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A History Of Golf And Why It Is Important

By John Lamb

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Published: 02Dec2011
Word count: 1627
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Golf is an outdoor sport that requires the use of different sets of clubs in hitting a ball into each hole. The sport was originally from Scotland and has been played since the 15th century. However, its ancient origins have remained unclear. There are some historians who claim that it came from the Roman game, paganica while some trace it back to a Chinese game called chuiwan.

The goal of golf is to be able to place the balls inside the holes using the fewest number of strokes. Among all the various sports around the world, golf is one of the few that does not have a standardized venue. The venue for golf is called a golf course.

A typical golf course consists of a teeing ground, fairway, rough, hazards and the putting green where the flagstick and the hole is located. Golf courses normally have 18 holes but there are courses that only have 9 holes. For such case, the course is played twice each round. The golf course is quite huge so the player may opt to use golf carts and may also be accompanied by caddies.

The golf ball should weigh a maximum allowed weight of 1.620 oz and should have a diameter no more than 1.680 inches according to golf's rule book entitled, Rules of Golf. To hit the ball, a golf club is needed. Golf clubs have different types and functions. Typically, a set is composed of 14 golf clubs - 3 or 4 woods for long distance fairway/tee shots, 9 irons, which is the most versatile type and a putter which is used on the putting green to roll the ball into the hole. Only recently have specialist children's golf clubs been introduced. Another major part of golf club maintenance is regripping golf clubs when they get old

Playing golf starts with hitting the ball with a club on the teeing ground. During this stroke, the ball is usually suspended on a tee to give the ball a higher trajectory, thus, reaching long distances. Once the ball comes to rest, strikes are done as many times until the ball reaches the putting green. This time, the golfer can put the ball inside the hole. The main goal is to put the ball inside the hole with the least number of strokes. But this cannot be achieved easily as there are roughs distributed along the course to slow down the ball, therefore, hindering the goal of using lesser strokes. Aside from roughs, bunkers or sand traps as well as water hazards are also found in golf courses.

Like any other sport, golf has rules and regulations that need to be followed strictly. The rules can be found on the book, Rules of Golf, written and governed by the R&A which was formerly called The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. R&A administers the play of golf around the world, except in the United States and Mexico which is managed by the United States Golf Association (USGA). Generally, golf's underlying principle for its rules can be summarized in one word, fairness. Golf players are expected to practice the etiquettes such as safety, fairness, pace of play, and the responsibility to contribute in caring for the golf course. While there are no penalties for violating the etiquettes, these are strictly followed to improve the players' experience.

John Lamb has started his own site all about children's golf clubs, where he debates lots of key issues for people new to golf such as regripping golf clubs

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