Golf's World

Are you new to this sport? You want to know all about Golf rules? You are in the right time and place! In this article we will briefly review the golf rules and all essentials connected with it. The rules of golf are internationally regulated and are jointly governed by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), which was founded 1754 and the United States Golf Association (USGA). By agreement with the R&A, USGA jurisdiction on the enforcement and interpretation of the rules is limited to the United States and Mexico. The national golf associations of other countries use the rules laid down by the R&A and there is a formal procedure for referring any points of doubt to the R&A. The Decisions on the Rules of Golf are based on formal case decisions by the R&A and USGA and are revised and updated every other year.

The fundamental principle of the rules is fairness. Point out for yourself that there are three noteworthy principles to remember when playing golf, as stated on the back cover of the official rule book:

1) Play the course as you find it. Play the Ball as it lies.
2) And if you cannot do either, do what's fair."
3) To do what's fair you need to know the Rules. The following is a summary of the Rules of Golf, simplified where possible.

Some rules state that:

- every player is entitled and obliged to play the ball from the position where it has come to rest after a stroke, unless a rule allows or demands otherwise (Rule 13-1);
- a player must not accept assistance in making a stroke (Rule 14-2);
- the condition of the ground or other parts of the course may not be altered to gain an advantage, except in some cases defined in the rules;
- a ball may only be replaced by another during play of a hole if it is destroyed (Rule 5-3), lost (Rule 27-1), or unplayable (Rule 28), or at some other time permitted by the Rules. The player may always substitute balls between the play of two holes

Furthermore, there are strict regulations regarding the amateur status of golfers. Basically, everybody who has ever received payment or compensation for giving instruction or played golf for money is not considered an amateur and may not participate in competitions limited solely to amateurs. However, amateur golfers may receive expenses which comply with strict guidelines and they may accept non-cash prizes within the limits established by the Rules of Amateur Status.

Besides the officially printed rules, golfers also abide by a set of guidelines called Golf etiquette. Etiquette guidelines cover matters such as safety, fairness, easiness and pace of play, and a player's obligation to contribute to the care of the course. Though there are no penalties for breach of etiquette rules, players generally follow the rules of golf etiquette in an effort to improve everyone's playing experience.

In conclusion I would add that a good score may be ruined, or a match lost, because of a penalty incurred through unawareness or confusion concerning the game rules. Grasping & understanding the above mentioned should help the golfer in tackling all rules problems. Nevertheless, the complete Rules of Golf as accepted by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the United States Golf Association, should be consulted where any doubt occurs.

Talking about golf, it is a game with an ambiguous exact roots. The origin of golf is open to debate as to being Dutch or Scottish. However, the most accepted golf history theory is that golf as practised today derived from Scotland in the 1100s.

The word Golf was initially mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived from the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat," or "club," and the Dutch sport of the same name. It is often claimed that the word originated as an acronym for "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden", but this is strictly a false etymology.

A game somewhat comparable to golf was originally mentioned in Dongxuan Records, a Chinese book of 11th century. What's more, it was mentioned on February 26, 1297 in the Netherlands in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht. Here the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. Whoever hit the ball into a target several hundreds of meters away the most number of times, won.

Modern-day golf is believed to be a Scottish brainchild, as the game was mentioned in two 15th century laws prohibiting the playing of the game of gowf. Some scholars have suggested that this refers to another game which is more akin to modern shinty, hurling or field hockey than golf. A game of putting a small ball into a hole in the ground using clubs was played in 17th century Netherlands. Flourishing trade over the North Sea during the Middle Ages and early Modern Period led to much language interaction between Scots, Dutch) and other languages. There are also reports of even earlier accounts of a golf like game from continental Europe.

Though, these initial games are more accurately viewed as ancestors of the game we call golf, as the fact remains that the modern game of golf we understand nowadays originated and developed in Scotland: The original golf club memberships were formed in Scotland. The earliest permanent golf course originated there too, as did the very first written rules, as did the establishment of the 18-hole course. The first formalized tournament structures also emerged there and competitions were arranged between different Scottish cities. Over time, the modern game spread to England and from there to the rest of the world. The oldest playing golf course in the world is The Musselburgh Old Links Golf Course. Evidence has shown that golf was played here in 1672 although Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly played there in 1567.

It is very interesting to know that a golf courses have not always had eighteen holes. The St Andrews Links occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St Andrews, in Fife, established a customary route through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 1764, several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes. Due to the status of St Andrews as the golfing capital, all other courses chose to follow suit and the 18-hole course remains the standard today.

Main changes in equipment since the 19th century have been better mowers, remarkably for the greens, better golf ball designs, using rubber and man-made materials since about 1900, and the introduction of the metal shaft beginning in the 1930s. Also in the 1930s the wooden golf tee was invented. In the 1970s the use of steel and then titanium to replace wood heads began, and shafts made of "graphite" (also known as carbon fiber) were introduced in the 1980s. Though wooden tees are still most popular, various designs of plastic tees have been developed in recent years, and the synthetic materials composing the modern ball continue to be developed.

As a final point of this topic, Golf balls are well-known for "dimples". These small dips in the surface of the golf ball decrease aerodynamic drag which allows the ball to fly further. Golf is also famous for the use of flags. These show the position of the hole to players when they make their first drive and are too far away from the hole to aim precisely. When all players in a group are within putting distance, the flag is removed by a "caddy" or a fellow competitor to allow a trouble-free access to the hole.

What is a Golf? A worldwide sport, leisure or just a hobby? As for me, I would certainly say that golf is a tremendous game, which includes leisure activity, hobby and sport all in one. The gameplay is adorable and with learning some tactics or strategy you can play quite good very fastly. Players, using many types of clubs including a driver, a putter, and irons, hits a ball into each hole on a golf course in the lowest possible number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not use a standardized playing area; rather, the game is played on golf "courses", each one of which has a unique design and typically consists of either 9 or 18 holes. Golf is defined in the Rules of Golf as "playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules."

The term Golf was initially mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute on forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf that stand for "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived from the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat," or "club," and the Dutch sport of the same name. It is often claimed that the word originated as an acronym for "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden", but this is strictly a false etymology.

The originaly first Golf game was played at Bruntsfield Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland, in A.D. 1456, recorded in the archives of the Edinburgh Burgess Golfing Society, now The Royal Burgess Golfing Society. The modern game of golf spread from Scotland to England and has now become a worldwide game, with golf courses in the majority of countries.

Golf competition may be played as stroke play, in which the individual with the lowest number of strokes is declared the winner, stableford points play (as devised in 1931 by Dr. Frank Stableford of the Wallasey & Royal Liverpool Golf Clubs), in which the individual with the highest points score is declared the winner or as match play with the winner determined by whichever individual or team posts the lower score on the most individual holes during a complete round. In addition, team events such as fourball have been introduced, and these can be played using either the stroke, stableford or matchplay format. Alternative ways to play golf have also been introduced, such as miniature golf, sholf and disc golf.

Golf has more and more turned into a spectator game, with a various different levels of professional and amateur tours almost all around the World. People such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sörenstam have become famous sports figures around the World. Sponsorship has also become a vital part of the game and players sometimes earn more from their sponsorship contracts than they do from the game itself.