. The modern game of golf we understand today is generally considered to be a Scottish invention. A spokesman for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, one of the oldest Scottish golf organisations, said “Stick and ball games have been around for many centuries, but golf as we know it today, played over 18 holes, clearly originated in Scotland.”.. The word golf, or in Scots language gouf, is usually thought to be a Scots alteration of Dutch “colf” or “colve” meaning “stick, “club”, “bat”, itself related to the Proto-Germanic language *kulth- as found in Old Norse kolfr meaning “bell clapper”, and the German Kolben meaning “mace or club”.. The Dutch term Kolven refers to a related sport. The first documented mention of golf in Scotland appears in a 1457 Act of the Scottish Parliament, an edict issued by king James II of Scotland prohibiting the playing of the games seo company of gowf and football as these were a distraction from archery practice for military purposes. Bans were again imposed in Acts of 1471 and 1491, with golf being described as “an unprofitable sport”. Mary, Queen of Scots, was accused by her political enemies of playing golf, after her second husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was murdered in 1567. George Buchanan subsequently wrote that she had been playing “sports that were clearly unsuitable to women”. Golf was banned again by parliament under king James VI of Scotland, but golf clubs and balls were bought for him in 1502 when he was visiting Perth, and on subsequent occasions when he was in St Andrews and Edinburgh.. The account book of lawyer Sir John Foulis of Ravelston records that he played golf at Musselburgh Links on 2 March 1672, and this has been accepted as proving that The Old Links, Musselburgh, is the oldest playing golf course in the world. There is also a story that Mary, Queen of Scots, played there in 1567… The earliest known instructions stop dog biting for playing golf have been found in the diary of Thomas Kincaid, a medical student who played on the course at Bruntsfield Links, near Edinburgh University, and at Leith Links. His notes include his views on an early handicap system. In his entry for 20 January 1687 he noted how “After dinner I went out to the Golve”, and described his Golf stroke:. I found that the only way of playing at the Golve is to stand as you do at fenceing with the small sword bending your legs a little and holding the muscles of your legs and back and armes exceeding bent or fixt or stiffe and not at all slackning them in the time you are bringing down the stroak (which you readily doe) ….. The oldest surviving rules of golf were written in 1744 for the Company of Gentlemen Golfers, later renamed The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which played at Leith Links. Their “Articles and Laws in Playing at Golf, now preserved in the National Library of Scotland, became known small dog breeds as the Leith Rules and the document supports the club’s claim to be the oldest golf club, though an almanac published about a century later is the first record of a rival claim that The Royal Burgess Golfing Society had been set up in 1735. The instructions in the Leith Rules formed the basis for all subsequent codes, for example requiring that “Your Tee must be upon the ground” and “You are not to change the Ball which you strike off the Tee”.. The 1744 competition for the Gentlemen Golfers’ Competition for the Silver Club, a trophy in the form of a silver golf club provided as sponsorship by Edinburgh Town Council, was won by surgeon John Rattray, who was required to attach to the trophy a silver ball engraved with his name, beginning a long tradition. Rattray joined the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and as a result was imprisoned in Inverness, but was saved from being hanged by the pleading of his fellow golfer Duncan Forbes of Culloden, Lord President of the Court of Swimming Pool Session. Rattray was released in 1747, and won the Silver Club three times in total.. In 1603 James VI of Scotland succeeded to the throne of England. His son Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales and his courtiers played golf at Blackheath, London, from which the Royal Blackheath Golf Club traces its origins.. There is evidence that Scottish soldiers, expatriates and emigrants took the game to British colonies and elsewhere during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club (1829). and the club at Pau (1856) . in south western France are notable reminders of these excursions and are the oldest golf clubs outside of the British Isles and the oldest in continental Europe respectively. However, it was not until the late 19th century that Golf became more widely popular outside of its Scottish home. In the 1850s Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands.. The railways came to St Andrews in 1852.. By the 1860s there were fast and regular services from London to Edinburgh. The royal aloe vera enthusiam for Scotland, the much improved transport links and the writings of Sir Walter Scott caused a boom for tourism in Scotland and a wider interest in Scottish history and culture outside of the country…. This period also coincided with the development of the Gutty; a golf ball made of Gutta Percha which was cheaper to mass produce, more durable and more consistent in quality and performance than the feather-filled leather balls used previously.. Golf began to spread across the rest of the British Isles. In 1864 the golf course at the resort of Westward Ho! became the first new course in England since Blackheath.. In 1880 England had 12 courses, rising to 50 in 1887 and over 1000 by 1914.. The game in England had progressed sufficiently by 1890 to produce its first Open Champion, John Ball. The game also spread further across the empire. By the 1880s golf clubs had been established in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Singapore followed in 1891. Courses were also established in several continental European male pattern baldness resorts for the benefit of British visitors. Evidence of early golf in the United States includes an advertisement published in the Royal Gazette of New York City in 1779 for golf clubs and balls,. and the notice of the annual general meeting for a golf club in Savannah published in the Georgia Gazette in 1796.. However, as in England, it was not until the late 19th century that golf started to become firmly established. There are several competing claims to be the oldest club, but what is not contested is that in 1894 delegates from the Newport Country Club, Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, Yonkers, New York, The Country Club, Chicago Golf Club, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club met in New York City to form what was to become the United States Golf Association (USGA). By 1910 there were 267 clubs. During the Roaring Twenties the game expanded greatly in popularity and by 1932 there were over 1,100 golf clubs affiliated to the USGA. In 1922 Walter Hagen became the first native born American to win hair transplant the British Open Championship, signalling the USA’s dominance of the game that has yet to be seriously challenged.. The expansion of the game was halted by the Great Depression and World War II, but continued in the post war years. By 1980 there were over 5,000 USGA affiliated clubs, and today the total exceeds 9,700.. After the Meiji restoration of 1868 Japan made a concerted effort to modernise its economy and industry on western lines. Japanese came to Europe and America to establish trade links and study and acquire the latest developments in business, science and technology, and westerners came to Japan to help establish schools, factories, shipyards and banks. In 1903 a group of British expatriates established the first golf club in Japan, at Kobe.. In 1913 the Tokyo Golf club at Komazawa was established for and by native Japanese who had encountered golf in the United States. In 1924 The Japan Golf Association was established by the seven clubs then in existence.. During the 1920s and early 30′s several new courses were built, towels however the great depression and increasing anti-western sentiment limited the growth of the game. By the time of the Japanese attacks against the USA and British Empire in 1941 there were 23 courses.. During the subsequent war most of the courses were requisitioned for military use or returned to agricultural production.. In the postwar period, Japan’s golf courses came under the control of the occupying forces. It was not until 1952 that courses started to be returned to Japanese control.. By 1956 there were 72 courses. and in 1957 Torakichi Nakamura and Koichi Ono won the Canada Cup (now World Cup) in Japan, an event that is often cited as igniting the post-war golf boom.. Between 1960 and 1964 the number of golf courses in Japan increased from 195 to 424. By the early 1970s there were over 1,000 courses. The 1987 Resort Law that reduced protection on agricultural land and forest preserves created a further boom in course construction. and by 2009 there were over 2,400 courses.. The popularity of golf in Japan also Mage Monster caused many golf resorts to be created across the Pacific Rim.. The environmental effect of these recent golf booms is seen as a cause for concern by many…. Golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St Andrews established a trench through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 1764, several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes. Due to the status of St Andrews as the golfing capital, all other courses followed suit and the 18 hole course remains the standard to the the authority formula present day. The evolution of golf can be explained by the development of the equipment used to play the game. Some of the most notable advancements in the game of golf have come from the development of the golf ball. The golf ball took on many different forms before the 1930s when the United States Golf Association (USGA) set standards for weight and size.. These standards were later followed by a USGA regulation stating that the initial velocity of any golf ball cannot exceed 250 feet per second. Since this time, the golf ball has continued to develop and impact the way the game is played. Another notable factor in the evolution of golf has been the development of golf clubs. The earliest golf clubs were made of wood that was readily available in the area. Over the years, Hickory developed into the standard wood used for shafts and American Persimmon became the choice of wood for the club head due to its hardness and strength. As the golf ball developed and became more durable Authority Formula Review with the introduction of the “gutty” around 1850, the club head was also allowed to develop, and a variety of iron headed clubs entered the game. The introduction of steel shafts began in the late 1890s, but their adoption by the governing bodies of golf was slow. In the early 1970s, shaft technology shifted again with the use of graphite for its lightweight and strength characteristics. The first metal “wood” was developed in the early 1980s, and metal eventually completely replaced wood due to its strength and versatility.. The latest golf club technology employs the use of graphite shafts and lightweight titanium heads, which allows the club head to be made much larger than previously possible. The strength of these modern materials also allows the face of the club to be much thinner, which increases the spring-like effect of the club face on the ball, theoretically increasing the distance the ball travels. The USGA has recently limited the spring-like effect, also known as the Coefficient of Restitution (COR) to .83 and the maximum club head Fast Cash Commissions size to 460cc in an attempt to maintain the challenge of the game.. The word golf was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf,. possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning “to strike or cuff”. This word may, in turn, be derived the Dutch word kolf, meaning “bat,” or “club,” and the Dutch sport of the same name. But there is an even earlier reference to the game of golf, and it is believed to have happened in 1452 when King James II banned the game because it kept his subjects from their archery practice.. There is a persistent urban legend claiming that the term derives from an acronym “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden”. This is a false etymology, as acronyms being used as words is a fairly modern phenomenon, making the expression a backronym.. The history of golf is preserved and represented at several golf museums around the world, notably the British Golf Museum in the town of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, which Straddle Trader Pro is the home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, and the United States Golf Association Museum and Arnold Mongool Center for Golf History, located alongside the United States Golf Association headquarters in Far Hills, New Jersey. The World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida also presents a history of the sport, as does the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in Oakville, Ontario. Golf course A golf course consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick (pin) and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes. Some, however, only have nine holes and the course is played twice per round, while others have 27 or 36 and choose two groups of nine holes at a time for novelty and maintenance reasons. Additionally, par-3 courses also exist, consisting of nine or 18 holes, all of which are world flags a Par 3. Many older golf courses, often coastal, are golf links, of a different style to others. For non-municipal courses, there is usually a golf club based at each course, and may include a pro shop. The first section of every hole consists of what is known as the teeing ground, or tee-box. There is usually more than one available box for a player to place their ball, each one a different distance from the hole. They are generally as level as feasible, and most are slightly raised from the surrounding fairway. The most common tee areas, in increasing order of length from the hole, are the ladies’ tee, the men’s tee, and the championship tee. Other common tee-boxes include the junior tee, closer to the hole than the ladies’ tee, and the senior tee, generally between the ladies’ tee and the men’s tee. In tournaments, golfers generally tee off from the box one level further from the “normal” box for their class (men use the championship tee, ladies use the senior or men’s memory foam mattress tee, and juniors use the ladies’ tee). Each tee box has two markers showing the bounds of the legal tee area. The teeing area spans the distance between the markers, and extends from two-club lengths behind the markers up to the markers themselves. A golfer may play the ball from outside the teeing area, but the ball itself must be shot from within the area.. A golfer may place his ball directly on the teeing ground (called hitting it “off the deck”), a manufactured support known as a tee, or any natural substance such as sand placed on the teeing surface. After the first shot from the tee (teeing off), the player hits the ball from where it came to rest toward the green. The area between the tee box and the putting green where the grass is cut even and short is called the fairway and is generally the most advantageous area from which to hit. The area between the fairway and the out-of-bounds markers and also between the fairway and green is the world flags rough, the grass of which is cut higher than that of the fairway and is generally a disadvantageous area from which to hit. On par three holes the player is expected to be able to drive the ball to the green on the first shot from the tee box. On holes longer than par threes players are expected to require at least one extra shot made from the fairway or rough. While many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the tee-off point to the green, some holes may bend either to the left or to the right. This is called a “dogleg”, in reference to a dog’s knee. The hole is called a “dogleg left” if the hole angles leftwards, and a “dogleg right” if the hole angles rightwards. Sometimes, a hole’s direction can bend twice, and is called a “double dogleg”. Just as there are good quality grasses for putting greens, there are good quality grasses for the fairway and rough. The quality of grass influences the roll of the ball as car prices well as the ability of the player to ‘take a divot’ (effectively, the ability to hit the ball into the turf and compress it). The fairways on prestigious tours, like the PGA Tour, are cut low, making it harder for players to compress the ball. Mow heights influence the play of the course; for example, the grass heights at U.S Open events are alternated in order to make the golf course difficult. One example of this is the infamous roughs at U.S Opens, which are often 3 to 5 inches tall depending on how close to the fairway or green the said height will be. This makes it harder for a player to recover after a bad shot. Some variants of grass used for fairways and roughs are bent grass, Tifway 419 Bermuda grass,. rye grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and Zoysiagrass. As in putting green grass types, not every grass type works for every climate type. Many holes include hazards, which may be of three types: (1) water hazards such as lakes and rivers; (2) man-made Phuket hazards such as bunkers; and (3) natural hazards such as dense vegetation. Special rules apply to playing balls that fall in a hazard. For example, a player may not touch the ground with his club before playing a ball, not even for a practice swing. A ball in any hazard may be played as it lies without penalty. If it cannot be played from the hazard, the ball may be hit from another location, generally with a penalty of one stroke. The Rules of Golf govern exactly from where the ball may be played outside a hazard. Bunkers (or sand traps) are shallow pits filled with sand and generally incorporating a raised lip or barrier, from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass. As in any hazard, a ball in a sand trap must be played without previously touching the sand with the club. To putt is to play a stroke on the defined putting surface. Usually, this stroke is played on the green with a putter where the ball does seo company not leave the ground. Once on the green, the ball is putted (struck with the eponymous flat-faced club to roll it along the ground) toward the hole until the ball falls into the cup. The grass of the putting green (more commonly just green) is cut very short so that a ball can roll long distances. The most common types of greens for cold winter, but warmer (not extremely warm i.e. Southern United States) are bent grass greens. These are considered the best greens because of their ability to be cut to extremely low heights, and their ability to be grown from seed. Bent grass does not have grain, which makes it superior as a putting surface; however, bent grass often gets infested with poa annua, which is a costly and time consuming weed. Augusta National is one of many golf courses to use these types of greens; the original design of Augusta National did not have bent grass greens, however, in the 1980s, the controversial decision was made that changed the greens to bent Cheap Contact Lenses grass, from Bermuda. This has affected the speed and playing of Augusta National. Another type of grass common for greens is TifDwarf Hybrid Bermuda (other variants exist, but TifDwarf is one of the most common, or simply Bermuda grass. This type of grass is more common in places that do not have cold winters, yet have very warm summers (such as the southern portion of the United States, and the southwestern states). A green is generally established from sod which has had the soil washed off of it as to avoid soil compatibility problems and then laid tightly over the green, rolled and topdressed with fine sand. Another common and more economical approach for establishing a putting green is hybrid Bermuda spriggs, which are the stolon of the grass which are raked out at the sod farm and laid out on the green to establish. The best greens are always established vegetatively and never from seed. A downside to Bermuda greens is the cost of maintenance, and the existence of grain (The growth direction of medicare part d the blades of grass affects the ball’s roll and is called the grain of the green). The slope or break of the green also affects the roll of the ball. The cup is always found within the green and must have a diameter of 108 millimeters (4.25 in) and a depth of at least 10 centimeters (3.94 in). Its position on the green is not fixed and should be changed daily by a greenskeeper in order to prevent excessive wear and damage to the turf. The cup usually has a flag on a pole positioned in it so that it may be seen from a distance, but not necessarily from the tee; this flag-and-pole combination is called the pin or less commonly the flagstick. Putting greens are not all of the same quality. Generally, the finest-quality greens are well kept so that a ball will smoothly roll over the closely-mowed grass. Excess water can be removed from a putting green using a machine called a water hog. Golfers describe a green as fast if a cash advance loans light stroke to the ball makes it roll a long distance; conversely, a slow green is one where a stronger stroke is required to roll the ball the required distance. The exact speed of a green can be found with a stimp meter. By collecting sample measurements, golf courses can be compared in terms of average green speed. It is, however, illegal by the Rules of Golf to test the speed of a green while playing by rolling a ball on it, feeling or rubbing the green. Most courses have only par three, four, and five holes, though some courses include par six holes. Typical distances for the various holes from standard tees are as follows. Men * Par 3 – 250 yards (230 m) and below * Par 4 – 251 to 450 yards (410 m) * Par 5 – 451 to 690 yards (630 m) * Par 6 – 691 yards (632 m) or more Women * Par 3 – 210 yards (190 m) and below * Par 4 – 211 to 400 dog training obedience yards (370 m) * Par 5 – 401 to 575 yards (526 m) * Par 6 – 575 yards (526 m) or more Harder or easier courses may have longer or shorter distances, respectively. Terrain can also be a factor, where a long downhill hole might be rated a par four, but a shorter uphill or treacherous hole might be rated a par five. Professional tournament players will often encounter longer Par 3 holes (up to 290 yards) and longer Par 4 holes (up to 520 yards). Often, there is a practice range or driving range, usually with practice greens, bunkers, and driving areas. Markers showing distances are usually included on a practice range to benefit the golfer. There may even be a practice course (often shorter and easier to play than full-scale golf courses), where golfers practice to measure how far they can hit with a specific club or to improve their swing technique. A specialty of landscape design or landscape architecture, golf course architecture is its own field of study. Some golf course HCG Drops architects become celebrities in their own right. The field is represented by the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the European Institute of Golf Course Architects and the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects. While golf courses often follow the original landscape, some modification is unavoidable. This is increasingly the case as new courses are more likely to be sited on less optimal land. Bunkers and sand traps are almost always artificial, although other hazards may be natural. The layout of fairways follows certain traditional principles, such as the number of holes (nine and 18 being most common), their par and number of chosen par types per course. It is also preferable to arrange greens to be close to the tee box of the next playable hole, to minimize travel distance while playing. Combined with the need to package all the fairways in a compact square or rectangular land plot, they tend to form an oppositional tiling pattern. In complex areas, sometimes two holes share a single tee box. It is also common for separate Retractable Awnings tee-off points to be positioned for men, women, and amateurs, each one respectively lying closer to the green. A successful design is as visually pleasing as it is playable. With golf being an outdoor form of recreation, the strong designer is an adept student of natural landscaping, understanding the aesthetic cohesion of vegetation, water bodies, paths, grasses, stonework and woodwork, among other things. Environmental concerns over the use of land for golf courses have grown over the past fifty years. Specific issues include the amount of water and chemical pesticides and fertilizers used for maintenance, as well as the destruction of wetlands and other environmentally important areas during construction. The UN estimates that golf courses use about 2.5 billion gallons/9.5 billion liters of water daily. Many golf courses in the world are irrigated with non-potable water and/or rainwater. In 1988, the US Environmental Protection Agency prohibited the use of Diazinon on golf courses and sod farms because of negative impact on bird species. These, along with health and cost concerns, have led to research into como bajar de peso more environmentally sound practices and turf grasses. The golf course superintendent is often trained in the uses of these practices and grasses. This has led to significant reduction in the amount of chemicals and water used on courses. The turf on golf courses is an excellent filter for water and has been used in communities to cleanse grey water, such as incorporation of bioswales. Environmentalists and other activists continue to oppose golf courses for environmental reasons, as they occasionally impede corridors for migrating animals and sanctuaries for birds and other wildlife, though courses frequently become havens for native and non-native creatures. A result of modern equipment is that today’s players can hit the ball much farther than previously. As a result, out of a concern for safety, golf course architects have had to lengthen and widen golf courses. This has led to a ten percent increase in the acreage required to build them. At the same time, water restrictions placed by communities have forced courses to limit the amount of maintained turf grass. While most Smokeless Cigarettes modern 18-hole golf courses occupy as much as 60 hectares (150 acres) of land, the average course has 30 Ha (75 acres) of maintained turf. (Sources include the National Golf Foundation and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America GCSAA.) Golf courses can be built on sandy areas along coasts, abandoned farms, strip mines and quarries, deserts and forests. Many Western countries have instituted environmental restrictions on where and how courses can be built… In some parts of the world, attempts to build courses and resorts have led to protests, vandalism and violence. Golf is perceived by some as elitist, and thus golf courses become a target for popular opposition. Resisting golf tourism and golf’s expansion has become an objective of some land-reform movements, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia. In the Bahamas, opposition to golf developments has become a national issue. Residents of Great Guana Cay and Bimini, for example, are engaged in legal and political opposition to golf developments on their islands, for fear the golf courses will destroy the nutrient-poor balance on Daily deals which their coral reef and mangrove systems depend. In Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in arid regions, golf courses have been constructed on nothing more than oil-covered sand. Players may use a roller on the “greens” to smooth the intended path before putting. In Coober Pedy, Australia, there is a golf course that consists of nine holes dug into mounds of sand, diesel and oil, with no grass anywhere on the course. Players carry a small piece of astroturf from which they tee the ball. In New Zealand it is not uncommon for rural courses to have greens fenced off and sheep graze the fairways. At the 125-year-old Royal Colombo Golf Club in Sri Lanka steam trains, from the Kelani Valley railway, run through the course at the 6th hole. Extreme golf is played on environmentally sustainable alternatives to traditional courses. A cross between hiking and golf, the course layout exposes players to a wide range of natural obstacles and challenging terrains. Based on the growing popularity of the U.X. Open Alternative Golf Tournament the extreme Paleo Diet golf course features un-mowed meadows and forest instead of fairways, with “goals” scored on temporary greens (a circle 6 metres (20 ft) in diameter).. Rules of golf The rules of golf are a standard set of regulations and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and administered by the R&A (spun off from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) the governing body of golf worldwide except in the United States and Mexico, which are the responsibility of the United States Golf Association (USGA). The rule book, entitled “Rules of Golf”, is published on a regular basis and also includes rules governing amateur status. A central principle, although not one of the numbered rules, is found on the R&A rule book’s back cover:. Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair. But to do what is fair, you need to know the Rules of Golf. In addition to the rules golf ISO 9001 adheres to a code of conduct, known as etiquette, which generally means playing the game with due respect for the golf course and other players. Etiquette is often seen as being as important to the sport as the rules themselves.. Before the rules of golf were standardised golf clubs commonly had their own set of rules, which while broadly the same had subtle differences, such as allowing for the removal of loose impediments, e.g. leaves and small stones. In the late 19th century, most clubs began to align themselves with either the Society of St. Andrews Golfers, later the R&A, or the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, later the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. The earliest surviving written rules of golf were produced by the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith on 7 March 1744, for a tournament played on 2 April. They were entitled “Articles and Laws in Playing at Golf” and consisted of 13 rules… 1. You must Tee your Ball within a Club’s length of the Hole. 2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground. drug rehab 3. You are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee. 4. You are not to remove Stones, Bones or any Break Club, for the sake of playing your Ball, Except upon the fair Green within a Club’s length of your Ball. 5. If your Ball comes among water, or any watery filth, you are at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and Teeing it, you may play it with any Club and allow your Adversary a Stroke for so getting out your Ball. 6. If your Balls be found any where touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last. 7. At Holing, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and not to play upon your Adversary’s Ball, not lying in your way to. 8. If you should lose your Ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last, & drop another Ball, web marketing And allow your adversary a Stroke for the misfortune. 9. No man at Holing his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club, or anything else. 10. If a Ball be stopp’d by any Person, Horse, Dog or anything else, The Ball so stop’d must be play’d where it lies. 11. If you draw your Club in Order to Strike, & proceed so far in the Stroke as to be bringing down your Club; If then, your Club shall break, in any way, it is to be Accounted a Stroke. 12. He whose Ball lies farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first. 13. Neither Trench, Ditch or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar’s Holes, or the Soldier’s Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out and play’d with any Iron Club. The Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status is published every two years by the governing bodies of golf (R&A/USGA) to define Wedding Favors how the game is to be played. The Rules have been published jointly in this manner since 1952, although the code was not completely uniform until 2000 (with mostly minor revisions to Appendix I). The Rules Committee of The R&A, which was spun off from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 2004, has responsibility for upkeep and application of the rules worldwide except in the United States and Mexico, which are the responsibility of the United States Golf Association (USGA). The term “Rules” can be said to include the following: * Decisions on the Rules of Golf, a book published every 2 years by the USGA and R&A to clarify questions and queries raised by the Rules. * Local rules set by the Committee of a golf club, for example to denote the method used to define the boundaries of the course, ball drops, environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs), etc. * Rules of golf etiquette, covered by the main book, define the proper behaviour of those playing the game. * Rules often car loans adopted in competitions, for example the prohibition on using automotive transportation during a round and Rules related to Temporary Immovable Obstructions (TIOs). * Rules governing the size, shape and performance of golf equipment (clubs and balls) as defined by the R&A/USGA (Appendices I and II). * Rules governing golfers with disabilities who play in accordance with A Modification of the Rules of Golf for Golfers with Disabilities as published by the R&A and USGA. Note that while the USGA defines its own handicapping and course rating system, the R&A defers this responsibility to each respective national governing body. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is a private golf club run for the benefit of its members. As such, since 2004 it has passed responsibility of publishing the rules to a private company, R&A Rules Ltd, operating under the stewardship of the golf club. In 2004, the University of Chicago Press published a plain-language translation of this book. It was entitled The Rules of Golf in Plain English, by the lexicographer Bryan A. free ipad Garner and USGA rules official Jeffrey S. Kuhn. The purpose was to make the rules more accessible than the official version, which is pervasively legalistic and opaque.. The biggest change that came with the 2008–2011 edition was a new rule about clubheads not having too much ‘spring’ effect. This has led to the publishing of lists of conforming and non-conforming drivers… In 2010 a new rule governing grooves came into force for professional and high level amateur competition. The change was made in order to decrease the amount of back spin that players were able to produce, particularly from the rough. However, due to a previous legal settlement with Ping following an earlier rule change in the early 1990s, their Eye 2 irons, which were otherwise non-conforming, were deemed legal. This led to a controversy in the early stages of the 2010 PGA Tour season when Phil Mickelson used such irons.. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and bankruptcy information most prestigious golf clubs in the world (the oldest being the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield). It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is regarded as the worldwide “Home of Golf”.. Formerly, it was also one of the governing authorities of the game, but in 2004 this role was handed over to a newly formed group of companies, collectively known as The R&A. The organisation was founded in 1754 as the Society of St Andrews Golfers, a local golf club playing at St Andrews Links, but quickly grew in importance. In 1834, King William IV became its patron and the club became known under its present name. In 1897, the Society codified the rules of golf, and, gradually over the next 30 years, was invited to take control of the running of golf tournaments at other courses. The R&A is the ruling authority of golf everywhere (mainly the British Isles) except the United States and Mexico, where this responsibility rests with the United States Golf Association (USGA). It works in collaboration Minecraft Skins with national amateur and professional golf organizations in more than one hundred and ten countries. It also attempts to spread the game to new countries. The R&A cooperates with the USGA in producing and regularly revising the “Rules of Golf”, and the two bodies have issued the rules jointly since 1952. They also collaborate on the corresponding exegetic work, the “Decisions on the Rules of Golf”. The R&A is also involved in formulating technical specifications for golfing equipment. The R&A founded what are now the Official World Golf Rankings for male professionals in 1986, and the World Amateur Golf Ranking for male amateurs in 2007. United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States’ national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system for golfers, conducts 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior web design company Open, and tests golf equipment for conformity with regulations. In addition, the USGA is a leader in turfgrass research through its Green Section and it provides hundreds of grants to grass-roots programs through its Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The USGA Foundation has provided more than $60 million in grants to programs for underprivileged youth and individuals with disabilities. It is the largest contributor to The First Tee program. The USGA is currently led by Executive Director David B. Fay, and President Jim Vernon, and is headquartered at Golf House in Far Hills, New Jersey.. The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. The inaugural award was given in 1955. The USGA was originally formed in 1894 to resolve the question of a national amateur championship. Earlier that year, the Newport Country Club and Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, Yonkers, New York, both declared the winners of their tournaments the “national amateur champion.” That autumn, delegates from Newport, St. Andrew’s, The Country Zenerx Club, Chicago Golf Club, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club met in New York City to form a national governing body, which would administer the championship and also the Rules of Golf for the country. On December 22, 1894, the Amateur Golf Association of the United States was officially formed, and was shortly thereafter renamed the “United States Golf Association.” Theodore Havemeyer was the first president, and the U.S. Amateur trophy is named in his honor. The first U.S. Amateur Championship was held in 1895 at the Newport Country Club, with Charles B. Macdonald (who was runner-up at both of the previous year’s tournaments) winning the championship. The first U.S. Open was held the following day, almost as an afterthought. It was not until 1898 that the two events were held at separate clubs. Today, the USGA administers 13 separate national championships; ten of which are expressly for amateurs. The USGA gradually expanded its membership from the original five clubs. There were 267 club members in 1910, and 1,138 clubs by 1932. Membership fell off during gold coast massage the Great Depression and World War II, but recovered by 1947. By 1980 there were over 5,000 clubs, and today membership exceeds 9,700.. The USGA organizes or co-organizes the following competitions: Open championships An “open” golf championship is one which both professionals and amateurs may enter. In practice, such events are always won by professionals nowadays. The two leading opens in the U.S. are: * U.S. Open – no age or gender restrictions, Handicap Index requirement of 1.4 or less. Established in 1895, it is one of the four major championships. * U.S. Women’s Open – females, no age restrictions, Handicap Index requirement of 4.4 or less. Established in 1946, administered by the USGA since 1953, one of the women’s majors. The USGA also conducts the U.S. Senior Open for competitors 50 and over. This is one of the five majors recognized by the world’s dominant tour for golfers 50 and over, the Champions Tour. The overwhelming majority of the competitors play regularly on the Champions Tour. Many of the remaining players compete on the ipad 3 Champions Tour’s European counterpart, the European Seniors Tour, which recognizes the U.S. Senior Open as one of its three majors. Although a women’s senior tour (with a lower age limit of 45 instead of 50), now known as the Legends Tour, has existed since 2001, the USGA has not yet created a Senior Women’s Open. * U.S. Senior Open – no gender restriction, players age 50 & older, handicap index requirement of 3.4 or less, established in 1980. Individual amateur championships Professional golf in the U.S. is mainly run by the PGA Tour, the LPGA, and the PGA of America. However, the USGA is at the heart of amateur golf in the country and organizes the 10 national amateur championships. The leading events are open to all age groups, but are usually won by golfers in their early twenties who are working towards a career in professional tournament golf: * U.S. Amateur – no age or gender restrictions, handicap index of 2.4 or less, established in 1895. * U.S. Women’s Amateur – no age restrictions, Phuket Thailand Forum and Hotels females with a handicap index of 5.4 or less, established in 1895. There are two championships for players under age 18: * U.S. Junior Amateur – no gender restriction, handicap index of 6.4 or less, established in 1948 * U.S. Girls’ Junior – girls with a handicap index of 18.4 or less, established in 1949 And two for senior golfers: * U.S. Senior Amateur – no gender restriction, players age 55 & older, handicap index of 7.4 or less, established in 1955 * U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur – women age 50 & older with a handicap index of 18.4 or less, established in 1962 Because the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur became increasingly dominated by future tournament professionals, two national championships were added in the 1980s for “career amateurs” who were 25 years of age & older: * U.S. Mid-Amateur – no gender restriction, handicap index of 3.4 or less, established in 1981 * U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur – women with a handicap index of 9.4 or less, established in 1987 There are also two skin care products events for “public-course” golfers. Members of private golf clubs are excluded from these championships: * U.S. Amateur Public Links – popularly known as the “Publinx”; no gender restriction, handicap index of 4.4 or less, established in 1922 * U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links – popularly known as the “Women’s Publinx”; women with a handicap index of 18.4 or less, established in 1977 The USGA men’s and women’s state team championships were first conducted in 1995 as a part of the USGA’s Centennial celebration. The two championships were conducted biennially in odd numbered years through 2009. Starting in 2010 the men’s championship will be conducted in even numbered years and the women’s championship in odd numbered years. According to NCCA rules, college golfers are not eligible. * USGA Men’s State Team Championship * USGA Women’s State Team Championship The USGA co-organizes two biennial amateur team competitions between the United States and a joint team representing Great Britain and Ireland (in political terms, the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland): * Walker Cup – 10-man male teams, hair loss played in odd-numbered years. The R&A is the co-organizer. * Curtis Cup – 8-woman teams, played in even-numbered years. The Ladies’ Golf Union is the co-organizer. Through its membership of the International Golf Federation the USGA is involved in the administration of the two “World Amateur Team Championships”, which are played biennially in even-numbered years. * Eisenhower Trophy – for men * Espirito Santo Trophy – for women Golf etiquette Golf etiquette refers to a set of rules and practices designed to make the game of golf safer and more enjoyable for golfers and to minimize possible damage to golf equipment and courses. Although many of these practices are not part of the formal rules of golf, golfers are customarily expected to observe them.. The R&A rule book states that “.he overriding principle is that consideration should be shown to others on the course at all times.” Divots should always be repaired, either by placing sand in the divot or replacing the grass, preferably with a divot tool to help fit the new sand in. car mats Golfers should not run during play, but instead walk quickly but lightly during play and remain stationary while others play their shots. Golf carts should not be used to annoy or distract other players. The cart should be parked on the cart path when at the tee box or putting green. Carts should normally stay only on the paths, and are required to do so on many courses. Should carts be permitted off the paths, golfers should observe the “90 degree rule”: make a 90 degree turn off the path toward the fairway to a given ball, and return straight back to the path, not along the path of greatest convenience. Carts inflict wear and tear on the course, and can be accidentally driven over another player’s ball. Golfers should keep the noise of backing up to a minimum and must always set the park brake when leaving the cart. The player with the best score on the previous hole has the honour of teeing off first. If there is no outright winner of a cheap auto insurance hole, then the order of play does not change from the previous tee. In informal games one can play ready golf and not wait for the best score on the hole to tee it up first. A golfer should always know which brand of ball they are using, or mark it to avoid confusion during play. In the tee box, other players should stand alongside the person playing, out of the way and not behind the player getting ready to swing. Should the player about to play the ball ask his partners to move, the request should be honoured. A ball hitting the green often leaves an indentation, a pitch mark, where it strikes the ground. These need to be repaired to keep the green in good condition. After golfers have arrived at the green, they should make a point to find pitch marks and repair them. Golfers should note each player’s putting line, and avoid stepping on it as they play on the green or stand on a line of sight, that is, in Guru Masterclass the line of sight either ahead or behind a player who is attempting to putt. A second but related concern involves the hole itself. A golfer should avoid stepping within at least a one-foot radius of the hole. According to the rules of golf, a player is not allowed to “ground” the club in any type of hazard. This means that a player getting ready for a shot cannot allow the club to touch the ground, sand, water, or anything else during a practice swing. A player is allowed to thrash as much sand, water, etc., as necessary during the actual shot. A player should always enter and leave a bunker from the low side. After the shot, a player should rake the sand smooth again to leave a fresh surface for other players. Normally, the rake should be replaced alongside the bunker, not inside it. Slow players should allow following faster players to play through if there is substantial room in front of them. Golfers should try to follow closely the group ahead of Digital Marketer Lab them, and not to be “pushed” by the group behind them. A golfer should choose the correct tee for their skill level, regardless of where the other members of the group are playing. The different tee lengths are one way to help even the playing field. A golfer should tee the ball between the two markers for their given distance. The ball must be even with or behind the markers. Should a golfer swing and miss, it counts as one stroke. Should a golfer knock the ball off the tee during a practice swing, they are allowed to re-tee the ball without incurring a penalty. Golf equipment Golf equipment encompasses the various items that are used to play the sport of golf. Types of equipment include the golf ball itself, implements designed for striking the golf ball, devices that aid in the process of playing a stroke, and items that in some way enrich the playing experience. The minimum allowed diameter of a golf ball is 42.67 mm and its mass may not exceed 45.93 Game Changer DNA g. Modern golf balls have a two-, three-, or four-layer design constructed from various synthetic materials. The surface usually has a pattern of 300-450 dimples designed to improve the ball’s aerodynamics. The method of construction and materials used greatly affect the ball’s playing characteristics such as distance, trajectory, spin and feel. Harder materials, such as Surlyn, usually result in the ball’s traveling longer distances, while softer covers, such as Urethane, tend to generate higher spin, more “feel” and greater stopping potential. Golf balls are separated into three groups depending on their construction: two-, three-, or four-piece covers. Generally four-piece golf balls tend to be the most expensive, though price is no assurance of quality. A player usually carries several clubs during the game (but no more than fourteen, the limit defined by the rules). There are three major types of clubs, known as woods, irons, and putters. Wedges are irons used to play shorter shots. Woods are played for long shots from the tee or fairway, and occasionally rough, while irons are for precision shots Christmas Gifts from fairways as well as from the rough. A new type of club called a hybrid combines the straight-hitting characteristics of irons with the easy-to-hit characteristics of higher-lofted woods. A hybrid is often used for long shots from difficult rough. Hybrids are also used by players who have a difficult time getting the ball airborne with long irons. Wedges are played from difficult ground such as sand or the rough and for approach shots to the green. Putters are mostly played on the green, but can also be useful when playing from bunkers or for some approach shots. Putters have minimal loft, forcing the ball to stay on the putting surface when struck. 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 first be marked using a ball marker (usually a flat, round piece of plastic or metal, generally a coin). A tee is an object (wooden or plastic) that is pushed into or placed on How to make a website the ground to rest a ball on top of for an easier shot; however, this is only allowed for the first stroke (tee shot or drive) of each hole. Conventional golf tees resemble nails with a small cup on the head and are usually made of wood or plastic. Wood tees are generally very inexpensive and quite disposable; a player may damage or break many of these during the course of a round. Plastic tees are generally more expensive and last longer. The length of tees varies according to the club intended to be used and by personal preference; longer tees (3-3.5″) allow the player to position the ball higher off the ground while remaining stable when planted, and are generally used for modern woods. They can be planted deeper for use with other clubs but tend to break more often. Shorter tees (1.5-2.5″) are suitable for irons and are more easily inserted and less easily broken than long tees. Alternately, the rules allow for a mound of sand to be used for the same WOW Gold function, also only on the first shot. Before the invention of the wooden spike tee, this was the only accepted method of lifting the ball for the initial shot. This is rarely done in modern times, as a tee is easier to place, hit from, and recover, but some courses prohibit the use of tees either for traditional reasons, or because a swing that hits the tee will drive it into or rip it out of the ground, resulting in damage to the turf of the tee-box. Tees also create litter if discarded incorrectly when broken. A golfer typically transports golf clubs in a golf bag. Golf bags are usually nylon or leather and are cylindrically constructed around a plastic frame, but historically have been made from other materials such as elephant’s penis.. Golf bags have several pockets designed for carrying various equipment and supplies required over the course of a round of golf. Golf bags can be carried, pulled on a two-wheel pull cart or harnessed to a motorized golf cart during play. Golf ppi claims bags have both a hand strap and shoulder strap for carrying, and sometimes have retractable legs that allow the bag to stand upright when at rest. Golf carts are motorized vehicles used to transport golf clubs and/or golfers along the golf course during a round of golf. The traditional way to play was to walk but the use of golf carts is becoming more common. Most golf bags have a ring to which a player can tie or clip a golf towel, used to wipe hands and clean balls and club faces. Some of these towels can be quite specialized, with a carabiner or other clip to attach it to the bag with a grommet used on the towel for durability, and incorporating rougher materials in certain sections of the towel for club and ball cleaning with softer weaves elsewhere for drying hands and balls. Other cleaning products abound, from motorized ball cleaners to an array of brushes for various types of clubs as well as balls and shoes. A ball mark repair tool (or same day loans pitchfork) is used to repair a ball mark (depression in the green where a ball has hit the ground). Some tees contain such a tool at the end, for pure convenience when on the green. To repair a ball mark, one pushes the tool next to the mark and pushes gently inwards from all sides, loosening the compacted turf to allow rapid regrowth of grass, and then flattens the mark with the smooth flat bottom of the putter to smooth the putting surface. * Ball retrievers are telescoping poles with a device at the end that scoops up and traps golf balls, and are used for reclaiming a ball from a water hazard. * Rangefinders allow a golfer to measure exact distance to the hole from their current position; they are illegal according to Rule 14-3 of the rules of golf, but the USGA allows individual course clubs to institute a local rule permitting rangefinders, and they are common among recreational golfers. The typical rangefinder is an optical device that is aimed by sighting the tinnitus treatment scope on the flag and using the calibrated gauge in the optics to estimate the distance based on the flagstick’s apparent height. Other rangefinders estimate range using a calibrated focus control; the user sights the target, brings it into focus, and reads the distance mark on the focus control. Newer “laser rangefinders” operate by sighting any target and pressing a switch to take a very precise distance reading via radar. Newer golf carts often include GPS tracking which, combined with an electronic map of the course, can serve a similar function. * Stroke counters help a player keep track of the number of strokes he or she has made during a hole, an entire round, or both. The simplest devices are thumbwheels or “clickers” that a player advances by one after each stroke and provide a total for the player to write on their scorecard after each hole; newer variations have various degrees of computational power added and can keep score for multiple holes, total scores, and keep track of over/under par statistics. These more Invisible Fence advanced counters are generally referred to as “electronic scorecards”. Counters by themselves are allowed under strict rules, but some multi-functional devices incorporate additional banned features like rangefinders and as such the entire device becomes illegal. * Positional guides encompass a wide variety of devices meant to improve a player’s stance or swing. Lasers attach to the shaft of a putter and project a “putting line” onto the ground. Specialized tapes attach to the clubhead and provide clues as to how the head is hitting the ground or the ball for future correction or club adjustment. These are also illegal in tournament play, but are invaluable while practicing. * Adhesive clubface surfaces attach to the face of irons or woods and create extra backspin to reduce roll or make the face of the club softer for more consistent shorter-distance shots. These are illegal in competitions. * Ball washers may be used to clean golf balls. Golf clothing includes gloves, shoes, and other specialized golf attire. Specialized golf attire (including shirts, pants, and shorts) is designed to teddy bears be nonrestrictive to a player’s range of motion and to keep the player warm or cool and dry while being fashionable. Golfers also often wear gloves that help grip the club and prevent blistering. Normally only one glove is worn on the non dominant hand. The increased grip and control allows for harder swings to be made with more control, increasing distance. Many golfers wear special shoes with spikes attached to the soles. These can be made of metal or plastic (plastic spikes are also known as “soft spikes”) designed to increase traction thus helping the player to keep his/her balance during the swing, on greens, or in wet conditions. In an attempt to minimize the severity of spike marks made on greens, many golf courses have banned metal spikes, allowing only plastic spikes during play. Golf club (equipment) A golf club is used in the sport of golf to hit a golf ball. Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance (grip) and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway hot tub covers or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; putters are used mainly on the green to roll the ball into the cup. A golf club is the tool used in the game of golf and from where the name came from, “kolbe” (German for club). Despite there being no definitive origin to the sport, Scotland is considered the “home of golf.” It has been played for over four centuries with Scotland having the official first club golf course, St. Andrews. In a standard set there are 14 golf clubs, consisting of irons, woods and a putter. Although there is no official limit to each club, golfers tend to have 3 to 4 woods, 7 or 8 irons, a wedge and a putter. An important variation in different clubs is loft, or the angle between the club’s face and the vertical plane. It is loft that makes a golf ball leave the tee on an ascending trajectory, not the angle of swing; all swings contact the ball with a discount furniture horizontal motion. The impact of the club compresses the ball, while grooves on the clubface give the ball backspin (which would appear as a clockwise spin on the ball when viewed from the standpoint of a right-swinging golfer, or as a counter-clockwise spin when viewed from the standpoint of a left-swinging golfer). Together, the compression and backspin create lift. The majority of woods and irons are labeled with a number; higher numbers indicate shorter shafts and higher lofts, which give the ball a higher and shorter trajectory. A set used to play a round of golf, under the rules of golf, must have no more than 14 clubs. While the variation of clubs differs between golfers, a full set typically consists of a driver, two fairway woods (generally 3- and 5-woods), a set of irons from 3 to 9, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, a putter, and one more club of the player’s choice. Many players opt to avoid the long irons (that many find difficult to hit) and replace them with more forgiving SEO Services clubs, like hybrids, although a small number of players choose to carry a 2-iron rather than a third wood. In 1744, the rules were officially documented and golf started to gain popularity. Many of the original golf clubs had wooden shafts and steel heads until this time period. Whether the game was being played in Scotland, Belgium, or any other country the golf clubs did not differ in the materials. However in the middle of the 18th century, it had switched to wood and only two golf clubs did not have wooden heads, the “niblick and the “cleek.” The golf club has changed so much through time, with the ability to be adequately fit to a player’s shape, size, age, or sex. In the beginning stages of golf, those who played would play with cut branches from trees and now have been revolutionized. There is no specific or set standardization as the club now can be varied in many ways. Before, the golfers only had wooden shafts, mostly wooden heads and/or heavy steel heads and payday loans online thus led to ineffective playing. The golf balls were made of leather and feathers, known as featheries until the gutta-percha was introduced in 1848. The gutta-percha made the golf balls round and smooth making the accuracy difficult to control. Rubber was later included in the balls the players realized balls with dents or creases easily helped with the accuracy. The size and weight of the golf ball varied for a long time until it was decided on 1.62 inches and ounces. This was until 1932 when the USGA (United States Golf Association) in 1990 decided on 1.68 inches but left it at 1.62 ounces. These became the international rules as well and have not changed since. The shafts of the Golf club woods were made of different types of wood before taken over by hickory. The varieties of woods include ash, greenheart, purpleheart, lancewood, lemonwood, orangewood, and blue-mahoo. In the middle of the 19th century the shafts were then being replaced by hickory wood. Despite this strong wood being the primary material, the long-nose club mortgage help of the mid nineteenth century was still prone to breaking at the top of the backswing. The club heads were often made from thorn, apple, pear, dogwood, beech in the early times until persimmon became the main material. Golf clubs have been developed and the shafts are now made of steel, titanium, carbon fiber, or other types of metals. The shaft is a tapered steel tube or a series of stepped steel tubes in telescopic fashion. This has helped the accuracy of golfers. The grips of the clubs are made from leather or rubber. Woods are long-distance clubs, meant to drive the ball a great distance down the fairway towards the hole. They generally have a large head and a long shaft for maximum club speed. Historically woods were made from Persimmon wood although some manufacturers – notably Ping – developed laminated woods. In 1979, TaylorMade Golf introduced the first metal wood made of steel. Even more recently manufacturers have started using materials such as carbon fiber, titanium, or scandium. Even though most ‘woods’ are iPhone Unlock made from different metals, they are still called ‘woods’ to denote the general shape and their intended use on the golf course. Most woods made today have a graphite shaft and a titanium, composite, or steel head. Woods are the longest clubs and the most powerful of all the golf clubs. There are typically three to four woods in a set which are used off the tee box and, if on a long hole, possibly for the second or even third shot. The biggest wood, known as the driver, is often made of hollowed out titanium with feather light shafts. The length of the woods have been increasing in recent decades, and a typical driver with a graphite shaft is now 45.5 inches long. The woods may also have very large heads, up to 460cc in volume. It has a greater weight in the head and sole than in any other point in the club. This is also the same in irons. The shafts range from regular to extra-stiff depending upon each person’s preference. Irons LED grow lights are golf clubs with a flat angled face and a shorter shaft than a wood, designed for shots approaching the green or from more difficult lies such as the rough, through or over trees, or the base of hills. Irons are used during the middle of each hole off the roughs, fairways or sand traps. There are long irons, medium irons, and short irons all with flat heads. They are called irons because they were made of metal. As with Woods, there are special types. Wedges, invented by Gene Sarazan are a special type of iron that took the place of the “niblick.” They are heavy and shorter than other irons, with a less flat face to loft the ball higher. with woods, “irons” get their name because they were originally made from forged iron. High-loft irons are called wedges. The higher the number gets on the scale, the lower amount of angle difference from 90 degrees. Irons are often hybrid, cavity-back or muscle-back. A hybrid is any iron that features a head very similar auto insurance quotes to a fairway wood; hollow steel or titanium with a shallow, slightly convex face. A hybrid head is usually marginally shallower and does not extend backwards from the face as far as a comparable fairway wood. A Cavity-back iron is any iron in which a small to large amount of the metal across the back of the head is removed, allowing that weight to be re-positioned on the perimeter of the head, farther away from the head’s center of gravity. A muscle-back iron is any iron in which there is no cavity on the back of the head, i.e., the weight is more evenly distributed across the back of the clubhead. Wedges are irons with a higher loft than a 9 iron, which is typically lofted at about 42 degrees. Wedges are used for a variety of short-distance, high-altitude, high-accuracy shots such as hitting the ball onto the green (“approach” shots), placing the ball accurately on the fairway for a better shot at the green (“lay-up” shots), or hitting the ball out of hazards or online casino rough onto the green (chipping). There are usually six types of wedges with lofts ranging from 45° to 64°: pitching wedge (PW 48°), gap wedge (GW 52°), sand wedge (SW 56°), lob wedge (LW 60°), and ultra lob wedge (LW 64°).. The pitching wedge is sometimes called or labeled as a 10 iron, and the gap wedge is sometimes called an approach wedge or Utility Wedge and labeled with AW or UW respectively. Hybrids are a cross between a wood and an iron, giving these clubs the wood’s long distance with the iron’s familiar swing. These clubs generally are used instead of high-numbered woods and/or low-numbered irons, though some manufacturers produce entire sets of hybrids or “iron replacements” that incorporate hybrid design to add distance and forgiveness to a player’s entire set of irons from 1 to pitching wedge. Most hybrids take the place of an iron, but the hybrid is easier to hit than its respective iron. These clubs are often referred to as “Rescues” because the TaylorMade Rescue was one of the first annuities clubs to utilize this design, as well as the use of the clubs to get one out of a tricky position (to be in fact rescued by the club). Putters are a special class of clubs with a loft not exceeding ten degrees (except chippers), designed primarily to roll the ball along the grass, generally from a point on the putting green towards the cup. Contrary to popular belief, putters do have a loft (often 5 degrees from truly perpendicular at impact) that helps to lift the ball from any indentation it has made. Newer putters also include grooves on the face to promote roll rather than a skid off the impact. This increases rolling distance and reduces bouncing over the turf. Also present in some golfers’ bags is the “chipper” which is designed for low-speed swings to lift the ball a short distance about 25 yards/23 meters, onto the green. The club can be used in place of the pitching wedge with an abbreviated swing to accomplish the same end. This club is used iphone only on the greens and is the finishing club for each hole. These clubs were originally made of wood but have also been developed to metals as well. These are the shortest clubs of the set. Another variation of the putter, called the chipper, has a similar look, feel and general construction as a “normal” putter, but with a much higher loft, often 30-45 degrees. It is used to lift the ball over or out of the rough or fringe and onto the green with a motion similar to a putt. It can also be used for “lagging” (a putt made on the green from long distance for the sole purpose of setting up the ball for an easier second putt). A putter used for this purpose would require a harder stroke and the rough or fringe could affect accuracy. A high-angle wedge could have similar accuracy issues and could also damage the turf on such a shot if made carelessly. However, its use is generally limited; it is best-suited for short-distance play from close-cut acid reflux diet grass on a terrain level similar to that of the green, and as such most skilled golfers choose to use a low-bounce, wide-soled wedge with a putting motion to accomplish a similar effect and save the space the club would take for a more versatile club. The shaft is a tapered tube made of metal (usually steel) or carbon fiber composite (referred to as graphite). The shaft is roughly 0.5 inches (13 mm) in diameter near the grip and from 34 to 48 inches (86 to 122 cm) in length. Shafts weigh from 45 to 150 grams (1.6 to 5.3 oz), depending on the material and length.. Shafts are quantified in a number of different ways. The most common is the shaft flex. Simply, the shaft flex is the amount that the shaft will bend when placed under a load. A stiffer shaft will not flex as much, which requires more power to flex and “whip” through the ball properly (which results in higher club speed at impact for more distance), while a more flexible chiropractic marketing shaft will whip with less power required for better distance on slower swings, but may torque and over-flex if swung with too much power causing the head not to be square at impact, resulting in lower accuracy. Most shaft makers offer a variety of flexes. The most common are: L (Lady), A (Soft Regular, Intermediate or Senior), R (Regular), S (Stiff), and X (Tour Stiff, Extra Stiff or Strong). A regular flex shaft is generally appropriate for those with an average head speed (80–94 mph (130–151 km/h)), while an A-Flex (or senior shaft) is for players with a slower swing speed (70–79 mph (110–127 km/h)), and the stiffer shafts, such as S-Flex and X-Flex (Stiff and Extra-Stiff shafts) are reserved only for those players with an above average swinging speed, usually above 100 mph (160 km/h). Some companies also offer a “stiff-regular” or “firm” flex for players whose club speed falls in the upper range of a Regular shaft (90–100 mph (140–160 km/h)), allowing golfers and clubmakers to fine-tune the flex for a stronger amateur-level free credit score player.. On off-center hits, the clubhead twists as a result of a torque, reducing accuracy as the face of the club is not square to the player’s stance at impact. In recent years, many manufacturers have produced and marketed many low-torque shafts aimed at reducing the twisting of the clubhead at impact; however, these tend to be stiffer along their length as well. Most recently, many brands have introduced stiff-tip shafts. These shafts offer the same flex throughout most of the Shaft, in order to attain the “whip” required to propel the ball properly, but also include a stiffer tip, which cuts back drastically on the lateral torque acting on the head.. Widely overlooked as a part of the club, the shaft is considered by many to be the engine of the modern clubhead. Shafts range in price from a mere US$20 to over US$1200. Current graphite shafts weigh considerably less than their steel counterparts (sometimes weighing less than 50 grams (1.8 oz) for a driver shaft), allowing for lighter clubs that can be swung places to eat at greater speed. Within the last ten years., performance shafts have been integrated into the clubmaking process. Performance shafts are designed to address specific criteria, such as to launch the ball higher or lower or to adjust for the timing of a player’s swing to load and unload the shaft at the correct moments of the swing for maximum power. Whereas in the past each club could come with only one shaft, today’s clubheads can be fitted with dozens of different shafts, creating the potential for a much better fit for the average golfer.. According to the rules of golf, all club grips, with the exception of the putter, must have a circular cross-section. The putter may have any cross section that is symmetrical along the length of the grip through at least one plane. Grips may taper from thick to thin along their length (and virtually all do), but they are not allowed to have any waisting (a thinner section of the grip surrounded by thicker sections above and below it) or bulges (thicker Carpet Cleaning London sections of the grip surrounded by thinner sections). Minor variations in surface texture (such as the natural variation of a “wrap”-style grip) are not counted unless significant.. Advances in materials have resulted in more durable, longer-lasting soft grips, but nevertheless grips do eventually dry out, harden, or are otherwise damaged and must be replaced. Replacement grips sold as do-it-yourself kits are generally inexpensive and of high quality, although custom grips that are larger, softer, or textured differently from the everyday “wrap”-style grip are generally bought and installed by a clubsmith.. Regripping used to require toxic, flammable solvents to soften and activate the adhesive, and a vise to hold the club steady while the grip was forced on. The newest replacement kits, however, use double-sided tape with a water-activated adhesive that is slippery when first activated, allowing easier installation. Once the adhesive cures, it creates a very strong bond between grip and shaft and the grip is usually impossible to remove without cutting it off. Note that the grip is sometimes lubed for easier removal.. The Online Payday Loans hosel is the portion of the clubhead to which the shaft attaches. Though largely ignored by players, hosel design is integral to the balance, feel and power of a club. Modern hosels are designed to place as little mass as possible over the top of the striking face of the club, which lowers the center of gravity of the club for better distance. Each head has one face which contacts the ball during the stroke. Putters may have two striking faces, as long as they are identical and symmetrical. Some chippers have two faces, but are not legal. Page 135 of the 2009 USGA rules of golf states:. “The clubhead must have only one striking face, except that a putter may have two such faces if their characteristics are the same, and they are opposite each other.”. Page 127 of the USGA rules of golf states:. “A putter is a club with a loft not exceeding ten degrees designed primarily for use on the putting green.”. Therefore, any double sided club with a loft greater Iphone 4 Cases than 10 degrees is not legal… The decorative trim ring, usually black (It may have additional trim colors), that is found directly on top of the hosel on many woods and irons. The ruling authorities of golf, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA), reserve the right to define what shapes and physical characteristics of clubs are permissible in tournament play. Many recently developed woods have a marked “trampoline effect” (a large deformation of the face upon impact followed by a quick restoration to original dimensions, acting like a slingshot), resulting in very high ball speeds and great lengths of tee shots. As of 1 January 2008, the USGA and R&A have settled on a regulation that limits the acceptable “trampoline effect” to a coefficient of restitution (COR) – a measurement of the efficiency of the transfer of energy from the club head to the ball – of .830.. Other large scale USGA rulings involve a 1990 lawsuit, and subsequent settlement, against Karsten Manufacturing, makers hcg diet of the PING brand, for their use of square, or U-grooves in their immensely popular Ping Eye2 irons. The USGA argued that players who used the Eye2 had an unfair advantage in imparting spin on the ball, which helps to stop the ball on the putting greens. The USGA utilized John L. Saksun, founder of Canadian golf company Accuform Golf, as a consultant to set up methods of measuring the unique grooves and determining PING’s compliance with the rulings.. Saksun, by proposing a cost-effective solution to help PING change the design of subsequent Eye2s, saved PING hundreds of millions. PING subsequently withdrew their US$100 million lawsuit against the USGA. Ping’s older clubs were “grandfathered in” and allowed to remain in play as part of the settlement.. Today, square grooves are considered perfectly legal under the Rules of Golf. However, the USGA has determined that square grooves are illegal in elite-level competition.. According to the USGA, as January 1, 2010, professional golfers on one of the top tours, or those attempting to qualify for one of the three Open Championships, will need to be utilizing new conforming wedges (those without square grooves)… Moreover, those who plan to qualify for any other USGA championship will need new conforming wedges by 2014. In addition, this regulation might include amateur events as well. Casual golfers may use square groove wedges (and clubs) until at least 2024.. Golf ball A golf ball is a ball designed to be used in the game of golf. Under the Rules of Golf, a golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz (45.93 grams), has a diameter not less than 1.680 in (42.67 mm), and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits. Like golf clubs, golf balls are subject to testing and approval by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the United States Golf Association, and those that do not conform with regulations may not be used in competitions Wooden balls were the first used golf balls until the early 17th century, when the featherie ball added a new and exciting feature to the game of golf. A featherie is a hand sewn leather pouch stuffed with chicken or goose feathers and coated with paint. Enough feathers to fill a top hat were boiled and placed in the pouch. As the ball cooled, the feathers would expand and the hide would shrink, making a compact ball. If there were openings in the cowhide, stitchings were used to close them up. Due to its superior flight characteristics, the featherie remained the standard ball for more than two centuries. Despite this there were drawbacks. An experienced ball maker could only make a few balls in one day, so they were expensive. A single ball would cost between 2 shillings and sixpence and 5 shillings, which is the equivalent of 10 to 20 US dollars today.. Also, it was hard to make a perfectly spherical ball, and because of this, the ball often flew irregularly. When playing in wet weather, the stitches in the ball would rot, and the ball could split open after hitting a hard surface. In 1848, the Rev. Dr Robert Adams Paterson (sometimes spelt Patterson) invented the gutta-percha ball (or guttie)… The gutta was created from dried sap of a Sapodilla Tree. The sap had a rubber-like feel and could be made round by heating and shaping it while hot. Accidentally, it was discovered that defects in the sphere from knicks and scrapes of normal use, could provide a ball with a truer flight than a pure sphere. Thus, makers started creating intentional defects in the surface by hammering the ball to give it an evenly dimpled shape which would cause the ball to have a more consistent ball flight. Because gutties were cheaper to produce and could be manufactured with textured surfaces to improve their aerodynamic qualities, they replaced feather balls completely within a few years.. In the 20th century, multi-layer balls were developed, first as wound balls consisting of a solid or liquid-filled core wound with a layer of rubber thread and a thin outer shell. This idea was first discovered by Coburn Haskell of Cleveland, Ohio in 1898. Haskell had driven to nearby Akron to keep a golf date with Bertram Work, then superintendent of B.F. Goodrich. While he waited for Work at the plant, Haskell idly wound a long rubber thread into a ball. When he bounced the ball, it flew almost to the ceiling. Work suggested Haskell put a cover on the creation, and that was the birth of the 20th century golf ball. The design allowed manufacturers to fine-tune the length, spin and “feel” characteristics of balls. Wound balls were especially valued for their soft feel, and continued to be popular until the early years of the 21st century.. Modern balls usually consist of several layers of various synthetic materials like surlyn or urethane blends. They are usually classified as two-piece, three-piece, or four-piece ball according to the number of layers. They come in a great variety of playing characteristics to suit the needs of golfers of different abilities. The current regulations mandated by the R&A and the USGA state that diameter of the golf ball cannot be any smaller than 1.680 inches. The maximum velocity of the ball may not exceed 250 feet per second (76 m/s) under test conditions and the weight of the ball may not exceed 1.620 ounces. Until 1990, it was permissible to use balls of no less than 1.62 inches in diameter in tournaments under the jurisdiction of the R&A.. When a golf ball is hit, the impact, which lasts less than a millisecond, determines the ball’s velocity, launch angle and spin rate, all of which influence its trajectory (and its behavior when it hits the ground). A ball moving through air experiences two major aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. Dimpled balls fly farther than non-dimpled balls due to the combination of two effects: First, the dimples on the surface of a golf ball cause the boundary layer on the upstream side of the ball to transition from laminar to turbulent. The turbulent boundary layer is able to remain attached to the surface of the ball much longer than a laminar boundary and so creates a narrower, low pressure, wake and hence less pressure drag. The reduction in pressure drag causes the ball to travel further. Second, backspin generates lift by deforming the airflow around the ball, in a similar manner to an airplane wing. This is called the Magnus effect. Backspin is imparted in almost every shot due to the golf club’s loft (i.e., angle between the clubface and a vertical plane). A backspinning ball experiences an upward lift force which makes it fly higher and longer than a ball without spin.. Sidespin occurs when the clubface is not aligned perpendicularly to the direction of swing, leading to a lift force that makes the ball curve to one side or the other. Unfortunately the dimples magnify this effect as well as the more desirable upward lift derived from pure backspin. (Some dimple designs are claimed to reduce sidespin effects.) To keep the aerodynamics optimal, the golf ball needs to be clean, in order to avoid any impediments to the aerodynamic effect of the ball. Thus, it is advisable that golfers frequently wash balls. Golfers can wash balls manually, but mechanical ball washers are also available. Dimples first became a feature of golf balls when English engineer and manufacturer William Taylor registered a patent for a dimple design in 1905. Other types of patterned covers were in use at about the same time, including one called a “mesh” and another named the “bramble”, but the dimple became the dominant design due to “the superiority of the dimpled cover in flight”.. Most golf balls on sale today have about 250 – 450 dimples, though there have been balls with more than 500 dimples.. The record holder was a ball with 1,070 dimples — 414 larger ones (in four different sizes) and 656 pinhead-sized ones. All brands of balls, except one, have even-numbered dimples.. The only odd-numbered ball on the market is a ball with 333 dimples, called the Srixon AD333.. Officially sanctioned balls are designed to be as symmetrical as possible. This symmetry is the result of a dispute that stemmed from the Polara, a ball sold in the late 1970s that had six rows of normal dimples on its equator but very shallow dimples elsewhere. This asymmetrical design helped the ball self-adjust its spin-axis during the flight. The USGA refused to sanction it for tournament play and, in 1981, changed the rules to ban aerodynamic asymmetrical balls. Polara’s producer sued the USGA and the association paid US$1.375 million in a 1985 out-of-court settlement. The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s patent database is a good source of past dimple designs. Most designs are based on Platonic solids such as icosahedron. Golf balls are usually white, but are available in other high visibility colors, which helps with finding the ball when lost or when playing in low-light or frosty conditions. As well as bearing the makers name or logo, balls are usually printed with numbers or other symbols to help players identify their ball. There are many types of golf balls on the market, and customers often face a difficult decision. Golf balls are divided into two categories: recreational and advanced balls. Recreational balls are oriented toward the ordinary golfer, who generally have low swing speeds (80 miles per hour or lower) and lose golf balls on the course easily. These balls are made of two layers, with the cover firmer than the core. Their low compression and side spin reduction characteristics suit the lower swing speeds of average golfers quite well. Furthermore, they generally have lower prices than the advanced balls. Advanced balls are made of multiple layers (three or more), with a soft cover and firm core. They induce a greater amount of spin from lofted shots (wedges especially), as well as a sensation of softness in the hands in short-range shots. However, these balls require a much greater swing speed that only the physically strong players could carry out to compress at impact. If the compression of a golf ball does not match a golfer’s swing speed, either the lack of compression or over-compression will occur, resulting in loss of distance. There are also many brands and colors to choose from, with colored balls and better brands generally being more expensive, making an individual’s choice more difficult. Golfers need to distinguish their ball from other players to ensure that they do not play the wrong ball. This is often done by making a mark on the ball using a marker pen. Special tools for marking balls with the players names or initials are also available. Alternatively, balls can be printed with lettering, a pattern or a picture. Companies and event organisers commonly have balls printed with their logo as a promotional tool. A number of designs of novelty ball have been introduced over the years, mainly as practical jokes for the amusement of fellow golfers, but also as “cheater” balls that do not conform to the Rules of Golf. All of these are banned in sanctioned games, but can be amusing in informal play: * Breakaway balls are brittle and hollow, and shatter into many small pieces when hit. * Exploding balls are similar, but employ a small explosive device that disintegrates the ball when hit. Many courses have banned these as the charge can damage the turf, the player’s club or even cause injury, leading manufacturers to develop the breakaway. * Stallers are far softer than a normal golf ball, allowing them to be compressed far more easily and are given greater backspin when hit. Both of these give the ball a huge amount of lift, producing shots that climb very high into the air with very little distance traveled over the ground. In the right conditions, such a ball may travel backwards along its flight path or even perform a loop-de-loop. * Sponge balls are softer still; they are generally used as indoor or backyard practice balls, but some are deceptively similar in appearance to a normal ball. Such a ball will travel less than a quarter of the distance of a normal golf ball. * Wobblers have a center of mass that is not in the exact center of the ball or is loose within the ball. When putted, the ball will move unpredictably off the intended line. * Floaters are less dense than a regulation golf ball so when hit into a water hazard, they bob on the surface when a normal ball would sink. * Super-distance balls have deeper dimples and are heavier than allowed by regulation, which allows them first to maintain momentum and second to maintain a thicker “envelope” of still air around them which reduces turbulence and wind resistance. Marketers of these balls generally advertise a 12-yard gain on most distance shots. * Night golf balls Glow in the dark golf balls either luminous balls or inserted glow sticks. Used golf balls are golf balls that have been played, most likely hit out of bounds or into a water hazard, then retrieved, cleaned up and resold. Used golf balls come in different gradings, such as mint (AAAAA), near mint (AAAA) or practice (AA). They are sometimes referred to as “lakeballs”. Damaged golf balls with cuts or path marks are also known as “hit-aways” and usually sold in bulk for practice play. Cleaned recycled golf balls means “Cleaning only”. The found golf ball goes through a wash process that allows the recovered golf balls to soak in a cleaning solution. The golf balls are then washed in a specially designed golf ball washer. Some companies remove most or all the clear coat from the ball with a mechanical wet blasting process. This process allows them to get the golf ball as clean as possible before re-clear coating. The objective of the freshly applied clear coat is to provide a consistent and more durable recycled product. Refinished golf balls are processed by stripping, painting and/or clear-coating. The original paint and finish from the golf balls is removed using, a mechanical wet blasting process, the equipment utilized in this process is similar to equipment used in the process of removing mould lines and prepping many new golf balls, before they are painted in the factory. This leaves the original surface to be re-painted, printed and then re-clear coated. This process is utilized mostly for more expensive balls such as Pro V1, HX Tour, and Nike one etc. The same process is also used by some factories to correct misprints. Independent testing has shown that refinished golf balls have only minimal change in flight or roll characteristics, the average player would never feel the differences. Refinishing can not repair cuts, scrapes or path marks. Golf balls with embedded radio transmitters to allow lost balls to be located were first introduced in 1973, only to be rapidly banned for use in competition… More recently RFID transponders have been used for this purpose. This technology can be found in some computerized driving ranges. In this format, each ball used at the range has its own unique transponder code. When dispensed, the range registers each dispensed ball to the player, who then hits them towards targets in the range. When the player hits a ball into a target, they receive distance and accuracy information calculated by the computer. Golf stroke mechanics Golf stroke mechanics is the means by which golfers make decisions (selecting clubs, selecting shots) and execute them (making shots) in the sport of golf. For all golfers, it consists of a pre-stroke: (in which golfer choose which club they want and their stance) and the actual stroke. Many golfers’ pre-swing looks like this: * Golfers start with the non-dominant side of the body facing the target. * At address the body is positioned parallel to the target line, although a more open stance may be used for shorter distance shots and a more closed stance for long distance shots. * The feet are placed shoulder width apart for middle irons, slightly narrower for short irons and slightly wider for long irons and woods. * The ball is positioned near the center of the players stance for short irons, moving forward of center through the middle and long irons until it is opposite the heel of the front foot for woods. * The majority of the weight is placed on the front foot for short irons, with balance shifting onto both feet through the middle irons until weight is distributed fairly evenly for long irons and woods. * There are several choices with regard to gripping the club. Generally one of the following three will be used: * Vardon overlap (or overlapping) grip: Named for Harry Vardon, the man who popularized it, the little finger of the trailing hand (the dominant hand) is placed between the index and middle finger of the lead hand (the non-dominant hand). The lead hand thumb fits along the lifeline of the trailing hand.. * Interlocking grip: The little finger of the trailing hand is intertwined with the index finger of the lead hand. The lead hand thumb fits in the lifeline of the trailing hand.. * Ten finger (or baseball) grip: The little finger of the trailing hand is placed close to the index finger of the lead hand. The lead hand thumb is covered with the lifeline of the trailing hand.. Normal stroke The full swing by a right-handed golfer. A normal swing is used for most shots until the green is reached, and either woods or irons may be used. The golfer adjusts his/her stroke to fit the circumstances of the play such as distance to the green, lie of the ball and location of the hazards. The face of the club starts on, or close to, the ground (except in sand play or water hazard when grounding is not permitted by the rules) square to the target line. For the right-handed golfer It consists of a “backward swing” to the right shoulder, a “forward swing” back to the middle (where the ball is hit), and a “follow-through” to the left shoulder and vice-versa for the left-handed golfer. * A pitch shot is a specific type of stroke, generally onto the green, which lands without moving forwards too much, or perhaps spinning back towards the player. The pitch shot can vary in length from anywhere between 50 yards to over 100 yards for longer hitters. * A flop shot is another specific type of stroke, in which the player uses a lofted club, such as a sand wedge or a lob wedge, rotates the club head to an open position, and strikes down on the ball, causing it to be launched at a very high angle, which allows the ball to land softly with little roll. Players use the flop shot when hitting short distances, perhaps over a hazard, and it is necessary to stop the ball quickly, because the flag stick is positioned close to the edge of the green, often termed “not having much green to work with”. The shot has been popularized by professional golfer Phil Mickelson. The chip is a type of shot generally used from short range around the green. Although any club may be used, and there are specialist chipping clubs (or chippers) available, a short iron or wedge is most common. The goal of the chip is to land the ball safely on the green and let it roll out towards the hole. The putt is used for putting the ball in the hole or closer to the hole (as in lagging) from the green or the fringe of the green. The putter is used for the putt. The golfer adjusts his/her putt to fit the circumstances of the play such as distance to the hole and slope of the green. The face of the club starts square to the target line. The club goes straight back and straight through along the same path like a pendulum. One strategy is to aim the ball 10% past the hole. Another is to look at the hole for long putts instead of the ball. List of shots * A drive is a long-distance shot played from the tee box, intended to move the ball a great distance down the fairway towards the green. * An approach shot is made with the intention of placing the ball on the green. The term “approach” typically refers to a second or subsequent shot with a shorter-range iron depending on the distance required. * A lay-up shot is made from the fairway after the drive, but intended to travel a shorter distance than might normally be expected and/or with a higher degree of accuracy, due to intervening circumstances. Most often, a lay-up shot is made to avoid hitting the ball into a hazard placed in the fairway, or to position the ball in a more favorable position on the fairway for the next shot. * A chip is a very short shot played from near the green, generally made with an abbreviated swing motion. Chip shots are used as short approach shots to the green. * A pitch is slightly longer than a chip shot and thus requires a slightly larger swing. It is generally hit with a lofted club and expected to stop fairly quickly once reaching the green. * A bunker shot is a shot played from a sand trap. It is hit with a lofted wedge and is intended to hit the ball high so that it can carry over the lip of the bunker while still staying on the green. * A flop shot is when a player opens the club face on a chip shot to get the ball to fly over an obstacle and stop quickly or spin back once it hits the ground. * A putt is a shot designed to roll the ball along the ground. It is normally made on the putting green using a putter, though other clubs may be used to achieve the same effect in different situations. A lag is a long putt designed less to try to place the ball in the cup than to simply move the ball closer to the hole for an easier putt into the hole. * A draw is a stroke played with the effect that, for a right-handed player, the ball moves from right to left during flight. Conversely the ball will move from left to right for a left-handed player. These characteristics are achieved by having either an in-to-out swingpath or a closed clubface, relative to the swingpath, at impact. * A fade is a stroke played with the effect that, for a right-handed player, the ball moves from left to right during flight. Conversely the ball will move from right to left for a left-handed player. These characteristics are achieved by having either an out-to-in swingpath or an open clubface, relative to the swingpath, at impact. * A punch or knock-down shot is one with a low trajectory, that is employed when hitting into the wind or in order to avoid hitting the ball into overhead obstructions. This stroke is achieved by keeping the weight forward and the hands ahead of the clubhead through impact. * A hook occurs when the clubface is closed relative to the swingpath or with an inside-out swingpath and thus flies severely from right to left or vice versa for a left-handed player. Skilled players can hook the ball at will, but most commonly it is a misplayed shot that often has negative consequences. * A slice occurs when the clubface is open relative to the swingpath or with an outside-in swingpath and thus flies severely from left to right or vice versa for a left-handed player. Skilled players can slice the ball at will, but most commonly it is a misplayed shot that often has negative consequences. * A push is a ball whose flight path is straight, with negligible sidespin, that ends up right of the target. The incidence angle of the clubface is x° to the right of the target, and where the path of the clubface is also x° to the right of the target (inside to outside path). * A pull is a ball whose flight path is straight, with negligible sidespin that ends up left of the target. The incidence angle of the clubface is x° to the left of the target, and where the path of the clubface is also x° to the left of the target (outside to inside path). * A shank occurs when the ball is struck on the hosel of the club, and thus flies at a sharp angle to the right of the intended direction (or vice versa for a left-handed player). * A thin shot occurs when the forward edge of the clubhead strikes the ball too high, causing the shot to come up short of the target. * A phin is an off target shot similar to a thin but it fishtales on landing. * A top occurs when the player strikes the top half of the golf ball causing it to dribble along the ground and come up severely short of the intended target. * A fat shot occurs when the forward edge of the clubhead strikes the ball too low, causing the shot to come up short of the target. * A pop-up (or sky) occurs when the ball strikes too highly on the clubface, causing the shot to travel very high, leaving it well short of its intended target. * A whiff occurs when the golfer swings and misses the ball. Par (score) Par is a term in the game of golf used to denote the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch (or 0 handicap) golfer should require to complete a hole, a round (the sum of the pars of the played holes), or a tournament (the sum of the pars of each round). Pars are the central component of stroke play, the most common kind of play in professional golf tournaments. A sign on a golf course in Kohler, Wisconsin, indicating that the hole being played is a par four The length of each hole from the tee placement to the pin determines par values for each hole primarily, though not exclusively. Almost invariably, holes are assigned par values between three and five strokes. For a casual player from the middle tees, a par-three hole will range between 100 yards (90 m) and 250 yards (230 m) from the tee to the pin. Par-four holes range between 250 yards (230 m) and 450 yards (410 m), although tournament players will often encounter par-four holes as long as 500 yards (460 m) or more as it is not uncommon for short par-five holes for normal play to be turned into par-four holes in championship play. Par-five holes are typically between 450 yards (410 m) and 600 yards (550 m), but in the modern game holes of over 600 yards (550 m) are becoming more common in championship play. Other relevant factors in setting the par for the hole include the terrain and obstacles (such as trees, water hazards, hills, or buildings) that may require a golfer to take more (or fewer) shots. Some golf courses feature par-sixes and, albeit very rarely, par-sevens, although the latter are not recognised by the United States Golf Association. Typical championship golf courses have par values of 72, comprising four par-threes, ten par-fours, and four par-fives. While 72 is typical, championship course par can be as high as 73 to as low as 69. Most 18-hole courses not designed for championships still have a par close to 72, though some will be lower. Courses with par above 73 are rare. Courses built on relatively small parcels of land will often be designed as Par-3 Courses, in which every hole is a par-three (for a total par of 54 over 18 holes). A golfer’s score is compared with the par score. If a course has a par of 72 and a golfer takes 75 strokes to complete the course, the golfer’s reported score is +3, or “three over par”. This means that the golfer has taken three shots more than par to complete the course. If a golfer takes 70 strokes, their reported score is -2, or “two under par”. Tournament scores are reported by totalling the golfer’s score relative to par in each round (there are usually four rounds in professional tournaments). If each of the four rounds of a tournament has a par of 72, the tournament par would be 288 and the golfer’s score would be recorded relative to the tournament par. For example, a golfer could record a 70 in the first round, a 72 in the second round, a 73 in the third round, and a 69 in the fourth round. This would give the golfer a tournament score of 284, or “four under par”. Scores on each hole are reported in the same way that course scores are given. Names are commonly given to scores on holes relative to par. One over par (+1). “Going round in bogey” originally meant an overall par score, starting at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in 1890, and based on a popular music hall song Here Comes the Bogey Man.. Nationally, players competed against Colonel Bogey March and this in turn gave the title to a 1914 marching tune.. As golf became more standardised in the United States, par scores were tightened and recreational golfers found themselves scoring over par, with bogey changing meaning to one over par. Bogeys are relatively common, even in professional play – so much so that it is considered somewhat noteworthy if a player manages to complete a bogey-free round – and they are very common for many casual and club players. More than one shot over par is known as a double-bogey (+2), triple-bogey (+3), and so on. However, it is more common to hear higher scores referred to simply by the number of strokes rather than by name. For example, a player, having taken eight shots to negotiate a par-three, would be far more likely to refer to it simply as “an eight” or “being five over par”, than a “quintuple bogey”. Double-bogeys and worse scores are uncommon for top performers in professional play. Even (E). The golfer has taken as many strokes as the hole’s par number. In theory, pars are achieved by two putts, with the remaining shots being used to reach the green. For example, on a par-five hole, a player would be expected to take three shots to reach the green and two shots to putt the ball into the hole. Par derives its name from Latin, in which “par” means equal. One under par (?1). This expression was coined in 1899, at the Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, New Jersey. It seems that one day in 1899, three golfers — George Crump (who later built Pine Valley, about 45 miles away), William Poultney Smith (founding member of Pine Valley), and his brother Ab Smith — were playing together when Crump hit his second shot only inches from the cup on a par-four hole after his first shot had struck a bird in flight. Simultaneously, the Smith brothers exclaimed that Crump’s shot was “a bird.” Crump’s short putt left him one under par for the hole, and from that day the three of them referred to such a score as a “birdie.” In short order, the entire membership of the club began using the term. As the Atlantic City Country Club, being a resort, had many out-of-town visitors, the expression spread and caught the fancy of all American golfers.. The perfect round (score of 54 on a par 72 course) is most commonly described as scoring a birdie on all 18 holes,.. although no player has ever recorded a perfect round in a professional tournament. Two under par (?2). Eagles usually occur when golfers hit the ball far enough to reach the green with fewer strokes than expected. This most commonly happens on par fives, though it occasionally occurs on short par-fours. A hole in one on a par-three hole also results in an eagle. The name is simply analogous to a birdie (see above). The name was given to be a larger bird for a better score.. Three under par (?3); also called a double eagle in the U.S. This is an extremely rare score, and occurs most commonly on par-fives with a strong drive and a holed approach shot. Holes in one on par-four holes (generally short ones) are also albatrosses. The first famous albatross was made by Gene Sarazen in 1935, and it propelled him into a tie for first at the Masters Tournament. He won the playoff the next day. The sportswriters of the day termed it “the shot heard round the world.” Between 1970 and 2003, 84 such shots (an average of fewer than three per year) were recorded on the PGA Tour.. Recent well-publicised albatrosses include those scored by Joey Sindelar at the 2006 PGA Championship — only the third in that competition’s history,. Miguel Ángel Jiménez while defending his BMW PGA Championship title in 2009,. Paul Lawrie in the final round of the 2009 Open Championship., Shaun Micheel on the final day of the 2010 U.S. Open. — only the second ever in that competition, and Padraig Harrington in the 2010 WGC-HSBC Champions.. Four under par (?4). This is the lowest individual hole score ever made. (Par sixes do exist,. but are exceptionally rare and an ace has never been recorded on one.) This would be a hole in one on a par-five or a two on a par-six. It has been recorded only four times in history, only once on a straight drive (for a record 517 yards) and never during a professional tournament.. Ostrich is a notional term for five under par (?5). This is widely considered impossible, requiring a hole in one on a par-six, which themselves are very rare holes.. Phoenix is a hypothetical term which would be used for six under par (?6). Such a score has never been, and is unlikely to ever be, recorded, as it requires a hole in one on a par-seven hole, a very rare hole in itself.. The seventh hole on the Satsuki golf course in Sano, Japan, the longest hole in the world at 964 yards, is one of the world’s few par-sevens.. Professional golfer In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated; a professional may not play in amateur tournaments. It is very difficult for a professional to regain his or her amateur status; simply agreeing not to take payment for a particular tournament is not enough. A player must apply to the governing body of the sport to have amateur status reinstated. Under the rules of golf and amateur status of the R&A, the maximum an amateur can win is £500.. Under the rules of golf and amateur status of the USGA the maximum an amateur can win is $750.. If an amateur accepts a prize of greater than this they forfeit their amateur status, and are therefore by definition a professional golfer. Professional golfers are divided into two main groups, with a limited amount of overlap between them: * The great majority of professional golfers (at least 95%) make their living from teaching the game, running golf clubs and courses, and dealing in golf equipment. In American English the term golf pro refers to individuals involved in the service of other golfers. The senior professional golfer at a golf club is usually referred to as the club professional, but at a large golf club or resort with several courses his job title is likely to be director of golf. If he or she has assistants who are registered professional golfers, they are known as assistant professionals. A golfer who concentrates wholly or nearly so on giving golf lessons is a teaching professional, golf instructor or golf coach. Most of these people will enter a few tournaments against their peers each year, and occasionally they may qualify to play in important tournaments with the other group of professional golfers mentioned below. Many club and teaching professionals working in the golf industry start as caddies or a general interest in the game, finding employment at golf courses and eventually moving on to certifications in their chosen profession. These programs include independent institutions and universities, and those that eventually lead to a Class A golf professional certification. * A much smaller but higher profile group of professional golfers earn a living from playing in golf tournaments, or aspire to do so. Their income comes from prize money and endorsements. These individuals are referred to as tournament pros, tour professionals, or in American English as pro golfers. See professional golf tours for further details. Historically the distinction between amateur and professional golfers had much to do with social class. In 18th and 19th century Britain golf was played by the rich for pleasure. The early professionals were working class men who made a living from the game in a variety of ways: caddying, greenkeeping, clubmaking, and playing challenge matches. When golf arrived in America at the end of the 19th century it was an elite sport there too. Early American golf clubs imported their professionals from Britain. It was not possible to make a living solely from playing tournament golf until some way into the 20th century (Walter Hagen is sometimes considered to have been the first man to have done so). In the developed world, the class distinction is now almost entirely irrelevant. Golf is affordable to a large portion of the population, and most golf professionals are from middle class backgrounds, often the same sort of backgrounds as the members of the clubs where they work or the people they teach the game, and educated to university level. Leading tournament golfers are very wealthy; upper class in the modern U.S. usage of the term. However in some developing countries, there is still a class distinction. Often golf is restricted to a much smaller and more elite section of society than is the case in countries like the U.S. and the UK. Professional golfers from these countries are quite often from poor backgrounds and start their careers as caddies, for example, Ángel Cabrera of Argentina, and Zhang Lian-wei who is the first significant tournament professional from the People’s Republic of China. In various countries, Professional Golfers’ Associations (PGAs) serve either or both of these categories of professionals. There are separate LPGAs (Ladies Professional Golf Associations) for women. Professional golf tours Professional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women, with each tour being based in a specific geographical region, although some of their tournaments may be held in other parts of the world. Golf is one of the more lucrative sports in the world for both men and women, but it has a very different structure from other sports, especially team sports. Almost all (at least 95%) professional golfers make their main income as club or teaching professionals, rather than from competition. “Touring professionals”, also known as “Tournament golfers” or “Pro golfers”, who make their income from prize money and endorsements, are a small elite within the profession. The very best golfers make up to 8-figure incomes in U.S. dollars from tournament play alone; when endorsement income is taken into account, Tiger Woods is the highest earning sportsman in the world, according to Forbes magazine, retaining this status in 2010 even after a tumultuous year in which he failed to win a tournament and lost his marriage and many of his sponsors after his 2009 sex scandal. For the less successful, trying to make a living from tournament golf can be precarious: tournaments have entry fees and the associated costs of travel and lodging, plus the hire of a caddy. Moreover, most tournaments have a “cut” after the second of four rounds, in which a minimum aggregate score is selected to eliminate roughly half the field, and advance the remaining to pairings for the final rounds. Only those players remaining after the cut earn any prize money at all. Thus, after costs are taken into account, lesser-known tournament golfers who are playing erratically (and do not have a steady income from endorsements) can be in dire financial straits in a bad year. The golf tour system evolved more by trial and error than by design. In the early days of professional golf in each region of the world each professional tournament was established by a separate golf club, golf organisation or commercial sponsor. As the number of tournaments increased the most talented professional golfers concentrated mainly on playing in tournaments rather than on club professional and golf instruction work. Once a good number of tournaments were being played in a region each year they were formalised into a “tour”, which was supervised by a single organisation, although individual tournaments continue to be run by separate bodies in many cases. The PGA Tour was the pioneer of the tour system, and its establishment date is not very clearly defined. The PGA of America was established in 1916, lists of players with most wins in each season are available from that year, and career win totals are based on results from 1916 onwards. However the idea of a “tour” had not firmly crystallised at that time and several important developments came much later. Bob Harlow was named manager of the PGA Tournament Bureau in 1930, the first “playing pros” organisation was formed in 1932, and money lists are available from 1934. However the PGA Tour itself dates the formal establishment of the Tour to 1968, when the “Tournament Players Division” split from the PGA of America.. The dates of establishment of the other key tours include: LPGA Tour (1950); European Tour (1972); Japan Golf Tour (1973); Asian Tour (1995). The term “circuit” is often used to describe professional tournament golf in the pre-Tour era in any given region. For example, before the foundation of the Asian Tour, tournaments in Asia were part of the “Asian circuit”. As professional golf has continued to expand developmental tours such as the Challenge Tour (1986) and the Nationwide Tour (1990; originally called the Ben Hogan Tour), and senior tours such as the Champions Tour (1980; originally the Senior PGA Tour) and the European Seniors Tour (1992) have been established to give more golfers the opportunity to play on a tour, and to take advantage of the willingness of sponsors and broadcasters to fund an ever increasing number of tournaments Caddy In golf, a caddy (or caddie) is the person who carries a player’s bag and clubs, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin placements and club selection. A caddy is not usually an employee of a private club or resort. He is classified as an “independent contractor,” meaning that he is basically self employed and does not receive any benefits from his association with the club. Some clubs and resorts do have caddy programs, although benefits are rarely offered. The term caddie comes from the gascon Occitan capdèth or capdet, meaning chief then younger boy (become cadet in French and refers to the Cadets de Gascogne, the captains serving in the French army in the 15th century were the youngest sons of the aristocratic families of Gascony). The term caddie or cadie first appeared in the English language in the year 1634.. Traditional caddying involves both the golfer and the caddie walking the course. The caddy is in charge of carrying the player’s bag, with the caddie out in front of the player. This is the most common method used in golf clubs and is the only method allowed in the PGA (Professional Golf Association) and LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). “Fore-Caddying” entails the caddie walking while the players ride in carts. The fore-caddy will give a hole description and then walk ahead to spot the players tee shots. The caddie then gets the players yardage (either with a laser, course knowledge, or sprinkler heads) while the players drive their carts from the tee to their shots. The caddy walks ahead again to spot the golfers next shots. This process is continued until the players reach the green. Once on the green the caddie will read greens (if asked per proper golf etiquette), clean golf balls (if asked), fix ball marks, and attend the flag if asked. The caddie is also responsible for raking traps on the course. Caddies will help with club selection, reading greens, weather variables, and marking balls on the green but should only do so if asked to by the player. More than anything else, the caddy is there to make the player’s round enjoyable by taking care of menial tasks, speeding up play, and providing mental support if asked. Most clubs use a ranking system. Caddies will start as a trainee, and be promoted through the ranks of Intermediate, Captain, Honor, and finally Championship. Championship is reserved for only the best caddies. Many courses start their caddies off at the B level, and after a year move them to A, and on their fourth year (if they have earned it), they will receive the title of Honor caddy. The intermediate and captain ranks can usually be obtained within the first year of caddying, and the honor rank is usually obtained in the second or third year of caddying. Championship takes at least 6 years and often as many as 10 years to obtain. An alternative ranking system often used in the American Mid-West proceeds as B level, A level, AA level, Honor level, and Evans Scholar. Caddies often obtain a promotion in rank once a year, while often Honor takes two years to achieve and Evans Scholar’s are only produced by winning the venerable Evans Scholarship for university. Caddies are most frequently employed at clubs on weekends, when the majority of country club golf takes place. Some (but usually not as many) opportunities to caddy exist during the week, as well. Additionally, caddies are often allowed to play the course at which they caddy for free, usually on a Monday (the day that most private clubs choose to close their course for maintenance). On pro golf tours, professional caddies accompany their player to all events, which usually take place from Thursday through Sunday. Additionally, the player may hire their caddy to carry their bag for them during training sessions and practice rounds. Caddies are most frequently employed at clubs on weekends, when the majority of country club golf takes place. Some (but usually not as many) opportunities to caddy exist during the week, as well. Additionally, caddies are often allowed to play the course at which they caddy for free, usually on a Monday (the day that most private clubs choose to close their course for maintenance). On pro golf tours, professional caddies accompany their player to all events, which usually take place from Thursday through Sunday. Additionally, the player may hire their caddy to carry their bag for them during training sessions and practice rounds.