Many people see golf, first of all, as entertainment and a way to have a good time, and only then as a professional sport. All professional golfers started out with a passion for its discipline and enjoyed the game first and foremost. Many of them did not even think that their hobby would someday become a job and would bring them a lot of money.
Despite the seeming simplicity, it is a serious workout, during which all the muscles of the body are worked out properly. During a standard game of 18 holes, which lasts about four and a half hours, the player covers a distance of at least 10 km, and walking is considered one of the most balanced types of physical activity. It improves motor and cognitive skills since during the game the golfer needs good coordination and eye.
It is curious that in golf, there is a special Senior Tour, where professionals or amateurs over 50 fight, continue to show decent results, and enjoy the game. A huge advantage is that age is not a hindrance to golf.
Basics of golf rules
The best way to “get involved” in golf is just seeing the game with your own eyes and immersing yourself in its atmosphere. However, if you have already decided to try it, you will probably be interested to know what rules the game is based on.
The goal of the round is to hit the ball in each of the 9 or 18 holes in the least number of strokes. To do this, you have different types of clubs. Here are their main types:
- “Wood” – a club for hitting a long distance. They usually start the game with the most long-range “Wood” No. 1, which is called “Driver”.
- “Iron” is a club for a medium distance, most often a golfer has about 6 of them. They differ in length, degree of impact surface, and number.
- “Wage” – a club for accurate short hits, as well as for knocking the ball out of the sand and tall grass. It features a heavy heel and a large impact surface angle.
- “Putter” – with its help, golfers roll the final shot into the hole, which is carved on the shortest cut part of the field called the “green”.
- The golf ball is the fastest of all sports balls, a kind of sandwich made of hard rubber and a mixture of different types of plastic. The game is played on a specially designed outdoor field.
International rules of golf
The rules in this sport are international and remain valid in any club in the world where golf is officially played. Also, a golf club can supplement the basic rules of golf with local ones, which are developed and approved by the administration of a particular club, taking into account its specifics and game features. In addition to the official rules, there is the so-called etiquette.
If the rules govern how to behave in certain situations on the field and how penalty points are awarded if they are violated, then etiquette regulates such aspects of the game as safety, fairness, speed of play, and respect for other players and for the field. Etiquette imposes requirements both on the appearance of the players and on their behavior.
Penalty points are awarded for violation of the rules or when the ball, after being hit, falls into a position that does not present opportunities for further play. For example, a ball that has flown out of the field is punished with a free-kick, and the player is forced to make the third hit from the same place from which he hit the ball into touch.