Not Your Grandfather's Sport; An Intro to Golf for The Next Generation

You have heard of Tiger Woods, and possibly seen the men in your family gathered in the living room on Father’s Day watching The U.S. Open together but never gave it much more of a thought other than a few rounds of mini golf. One glance at the TV screen, and the game might not capture your attention with its slow and meticulous pace compared to an ice hockey or basketball game, but you don’t need to watch golf to be a golfer, so here we are going to break down the club and ball sport for you because there is something special about spending the day on the fairway with your friends. 

What is a round of golf? Golf is a club and ball game where players compete to complete an 18-hole course, i.e., a round, in as few swings as possible. 

How is it played? Each hole begins with players teeing from the tee box off from a designated spot and ends on the putting green when the players have sunk their ball into the hole.  

Golf Encyclopedia 

A Round - ‘A round’ of golf refers to playing 18-holes.

Hole - A hole in golf can refer to two things, i.e., the ‘3rd hole’ is referring to how far into the course or round you are in out of 18 holes, or a ‘hole’ can refer to the actual hole that the ball goes into which is identified by the flagstick.

Fairway - The fairway is the part of the hole where the grass is cut even and short, it is ideally where you want your ball to land.

Putting Green - The putting green is the section of the hole where players use ‘putters’, a specific type of club, to sink their ball into the hole to complete it, and where the grass is cut the shortest.

(A Bunker)

Hazards - Hazards refers to bunkers, ponds, rocks, and roughs that you want to avoid. 

Bunker - A bunker is a section of sand on the hole.

Rough - Rough is the high grass or dense vegetation and shrubs. (Careful if you are playing down south, that is where the snakes and alligators like to hide)

Golf Clubs - There are various golf clubs and different types are used at different times during the game. When you tee off a player uses their driver, the largest club, and by the end of the hole they use a ‘putter’ which is the smallest. If your ball stays on the ‘fairway’, goes into a ‘bunker’, or the ‘rough’ you will choose your club accordingly, most likely an ‘iron’. This is probably the most confusing part so do not hesitate to ask for advice!

(Tiger Woods and his caddie, Joe LaCava)

Caddies - A caddie is a player's best friend, no one knows the course better than a caddy. They will carry the players golf bag but also offer the most insightful advice on which club to use and how to best play the hole. If you are playing on a course that does not have caddies, you will likely use a golf cart but only drive your golf cart on the designated paths to avoid poor etiquette and risk getting kicked off the course. 

Golf is all in the details and that is what makes it great! Once you get into the swing of things, pun intended, it is a wonderful recreational habit that you can play the rest of your life and an enjoyable way to spend time outside. 

To read more articles from Marlon Muller visit RHGents.com