A Golf Primer

This primer is intended for those of you who have watched golf on TV but can not understand the jargon and the scoring system. I hope it will help you to further appreciate the game and draw you to the course for a first hand experience.
Golf is now a $ 20 billion a year industry. A game played by over 50 million people on 24,000 courses in 76 countries. The US has about 24 million golfers playing on 13700 courses. Japan has 11.5 million golfers and about 1600 courses. A round at a municipal course could cost a couple of dollars or membership to the most expensive club in the world, Koganei Country Club, Tokyo will set you back US$ 2.35 million! Golf can be played by a 10 year old as well as a 90 year old. Women comprise 23% of the golfing population, however, 41% of new golfers are woman.
A game that dates back over six centuries with it's reputed home being Scotland. The oldest club being "The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers", which came into existence in 1744. With the establishment of the " Royal Calcutta Golf Club" in 1829, India became the first country outside Great Britain to play Golf. In the U.S. golf got started in 1888, 12 years after the inception of the "Bangalore Golf Club"!
The Rules are updated every 4 years and are governed jointly by The U.S. Golf Association and The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. In India , it is governed by the Indian Golf Union and the professional tour is run by the Professional Golfers Association of India.
The professional play the main circuits, U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia, Asia etc. The four golf Majors (and the year they started) are:
The Open Championship (British) (1860) The U.S. open Championship (1894) The Masters (held at Augusta G.C. every year) (1934) The U.S.P.G.A. Championship (1916)

The Playing Ground:
The Basic premise is to play a ball from the starting point (TEEING GROUND) into a hole in the GREEN (the putting Surface) in the fewest number of strokes in accordance with the rules of golf. This is done over a series of golf holes of varying length, difficulty and configuration. Most golf courses consist of 18 holes (a regulation round), although some have only 9 holes. The total distance for a course will range between 6000 to 7000 yards though there are shorter and longer courses.
The score kept on any course is usually measured in relation to PAR - the number of strokes an expert golfer would be expected to take on a given hole or for the total round.
PAR 3 : Distance up to 250 yards. The golfer is expected to reach the green in one shot and then take the regulation two putts for the par.
PAR 4 : Distance ranging between 251 & 470 yards. The expert is given 2 shots to reach the putting surface and the 2 regulation putts.
PAR 5 : Distance ranging over 471 yards. 3 shots to the green and 2 regulation putts for par.
The total par for a 18 hole course is usually between 70 to 72. A balanced course would have four par 3's, ten par 4's and four par 5's for a total of 72 par.
A BIRDIE is one under par for the hole. An EAGLE is two under par for that hole. A BOGEY is one over par for the hole and a DOUBLE and TRIPLE BOGEY are 2 and 3 shots over par respectively. A HOLE in ONE (ACE) is when the player finishes the hole in one shot and this usually occurs on a par 3 hole.

Given below are the various components of a typical hole:
TEEING GROUND : The starting point of the hole. The ball may be teed up on a wooden or plastic peg.
FAIRWAY : A term used to describe the closely mown area between the teeing ground and the green.
GREEN : The putting surface that is mowed very short to enable the smooth rolling of the ball. The green will have its own undulations which causes a ball to BREAK (not roll in a straight line). Thus you will see players aiming well away from the hole to compensate for this break. The HOLE is the finishing point and is a 4 1/4 inch diameter hole cut in the green. It is called a CUP. The FLAGSTICK or PIN is a pole placed in the hole to show it's location on the green.
FRINGE or APRON or COLLAR : A Closely mown area around the green from where it would be difficult to putt but conducive to a chip shot.
ROUGH : The longer grassed area, usually alongside the fairway. A ball straying in to this area is more difficult to hit out of.
BUNKERS : These are hazards that are depressed areas in the ground filled with sand. It is difficult to play out of and the player can touch sand with his club only at impact. If he does so before he incurs a penalty of 2 strokes.
WATER HAZARDS : Areas generally containing water that are difficult or impossible to play from.The player must drop his ball as per the rules but incurs a penalty of one stroke.
OUT OF BOUNDS : Ground on which play is prohibited. A ball landing here incurs a penalty of one stroke and must be played from the place where the shot was made from.
PRACTICE RANGE : A place to take lessons, work on your swing up before a round.

EQUIPMENT:
CLUBS :
A golfer can carry any combinations of clubs provide there are no more than a maximum of 14 in his bag. Clubs are identified by their number. Clubs are designed such that each provides a different ball flight trajectory and distance. A club is chosen for a shot based on the distance required and on the LIE of the ball. If the ball is sitting up nicely on the grass then any club that provides the right distance can be used. If the lie is poor - the ball has no grass under it or is in thick grass where the club will not make direct contact with the ball - a club that enables you to play from that spot should be used even if you are unable to reach the target.
A club is a shaft (steel, graphite or composite) with a rubber Grip on one end and the Head on other. Where the head and shaft join is known as the head Hosel. That part of the head that is below the hosel is the Heel. The opposite end is the Toe. The head can be made out of steel or composite materials and is normally either forged or Investment Cast.

Clubs have been designed in such a way that the golfer uses basically the same swing with different clubs, to obtain different distances and trajectories.
WOODS :The are clubs that are used to get distance. They are not very accurate as they are more difficult to hit. The head of the club is made out of wood (hence the term woods) but today a majority are made from metal but with the design of the traditional wood. The 1 wood (Driver) provides maximum distance is used off the teeing ground. The wood 3 is commonly used from the fairway for maximum distance. The 5 wood does not provide as much distance but can be used from bad lies such as the from the rough.
IRONS : These are used to play shorter distances. They have more loft so do not roll much on landing and are more accurate. The head of the club is made of metal and resembles blade. Irons are numbered from 1 to 9 with 1 providing more distance than the 9. The pitching wedge used for the close approach shots and the sand wedge to play out of a bunker.
PUTTER : The putter does not get the ball airborne and instead is used to roll the ball and is used almost exclusively on the green.

The angle of the club face is the LOFT of the club and determines the trajectory of the ball and the distance it travels. Grooves are cut on the face of the club so that it imparts spin on the ball. Coupled with how the ball is hit it provides differing results. If you hit the ball with a downward blow thereby pinching it between the club and the earth you impart BACKSPIN, which makes the ball climb higher and land softer and sometimes spin backwards on landing. You play such a shot using the short irons when you are hitting to a green and need accuracy. One of the most pleasurable sights is to see a ball land past the flag and then spin back close to the hole. One result of the shot is that a piece of earth and turf is dug out and this is termed as a DIVOT.
If you strike the ball with a slightly upward angle you impart TOPSPIN which makes the ball fly lower and roll forward on landing. You play such a shot when you want to maximize distance. If the angle of attack is such that it imparts side spin then the ball will spin to the right (fade) or left (draw).

BALL:
The ball is DIMPLED to increase its flight distance. There are two basic types. One has a solid core and a cover (two piece construction). The other has a liquid core over which a length of rubber band is wound and then covered. This THREE PIECE ball affords more spin and feel but sacrifices distance when compared to the two piece construction. Covers can be soft such as Balata, which imparts more spin but cuts easily or hard, such as Surlyn or Zinthane that is far more durable. Professionals favor the balata covered three piece ball.
The constant research in golf ball construction has seen many developments the latest of which is the introduction of balls with high tech materials, such as titanium, used in their core.

THE PRE-SWING AND SWING TECHNIQUES:
Pre-swing techniques include the method of Gripping the club, the Stance & Posture adopted in Addressing the ball and the act of aligning to the target i.e. AIM. Swing techniques involve the Backswing, Downswing and the Follow Through. These techniques occupy volumes by themselves and if you are serious about taking up the game then it will be worthwhile to invest in an instructional book.
FLIGHT LINE OF THE BALL:
The following are words used to describe the common ball flight paths.
FADE: Ball starts off straight and then curves gently to the right.
SLICE: Ball starts off straight and then curves viciously to the right.
PUSH: Ball goes straight but well right of target.
DRAW: Ball starts off straight and then curves gently to the left.
HOOK: Ball starts of straight and then curves viciously to the left.
PULL: Ball goes straight but well left of target.
TOPPED: Ball hit above it's equator. Airborne for a short while and rolls considerably.
SKIED: Ball hit below it's equator. rises high in the air and drops. Loss of distance.

COMPETITION:
Golf can be played alone against the course, against another player or in teams.
MATCH PLAY: Golfers play against each other on a hole by hole basis. The golfer that completes a hole in less strokes than his opponent wins the hole. if they complete the hole in the same number of strokes the hole is halved. The golfer who has won more holes wins the match. This can also be played as a team event where the better score of two golfers is taken against the better score of the opposing team of two golfers. Played normally over 18 holes (one round).
STROKE PLAY: Golfers play against the course land the golfer with the lowest score is the winner. The professionals take the total score over 4 rounds (72 holes) played over four days. At club level it ranges from a single round to a four round tournament.

Handicapping System for amateurs allow players of differing competence levels to play against each other. The lower the handicap, the better the player. A golfer with a 5 handicap is expected to play a round with a score over 5 over the course par. If he is playing with a 15 handicapper then he "gives" him 10 shots during the round so that the match is balanced and more competitive.
CADDIES: A caddy is a person who carries the golfers bag and offers the player advice during play.