Golf

A golf ball (right) next to the hole it goes in.

Golf is a game played in an open field where the golfer plays his golf ball into a hole by using different types of clubs (golf instruments). The book Rules of Golf reads "The Game of Golf consists in playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules."

Play of the game

In golf, a golfer plays a number of holes in a given order. 18 holes played in an order controlled by the golf course design, normally make up a game. On a nine-hole course, two nine-hole rounds make up a normal game.

The two common forms of playing golf are match play and stroke play. In match play, two golfers (or two teams) play holes one at a time. The golfer with the lower number of strokes (number of times the golfer used to get his ball in the hole) wins that hole. If the two have the same number of strokes, the hole is "halved" (drawn). The golfer that has the greatest number of holes wins. In stroke play, the golfer (or team) with the smallest number of strokes all together wins. There are different forms of these rules, some given in the "Rules of Golf" making them "official.

Clubs

A golfer using a putter on a green to hit the ball into the hole.

The four different clubs are woods, irons, putters and wedges. A golfer uses about 3 woods, about 10 irons, and a putter. The rules do not let the golfer use over 14 clubs in a game.

The Majors

Golfers call the four (or five) biggest tournaments in professional golf "majors", and they play them at nearly the same time every year. The four majors are:

Men's

1. The Masters
2. U.S. Open
3. The Open Championship (British Open)
4. PGA Championship

Women's

1. Kraft Nabisco Championship
2. LPGA Championship
3. U.S. Women's Open
4. Women's British Open

In 2013, women's golf will add a fifth major. The Evian Masters, held in France, will become a major, and will be renamed The Evian at that time.

Senior men's golf, limited to players 50 and over, has its own list of five majors:

1. Senior PGA Championship
2. The Tradition
3. Senior Players Championship
4. U.S. Senior Open
5. The Senior Open Championship (Senior British Open)

Other websites

• Best Players
• Rules of Golf
• Golf Equipment Reviews
• Golf ball aerodynamics
• Golfers' Dictionary
• A Nice Golf Tips Blog
• Golf news
• Golf history
• Golf trivia
• Golf Tips & More
• Titleist Golf Clubs
• Golf swing tips
• Online Golf Tips & Biomechanics of the golf swing